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The identity crisis of American education

hkem1Beach Fanatic
1,345 views
Should we try to destroy teacher unions or let them flourish? Should we have summer vacations or stay in school? Should we have charter schools, parochial schools, "vocational" schools? Should we have prayer in school? Should we have voucher programs? Should we pay teachers more? Should we decrease class size? Should we have more standardized testing? Should we have more fine arts programs? Should we put more money into math and science? Should we have school for disabled children? Should we spend money trying to convince kids not to drop out of high school? etc...

These are all questions that people in this country love to debate. While they are all certainly worthwhile and important, none of them alone will fix our education issues.

I would propose that we are currently in an identity crisis with regards to our education system from pre-school to graduate school.

We bemoan standardized testing, yet seem to think it is a problem when America is behind all these other countries in...standardized testing.

We hate that college tuition is going up so much, yet we allow schools to waste money on remedial education because we think college should be open to more people.

We say we want to support teachers, but don't give them the authority they need in the classroom. (Think about a time you have tried to go "over the head" of a teacher)

The bottom line of all of this that must be figured out before we can effectively solve our education woes is- What is the point of American education?

Is it to have as many people with college degrees as possible?

Is it to educate the masses to try to make everyone equal?

Is it to help the elite students become even better?

Is it to make everyone a classical academic?

Is it to cater to Corporate America and produce drones for the next generation of America?

Is it provide a free babysitting service to parents?

Is it a public employment program?

It's probably not any of those I have listed. But I would ask you to think about what you truly believe the end goal of education is the next time you are debating whether there should be 20 or 22 students in a 5th grade science classroom.

Replies

32
Matt J avatar
Matt JSWGB
#27
Why not give the Montessori concept a try on a much larger scale. So far it's worked for hundreds of thousands of students.
30ashopper avatar
30ashopperSoWal Insider
#28
Why not give the Montessori concept a try on a much larger scale. So far it's worked for hundreds of thousands of students.

Isn't that grade school only? I don't think applying a method of teaching where "the teacher views the child as having an inner natural guide for his/her own optimal self-directed development" would work with high schoolers.
poppyBanned
#29
Isn't that grade school only? I don't think applying a method of teaching where "the teacher views the child as having an inner natural guide for his/her own optimal self-directed development" would work with high schoolers.

Yet Republicans feel this is the ideal business environment. ;-)
Matt J avatar
Matt JSWGB
#30
Isn't that grade school only? I don't think applying a method of teaching where "the teacher views the child as having an inner natural guide for his/her own optimal self-directed development" would work with high schoolers.

No, it can go right through high school. In fact a friend of mine continued on when I went to public high school. He has since gone on to get his PHD in Biology from Harvard and now teaches at the University of Alabama. I remember as kids he had a great interest in all things living and that was encouraged. With most kids the trick is not to force things on them, but teach them that other subjects must be mastered to further their core interest. In this instance it introduced him to reading, writing, math, science, etc. all while still focusing on the core interest. He's expecting a new born in September and they have already decided that when the time comes their child will go to Montessori.
30ashopper avatar
30ashopperSoWal Insider
#31
No, it can go right through high school. In fact a friend of mine continued on when I went to public high school. He has since gone on to get his PHD in Biology from Harvard and now teaches at the University of Alabama. I remember as kids he had a great interest in all things living and that was encouraged. With most kids the trick is not to force things on them, but teach them that other subjects must be mastered to further their core interest. In this instance it introduced him to reading, writing, math, science, etc. all while still focusing on the core interest. He's expecting a new born in September and they have already decided that when the time comes their child will go to Montessori.


I don't know much about it, but sounds promising. Don't we have one of those here in Walton?
Matt J avatar
Matt JSWGB
#33
I don't know much about it, but sounds promising. Don't we have one of those here in Walton?

Ah, yes we do -

South Walton Montessori Academy | SWMA

looks like they are expanding as well.

For years people dismissed it as a hippie commune style thing, but it's catching on as people realize that when a child is truly interested in a subject they'll happily take up the related subjects that go with it.

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