Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Educated Guess
Go HERE to weigh in on a discussion about public education. It's a topic I'm often, if not continually, engaged in. Not in a political way, but just asking the question, how do parents best serve their children? What do you think? Are you happy with your public school? I am. Should I be?
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4 comments:
Not so sure about her assumptions that we are "cloning the minds of our youth!" Here is a book you may want to check out. " Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by Jamie Ford.
Thanks for linking people Circe. And for everyone else, I'm actually male not female so technically they are "his assumptions."
I don't know this blogger, so I don't feel especially comfortable posting a comment on his blog, so I'll leave mine here!
I taught school for 5 years in 3 different positions. I'm double certified, have a master's degree, and 3 specialized endorsements. In my experience the public school system best meets the needs of most average and above-average learners. My biggest concerns come in for the struggling students and special needs students. Unless you're lucky enough to get an exceptional teacher who has sought out extra training on her own, your child will be lumped together with a lot of other special-needs kids with a huge range of problems. In my mind it really all comes down to money. Teachers don't have the training they should have, the class sizes they should have, and the materials and resources they should have all because they only have the money they need to barely get by.
And I agree with your comment, Circe, that a lot of the problems in school and society stem from children's home environments. Schools and teachers can't be expected to fix everything. But too often they are expected to.
I'm glad you linked this through your blog, Circe, as I think it is important.
I am nearly unable to cope with the apathy I see around school. I do not believe this is natural but little by little their inherent curiousity and innate goodness has been stolen from them. I don't believe there is one reason for it at all. The sense of entitlement in this generation, I believe, comes from an overemphasis on self-esteem. Overwhelming praise seems to be the tactic used to inculcate self-esteem in the youth. They can see right through this but they do use it to their advantage. "I'm so great I needn't do anything and must lack nothing." I know when I was lavishly praised for giving minimal or no effort, coddled when I failed, I did not feel at all like I deserved any praise. When, then, did I feel like I deserved praise? When I could exhibit self-control and self-discipline and bring those virtues to some success, even after multiple failures. It irks me to hear from the pulpit at church such praise. Maybe recognition for what they accomplish, not a general "they are up against so much and are so good in the face of it." Maybe that sounds mean but it meant nothing to me when I heard it in church except that I was entitled to more of whatever I wanted.
Anyway, that may be neither here nor there, and you'll have to excuse my zeal when discussing this next part. You said, "I think it is absolutely essential for kids to learn things they don't think they need to know or don't care about because it teaches them that the world doesn't revolve around them." I agree with the principle, the end, but not with the means. Two of the most important wars, in my opinions, occured on the basis of freedom for all: 1) The American Revolution and 2) the War in Heaven (arranged in reverse order of importance). In both instances, individual freedom was guarded against immense opposition. Thankfully, the Almighty was on the side of freedom in both instances and therefore victory was guaranteed. How can we, as much lesser beings, assume to side with anything for which Lucifer would have fought, in principle? What should set America apart is liberty. Anything consisting of socialist, nanny-state, compulsory operations ought to be rejected, in my opinion, based on the outcome of those two events. If you disagree with me, you disagree with my assumptions of the first post. Greek mythology, history, science and anything else will be learned in a free environment. That is my belief. Any free-thinking adult interested in self-development will take the time to learn what is important and necessary for them. Joseph Smith once said, referring to the government of the Saints with him as leader, "I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves." We should teach students correct principles of learning, not what to learn. They can decide that. If Father in Heaven puts such immense trust in His creation to develop soundness in judgement and maturity of intellect, who are we to expect less? In comes back to your idea of expectations. I don't think we disagree in theory, just in method of delivery. Children are not empty, clean slates meant for our manipulation. They are free souls, with whom we may use appropriate influences to discuss myriad important issues and decisions, but not force or unrighteous dominion (see D&C 121:33-46). I may be wrong but it doesn't feel that way.
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