Why Every Kid in America Doesn’t Need to Be Educated

[Geee]

Pajamas Media:

Why do we spend so much money on education? I think a lot of people would answer, “Because educating our kids is important.” Really? Why?

There are a lot of problems with teachers’ unions, whose goals are to make sure we get the least amount of education for the most amount of money, but the problems don’t start with them. Just look at the whole system we set up. We have 7.2 million teachers in this country and about 76 million students. Children are taught for 13 years in grade school, and many people want everyone to get at least 4 years of college on top of that. And what exactly do we get out of all this? If someone told me I was going to spend the next 17 years just studying, I’d expect at the end of it all to be Batman — a master of all sciences, languages, and martial arts. We’re lucky if our kids come out of this able to read and with at least one marketable skill.

So what is our goal with all this? It’s like we envision a future where we all just sit around and be all educated and smart while robots or illegal Mexicans do all the real work. But do we really want all of us to be a bunch of educated people who never do anything useful — like the Obama administration but for the whole country? Anyway, it’s not going to happen. The future still needs people to cook, clean, and manufacture goods — and it doesn’t take a decade of education in math and science to be able to do those things. So why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars to make sure every fry cook at one point in his life knew what a gerund is?

Is there a benefit to educating everybody regardless of actual need? We keep hearing that we’re falling behind the rest of the world in our average math and science scores, but let’s look at some of the countries ahead of us: Finland, Lichtenstein, the Czech Republic. I’m sorry, but did I miss all the huge technological innovations that came out of these countries? China is also ahead of us in test scores, but they haven’t even figured out how not to put lead paint on children’s toys. What exactly are high average test scores worth? If a bank teller can properly identify the parts of a cell, this helps society how? Or do we just think that kids sitting in classrooms throughout childhood makes them better people? Well, Jesus didn’t spend his childhood in a school, but know who did? Hitler.

[Pepper]

Geee

 

Key part of the article:

 

"Why do we spend so much money on education? I think a lot of people would answer, “Because educating our kids is important.”

Really? Why?"

 

We have no national consensus on the why part. Get agreement on the why part and things can fall into place.

 

We first wanted to get kids through junior high school and then separate them into vocational or college prep tracks as in the European model.

 

Then the aim was for all to get a HS diploma. The HS diploma became insufficient and the bachelors degree was a new minimum. That turned into to grad school for many.

 

For what real ends?

 

The author adds to the confusion by implying "educated people" can only be done in formal schooling.

 

We need our citizens to be able to read, write, and think for themselves with a core knowledge and understanding of what makes us Americans. That can be done in literally any setting.

 

 

"China is also ahead of us in test scores, but they haven’t even figured out how not to put lead paint on children’s toys."

 

That quote has zip to do with education. In fact, the Chinese manufacturers and their government figured it out, all right. It is all about profit making and screw the consequences. And that goes for the American manufacturers who turn a blind eye and import from China. Ask Donald Trump for his opinion on the Chinese.

[Saltbag]

When I got my engineering degree I thought it was a pretty big deal. It did open doors, no doubt. As years pass, I put less and less value on a college education. I worked my way through college with little to no parental support, which was character building, but it was at least possible. With today's tuitions, it takes a king's ransom (or your life's savings) to go to even the most "pedestrian" universities. It's out of control.

 

I work in manufacturing, and it's a mix of all demographics. At my company one of our best workers and leaders is a 24 year old. Broken family, high school degree, and had his first kid at age 15. He's now married to the woman, has two more kids, and is probably going to to be promoted to a leadership position making about 60k a year. He had nothing, worked hard for it, and he deserves it. He's brilliant. I think about so many of the saps I knew in college, and they can't hold a candle to this guy or many others that don't have a degree.

 

In retrospect, the point of college is to learn how to learn. The education you get is only marginally applicable to the real world versus OJT.

[Valin]

 

The author adds to the confusion by implying "educated people" can only be done in formal schooling.

 

The reason why The Great Books series, and the various encyclopedias were started was the idea that anyone with the will to do it, can become "educated".

[Valin]

Example:

 

 

Professor Donald Kagan explains why people should study the ancient Greeks. He argues that the Greeks are worthy of our study not only because of their vast achievements and contributions to Western civilization (such as in the fields of science, law, and politics) but also because they offer a unique perspective on humanity. To the Greeks, man was both simultaneously capable of the greatest achievements and the worst crimes; he was both great and important, but also mortal and fallible. He was a tragic figure, powerful but limited. Therefore, by studying the Greeks, one gains insight into a tension that has gripped and shaped the West and the rest of the world through its influence. In short, to study the Greeks is to study the nature of human experience.

 

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses

 

This course was recorded in Fall 2007.

 

 

24 lectures each 1 hour+ long...do yourself a HUGE FAVOR!!

[Pepper]

Valin

 

Among the garbage, there's some good stuff.

[Valin]

Valin

 

Among the garbage, there's some good stuff.

 

 

Yup