In light of this talk of a new pilot program to add 300 hours to the school year that's happening in five states (New York included), I've been thinking about the education system that seems to be the root of so many problems here in the U.S. I'm not a teacher, I don't follow education and testing statistics, and all of my opinions on this subject are based on anecdotal evidence: my own personal experience, firsthand accounts from others, and whatever comes up in the news every so often. So I'm not an expert, but it seems fairly obvious that the education system is failing on just about all practical levels.
For one thing, I've always been skeptical of the things that are required curriculum in schools. I realize that societal advancement is an important thing, but not every student needs to learn chemistry, biology, trigonometry, ancient history, etc. Some subjects just aren't relevant for everyone. Maybe they're difficult to understand or uninteresting, and that doesn't need to be a problem. Everyone is different. But school curricula seem intent on turning every student into a jack of all trades, but a master of none. I even encountered this in college, where I was required to take certain electives in order to be "well-rounded."
If you ask me (and if you've read this far, you must be somewhat interested in my opinion on the matter), there are a few subjects that schools should really focus on. The first and foremost is literacy. Every single person should be able to read and write fluently. How can we expect anyone to be able to learn anything else without basic literacy? It baffles me that a person who knows the difference between "your" and "you're" is considered a "grammar nazi." The second is basic math. Things like arithmetic, percentages, fractions, simple geometry, and some practical applications. The third is introductory science, like what's taught prior to high school. This would include very basic concepts in the major fields of science: biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science. The fourth is history, and again a general overview would be sufficient, to give an idea of where humanity as been and how we got where we are today.
I just don't understand the notion that everyone needs to sit in a classroom for several hours a day, every day for 12 years. Or the notion that everyone needs to go to college. Given that we live in a world with tons of highly accessible resources, we take schooling to the extreme. It's inefficient. People aren't being prepared to live in the world by learning real skills. There are no classes that teach how to balance a check book, what to expect when applying for a car loan, how to fill out a tax form, or how to change a flat tire.
So really, I doubt 300 more hours per year of the same thing is going to solve anything.
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ReplyDeleteI agree on a base level, but what would you have high-school be? Would you let 14 year olds decide what kinds of classes they want to take? Would you offer classes in tire-changing, or tax form filling?
I think the idea that you need to give someone an idea of all the possibilities before them in a good idea, just executed poorly. I think kids should be forced to take more practical oriented classes earlier, to get a real idea of what those jobs are like.
For instance, you could offer engineering, science, finance, architecture, writing, filming, even construction courses(I know I'm missing a lot of good genres, but you get the idea). That way instead of learning what a qi-squared regression is, you learn when you might need to use it. Instead of learning the 'foundation' we seem to value so highly, you learn practicality. And if the courses are good enough, a lot of jobs won't require more schooling(college). Japan now requires their children to take computer science at an early age (middle school if I recall), which just goes to show you how far behind america is going to get if we don't reform how we do things.
Huh, apparently when I was writing this I took out the part about kid-decision-making. While I'm more inclined to think kids can't properly make decisions like the ones that would be required for education like this, I wouldn't say their incapable. I mean, who really knows? We've never let kids decide what they want to learn in school. It's completely possible that they may have insight into their abilities and interests that could set them up for success. Combined with advice and help from their parents, I think that would go a long way towards getting kids on the right path. I knew a handful of guys who knew what they wanted to study early in high school, pursued it on their own time, and carried it into a college education.
ReplyDeleteIn my own experience, I had (have?) no idea what I wanted to do. The college selection process came screaming out of nowhere, because generic grade school classes gave me practically no insight into what I would want to study in college. When the decision rests on some crash-course information from college tours and the like, it's a little overwhelming.
Mind you, this whole opinion piece isn't supposed to be some kind of plan, because I'm less certain of how I think school should be compared to how I think it shouldn't be. All I know is, there are some things that students absolutely need to learn that they don't seem to be learning (literacy and math, and probably a few other subjects), and there's a strange emphasis on college that's putting tons of people in debt for apparently little gain. And I agree that practicality should be the emphasis; what was running through my head earlier was calculating a tip, being able to estimate the size of an apartment by knowing the square footage, and maintaining a personal budget, things that involve math in a way that will answer that "when am I going to use this" question that comes up all the time.
Also, I really think that some people have talents that are under-valued today because having a degree is a sort of standard for success. I don't think there's anything wrong with people who do manual work, construction, manufacturing, auto repair, or anything like that. Those people and their skills are important. But every time education is brought up as a major issue, somebody basically says that everyone should be going to college. It's one thing to give people opportunities to go if they really belong there, but it's another to try and get every single person to go, regardless of whether they belong or would gain anything from it.
Regardless of all of this endless noodling I'm doing here, I really don't think tacking on a bunch of hours is even remotely the right direction. It seems like a lazy solution to a very important issue.