I came across this article, “Why the United States Is Destroying Its Education System, and it got me thinking.
https://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/04/11
U.S. Government policies have certainly weakened our education system — but to say it is being destroyed is an overstatement. I agree that our emphasis on rote learning, our de-funding of public libraries, our pursuit of higher test scores over literacy and critical thinking, and our predilection for “cheap, mindless entertainment” are all detrimental (and all symptomatic of the larger decline of our society, for that matter). But I don’t agree with his assertions that this is all about funnelling our kids into a rigid caste system to serve corporate masters. If he would drop the socialist rhetoric, his arguments would be more persuasive, in my opinion.
Education is the solution to most of the world’s problems. I think we need to stop worrying about competing with other countries’ test scores and focus on concrete ways to give our kids a well-rounded, complete education that includes learning about right and wrong. We also need much greater emphasis on languages and learning about the world. We need to stop cutting science programs, and we need to encourage our kids to use their imaginations and understand how to become innovators. Finland and Colombia are examples of countries making great headway in education. One of the things that made our country great was our emphasis on free thinking — the U.S. has traditionally been the most creative and innovative country in the world. We need to forget these standardized tests and go back to programs that prepare students to THINK, not just memorize.
One more thing: Teaching is the noblest profession. It is sad to see how politicians denigrate teachers. (N.B., I am talking about teachers, not unions.) In many other cultures, teachers are revered. In our country they are among the most underpaid employees. Consider how important educating our children is. Extremely important, right? More important than the work Lloyd Blankfein is doing, isn’t it? We are never going to attract the most talented people to the teaching profession if we continue to pay them like fast-food workers.
One of the problems with reforming education is that results are not seen immediately or even in a short amount of time. We don’t see the results for years. Our politicians, however, have a short horizon: the next election. They will choose a quick, populist measure (e.g., tax cuts) over a long-term program (e.g., education reform) every time. No one votes for someone because they implemented an education reform whose results will not be visible for another generation. Short-sighted politicians and voters are one of the big reasons we never seem to be able to enact any kind of structural reform that our country so badly needs.
– Robert
