Problems With the American Educational System
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Education – Is a Life Long Experience.
Every Citizen of the World, young or old, has a natural right to determine their own destiny! Life Long education plays a large part in determining and maintaining that destiny.
I think you will agree today’s education system needs work, to say the least. So many of our kids move on without the basic skills needed to survive let alone prosper. We need to do a much better job at educating our future – our children; and re-educating our present – you and I.
I recall a number of years ago signing up for several classes at one of our local community colleges. In so doing I had to take some mandatory placement tests (English, math etc.). When the test scores came back, I remember the instructor commenting that I “… must have gone to school when they actually taught kids something”.
While that comment was a great ego booster in reality it was a sad commentary on our educational systems. To much teaching to ‘tests’… Life is not a test – It’s real. You cannot test for it!
Knowledge is now expanding at a vicious rate. Today we all lead extremely hectic lives. I agree it is certainly difficult to keep up with everything demanding attention in ours busy lives. As individuals, we need to find a way to bring that expanding knowledge into our lives, in little bits and pieces or in large chunks – whatever works for you.
For instance, I attend a great many on-line classes, covering a wide range of subjects. This means I learn in the comfort of my home – important for me due to my limited mobility. Some sessions can be downloaded for later viewing. This is just one way to enjoy my learning experience.
My point being Learning need not be a chore, especially considering education really is a 24/7/365 experience.
And our children need to be included. We can’t just ‘dump’ them in a building for six hours a day, five days a week and expect them to learn the ways of the world. Classroom learning certainly is of great value and completely necessary. But it is what is learned outside that environment which teaches the real lessons of life.
As teachers, both formal – in the classroom and informal (you and I) – in a child’s external environment, we need to instill a desire for continuing curiosity to learn more and teach them how to satisfy that curiosity. ( http://www.wikihow.com/Expand-Your-Knowledge-Using-the-Internet )
We are a species with a built-in thirst for knowledge. Finding out what next great adventure the Universe has planned for us, as individuals or as part of a group is a natural desire. Certainly our knowledge base is not going to cease expanding.
We are thinking, reasoning beings – at least some of the time – which compels us to explore and learn. We need to continue instilling these qualities in future generations.
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