tuesday afternoon thoughts on education

Over the past few days I've been reflecting on my years in high school - that three years of awkwardness between the ages of fifteen and eighteen - and trying to remember some of the things that I learned in my classes.

I have to admit that I cannot really remember anything that I learned in my classes. No single fact or statistic, no particular skill, no way of thinking.

Same with college and university - other than that 'Tacitus was a republican' I can tell you nothing about the material from my courses.

What I can tell you is my opinion on every teacher or professor I ever had, whether or not I enjoyed the material, and why I took that course.

Which leads me to the conclusion that school, or at least the courses we require students to take, is a waste of time.

"Um, Stu," you ask, "Isn't that sort of a dumb thing for you to say, being a teacher and all? Are you trying to work yourself out of a job?"

Dear reader, fear not, for everything will become clear.

Education is intrinsically valuable - a belief that I will always hold to be true, but what we are offering is not really education at all.

Any school system that emphasizes calculus, physics, and classes of that ilk over communication, civics, or the arts is not educating students - it is manufacturing the illusion of education.

Our schools emphasize quantity over quality, and students pay the price. We force them to undergo twelve years of busy work and then wonder why they are inept when they graduate.

Just like the movements to slow down other areas of our lives, we need to slow down our schools - give students a chance to breathe and internalize some of what we try to teach them.

"So Stu," you ask, "Do you really think that this little rant will fix anything?"

No, dear reader, I don't. But maybe it will help start something.

Mark Twain said that he never let his schooling interfere with his education.

Smart man, that Sam Clemens - I think I'll see what I can do with his advice.