Education is Useless Article on CNN

[CyndiLJ]

Your thoughts?

 

http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/19/my-view-education-is-useless/?hpt=hp_c2

 

Cindy

[Impish]

I'm Canadian, so our education system is a *wee* bit diff (no actual NCLB, but the mentality appears to be there). I agree w/what he's saying, completely, from what I've seen in our system.

[Abigail4476]

I agree somewhat. :)

 

My caveat: A good education can kick in and be beneficial later in life even if the student was unappreciative or unenthusiastic during their school years.

[ShannonS]

He is making an appeal for character education; trying to make the case that the role of the school is not just teaching facts, skills and strategies for learning,

but to create "passionate, employable, teachable and adaptable people." It is clear that he is not frustrated only with the schools, but also with America's

media obsession. He argues that the true goal of education is to teach people to be "free" and that our consummerist and fame-addicted culture enslaves the mind.

 

I can empathize with his position to a point, but I found his definitions to be pretty vague, and there were too many generalizations for my taste. I do admire his cheer leading, however, I couldn't get on the bandwagon. I do not think character education is something that can be accomplished by policy or doctrine. I know he is not really asking for policy, but rather modeling, but I am of the 'Throw Your Hands Up and Take Your Kids Home' school of thought. Maybe I lack vision. Inspired me to further develop my thoughts on the role of character education in the public sphere.

[CyndiLJ]

Interesting perspective, I came away from reading it with a totally different take on it. I thought the article was largely about how "systemized" education sucks the desire to learn from most children, and how schools will never be effective until we get off the testing bandwagon and start making public education more about gearing learning towards engaging the student first, sort of the way many of us homeschoolers try to meet our kids where they are and find their "triggers" for being excited with learning.

 

I also got that he was explaining how kids are "sold" on what they should desire to attain in life...fame, etc. by our culture, and how our culture is selling them a lame bill of goods.

 

Totally didn't get that the article was about character education.

 

Cindy

[ShannonS]

It was mostly the W.E.B. DeBois quote that led me in that direction. “The purpose of education is not to make men and women into doctors, lawyers, and engineers; the purpose of education is to make doctors, lawyers, and engineers into men and women.†It was also the talk of the true purpose of education being to 'provide the [tools] to make [them] free.'

 

Anytime we talk about shaping human nature, social engineering and the 'type of people' we want children to become, it is character education. I do not think that this is a bad thing to discuss, I think it is inescapable.

 

I agree that it was a criticism of standardization. Kids often do need to be met where they are, but I don't know that public schools are able to do that. That is why I said that I could not get on the bandwagon. In theory it would be great to have better role models and glamorize more honorable professions. Teachers don't have time or resources to combat the media that pervade the homes and communities of most kids, and I do not know that it is even 'right' for them to do that.

 

I know what I do and do not want my kids exposed to, and I can act on that. But I think there is a danger in making broad generalizations about other peoples kids. He is in essence stating that the public school (the teachers) need to do their part in making up for the deficiencies a child experiences in the home (through exposure to media). Is it the job of the school to capture the hearts of kids? I am still thinking about all this...

[FO4UR]

It was mostly the W.E.B. DeBois quote that led me in that direction. “The purpose of education is not to make men and women into doctors, lawyers, and engineers; the purpose of education is to make doctors, lawyers, and engineers into men and women.†It was also the talk of the true purpose of education being to 'provide the [tools] to make [them] free.'

 

 

 

 

Those quotes led me to think that he was advocating a "liberal education" or "liberating education," an education that makes a free mind...freedom to think for oneself.

 

I am not getting "Character Education" out of those quotes. (I think he may have read Climbing Parnassus.)

 

 

There is not much hope that our PS's will become homes of liberal education anytime soon...but I have to admit that I think he's right on many points. Mainly, standardized testing robs students of a real education and students have no *idea* what ideas are out there to study...and how can they be interested in anything but winning a score on the test if they don't know what they don't know? How can a teacher even try to begin to give a liberal education when the student simply wants to know if this will be on the test (b/c years of conditioning have trained this one question into their brains) !?!

[lovemykids]

I agree wholeheartedly, students should have a passion for learning. They should be able to follow their interests more, and choose what they would like to study, even how they would like to learn. Also, studies should be presented in more of an interesting manner, and heart issues should be paramount. This theory and way of learning would make a huge impact on our educational system today. Kids would remember content, and truly excel in areas, instead of just the commonplace memorization and regurgitation that we are churning out in batches... here in the US. :rolleyes:

[ShannonS]

Those quotes led me to think that he was advocating a "liberal education" or "liberating education," an education that makes a free mind...freedom to think for oneself.

 

I am not getting "Character Education" out of those quotes. (I think he may have read Climbing Parnassus.)

 

I can see how 'liberal education' would be a better way to encapsulate what he was getting at here.

 

I did agree with the sentiment of the article for the most part. I too think the whole standardization/school as test prep model is a step in the wrong direction. I get his point there. And yeah, the things kids are exposed to through the media are ridiculous. But what is the practical solution here?

[newlifemom]

Totally saw the whole article as a plug for a true liberal education. The kind that is often spoken of by authors such as Simmons, Hicks, or Lewis. That's all.

 

I enjoyed it and the DuBois quote.

[Rosie_0801]

But what is the practical solution here?

 

I think he gave a clue there about introducing kids to academically cool people to follow on Twitter. I don't partake in Twitter myself, but my brother does and has had his questions answered on political talk shows a few times and has swapped a few comments with Alain de Botton. My brother is in his mid twenties, not his mid teens, but encouraging school kids in this way is a step in the right direction and is enough like their usual hobbies that it won't seem like too much work, perhaps.

 

 

Rosie

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Those quotes led me to think that he was advocating a "liberal education" or "liberating education," an education that makes a free mind...freedom to think for oneself.

 

I am not getting "Character Education" out of those quotes. (I think he may have read Climbing Parnassus.)

 

 

There is not much hope that our PS's will become homes of liberal education anytime soon...but I have to admit that I think he's right on many points. Mainly, standardized testing robs students of a real education and students have no *idea* what ideas are out there to study...and how can they be interested in anything but winning a score on the test if they don't know what they don't know? How can a teacher even try to begin to give a liberal education when the student simply wants to know if this will be on the test (b/c years of conditioning have trained this one question into their brains) !?!

 

:iagree: