Do you recall sitting at your school desk that had been used by countless kids before you? You can see names scratched on the surface going back 50 years or so, heart shaped ink blots, dribble stains of yesteryear. Then you feel the pain of trying to absorb the meaningless data, the blackboard filled with hieroglyphics that only professors could read or understand.
Most of you were slouched over the desk as the teacher droned on endlessly, your thoughts darting elsewhere. Looking around the classroom you see a few of your buddies with their eyes closed, some doodling on their scrapbooks, others in a deep trance. Was this all about education you ask yourself? You begin to think it is so much more fun playing football so why is learning so very boring when you see absolutely no need to learn all about the vivisection of frogs legs, you think "When will I ever use this knowledge? Besides, I can find all this in an instant on my iPod if I need it."
We all seem to lack basic knowledge, and worse, basic answers to common questions so essential to everyday life. We are caught in a stimulus-response culture with no real thought of creativity until we wake up to how stagnant and uncreative the education system we have blindly followed for decades. It is high time the education system woke up to NCLB (no child left behind) which has to be changed or scrapped before closing the so-called "under performing" schools.
Learning by rote is out, consulting the students' understanding is in if teachers desire educated kids!
All schools, public or private, have to be totally restructured and we start with teacher recruitment. How are they recruited, retained and paid? Discrimination is alive and well, not everyone has a right to teach or even to basic education which is hard to believe, so please check it out, you will be astounded.
The following is vital for future generations; more bucks for innovation, for new ideas, real accountability with proven results, diversity of curricula and to encourage passion, drive and enthusiasm - teachers must have a love of future generations.
We talk about education costs and if we cut back any further the end result will be devastating, the US becoming a third-world country? Ha! Wait and see if nothing is done very soon as we all become robotic, like sheep.
Have a look at the current education stats, one in every four child leaving school is illiterate. And it will get worse, a lot worse. Man's greatest disease is ignorance followed by laziness and both of these are basic attitudes like wearing a coat - you can either leave it on or take it off.
Jon Mumford is a freelance writer for online publications and writes for family enjoyment and child education . If you truly want to have some fun and laughter, go to his kid-friendly website - http://www.familyfuncartoons.com A top line resource on clean humor for young families!
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