The problem with education

Education in America.

One of the problems with the American educational system (and there are many) is the working definition of its purpose: the acquisition of knowledge. Rote memorization, standardized testing -- this is how we foster facts, not knowledge. We should be helping kids develop the language and thinking that they already started learning as a member of their community, not sitting them in desks and telling them what they supposedly need to know. That only works with the kids who would have succeeded anyway, and even those kids are quick to catch on that they only need to do enough to get by. Not all who are capable of excelling do so, because they don't have to.

Reading and writing are the key -- but not reading and writing as traditionally taught. We need to teach kids things that are relevant, meaningful, useful. We also need to discuss their own education with them. Only if we show them why they're learning something will they be excited to learn it. Otherwise it's just work, and we perpetuate a fear of failure.

My Teaching Writing class is really starting to get under my skin.