I'm reading the new book by Thomas Friedman, That Used To Be Us, where he makes the case that our educational system is a hollow shell of it's former self, pumping out kids who cannot compete in the global economy. We have dumbed down education over the years because we don't want to "leave any child behind", so we've just slowed the bus to a crawl. Now we're getting run over.
So should we ramp things up, demand more of our students (and their parents), push 'em harder and accept that more of them aren't going to finish the marathon? For those that can thrive under those pressures the sky will be the limit, but for those that can't....or won't....they'll be forever trapped in menial, low paying jobs. It will create an even faster widening of the "have's" and "have nots" gap.
Here's the rub: Let's be honest....the vast majority of those who can't or won't succeed in the new educational pressure cooker will be minorities, in numbers far greater than their percentage of the population should suggest. Can you hear the whine of "racism"?
Since these kids are going to wind up in blue collar jobs anyway, why not acknowledge that trade schools have a valuable place in our society and direct those kids there? And if they can't make it there, well that's just too bad. The bus has left the station. Do we have the collective cojones to do that?
S
Given equal opportunities in school, why shouldn't every child advance as per their abilities? We have a good public school system here, but it's the affordability of college or university that prevents people from going further than high school. I do think trade schools should be a choice, because not everyone likes academics, or wants a professional i.e. white collar career. I also think all schooling should be free.
ReplyDeleteI think those kids who don't succeed in a tougher system wouldn't in the present system anyway. Kids need more disipline!! Not beating or such, but more strictness.... it didn't harm US after all! (or did it? lol)
ReplyDeleteI like the premise that we MIGHT have the cojones to do what's right. As it stands now the educational system in this country stinks. I heard a teacher the other day complaining about 9th grade students who come in reading at a 3rd grade level. Really!
ReplyDeleteI largely agree with what you wrote but I think a great deal of it has to do with American culture on several levels.
ReplyDeleteFor certain minorities it is not popular to "act or talk like the man" and here in the South a great many poorer White kids outright reject education because their families view anyone with an education as suspicious.
The movies, video games, music, and television only add to this by catering to the lowest common denominator suggesting that violence solves most problems.
I also figure teachers need to be respected in class with good ones getting the pay they deserve. We can easily pay a bonehead like Peyton Manning 90 million to throw a ball, spend 10 billion a month in Afghanistan for a war that no one can really explain why we are still there, so teachers and other educators that actually reach kids shouldn't have to fight tooth and nail for money for basic school supplies.
As for those who fail to make the bus, that is playing with dynamite. The last Egyptian government tried to ignore that type of people and look what happened.
Interesting comments. I'm personally willing to ramp things up and give our kids a world-class education. Many aren't going on to college, and that's fine, so I would direct them towards some kind of trade school where thay can prepare their future. I'm also willing to accept that theer will be some who are simply going to fail. They were given the same opportunities as everone else, but chose not to take advantage of it. They will just be failures. Sad, but it is what it is.
ReplyDeleteS
I just reread my long-winded comment and I have to apologize. I truly went around my elbow to get to my thumb while trying to make a point. I blame it on working third shift and being half asleep.
ReplyDeleteSimply put while our educational system is deeply flawed on many levels my major concern is the growing underclass of completely uneducated people unable to compete in the high tech 21st century.
These people will not go away and could eventually undermine the basic foundations of our society if the conditions they live under are not addressed. Of course it takes "two to tango" if we want to fix things and it is times like these I'm glad I am not in a leadership position because I have no idea how we can successfully address this situation.
This will sound off topic but stay with me...
ReplyDeleteThe other day, we had a volunteer reception at work. It was my responsibility to hand out the award to the teen with the most volunteer hours for the year. After the reception,the family of another teen approached me. The teen's mother wanted to know how many hours the award winner had worked. I looked at the teen and asked, "Dipal, are you planning to win the award next year?" Dipal told me "yes" she was.
My point, the entire family was investing in the success of this teenager. It matter to both parents that she do the more and better than anyone else.
It's to her benefit, that her family's culture tells her that what you do as individual reflects on the entire family. It is no shock that her parent's country of origin has an emerging economy and the growing middle class have more access to affordable healthcare than our citizens do.
My point, I think our entire education system is so hobbled by this "no child left behind" mentality that it is beyond fixing. Culturally, we have conditioned entire generations to believe that they should be proud of being average. How will this ever make us competetive?
And yes, I think trade schools are a great option!
Bum....I think that when kids are pressed and they realize they'll either be on the bus or under the bus most will shape up. I don't think we'll have a huge underclass. I think they'll rise to the challenge.
ReplyDeleteBethany....So many of our kid's educational woes are in fact simply a lack of parental involvement. I don't care how good the teachers are, if the parents don't do their part, the system won't work.