Our Education System

OK, our education system is not something I write about.  I don't follow the school board like I do the city, and normally am not up to par as to what's going on.  I do however have 4 boys, one of who has graduated GHS, 2 in high school, and a 4th starting Jr. High.  I think I have a clue as to how our schools are functioning. And with the release of the current status of our local schools where GHS and LHS along with others received unacceptable ratings, along with Nixon and others dropping in their ratings I thought it was time to pipe in. 

So what do I think of our educational system? I'm going to tell you they are crap.  Now before I hear about all the great teachers and staff and all I want to clarify.  Our system is broken.  It's a crappy system we have.  I don't believe that any amount of 'fixing it' will do a bit of good.  It's a true Humpty Dumpty. 

We have some OUTSTANDING teachers.  How do I know?  Because as anyone who has had one of my boys can tell you I'm very involved in their education.  I believe I have met almost every teach my boys have ever had, and generally several times over the course of them teaching my boys.  That goes for the administrators too, I know EVERY administrator for all the schools my boys have attended. Out of all of those involved, I can think of 4 teachers I'd rather not teach one of my children ever again, and in all fairness I believe circumstances were involved with one of them, two I think possibly were good teachers but needed to retire, and the 4th just shouldn't be a teacher.  But with all the kids teachers that's pretty good odds. 

But we have this notion that our children are to be taught one or two (sometimes more) test that they need to pass every year.  That these test are the entire focus of education system.  Wrong! Our goal in education should be to teach our children to think/reason and to give them a trait that they can take into the world awaiting them and be productive members of society. 

For those who don't know, I'm the Scoutmaster for Troop 262, so I see boys from the age 10 1/2 to 18, and hopefully beyond. Out of those I've met several boys that would NEVER go through college.  They will make good welders, good mechanics, good ranchers, good carpenters, good plumbers, etc, etc, etc but they will NOT be a PhD.  They aren't even going to get their BA, BS, or any other letters behind their name.  So why are we spending money teaching them things like English in their later years of High School?  Why are we teaching advanced sciences to those who honestly won't use them?  Or Social Studies? or or or or....Why aren't we instead doing what we need to and that's give them a skill?

To think that every kid can or should be taught to be a Doctor or Lawyer from kindergarten is nuts. 

Don't misunderstand me, I think it would be sinful to not make sure our kids know how to read, write and do math.  It's a must at almost any job you will ever have.  And to expose kids to variety of activities so they can learn where their aptitudes truly are, be them in science or dentistry, or forestry, or mechanics, or...you get the idea, is what both schools an parents need to so do our kids figure out what they want to do in life.

This morning when reading Christina Moers blog, Welcome to my brain, she posted a video from a conference, Ted2010. In it Sir Ken Robinson (yes a Brit) discusses how our educational system is messed up. It's a 20 minute video, of which 16 is Sir Robinson.  It is well worth the time to watch this video. 



I would love to hear what other parents and employers think of this.  Why employers? Because they are having to deal with the results of our educational system.  So put in your 2 cents worth and let's see, am I the only one that believes we have a broken system that we need to trash and start from scratch with?

God Bless,
Dennis Nesser