public Education

            Richard Kahn’s article really speaks a lot about the conspiracy of public schools only teaching students to be average, or not giving students the ability to move up in life.  Public schools teach only what the “state” wants them to teach.  What if the state only produces a curriculum that teaches enough for the students to learn new things but does not teach them to be great and to really raise their intellectual level.

            If this is true, which Richard Kahn is pretty well convinced it is, then what can be done to rise up against this problem?  Should the teachers take partial blame for this?  Maybe it is the teacher’s fault.  Nobody really knows what goes on in the classrooms besides the teacher and the students.  If the teacher was actually teaching the “hard stuff” then who would know?        

            If I was in their position I think I would be able to pull off accelerating the students minds instead of keeping them in one place. I would teach the students how to actually think instead of just memorize.  Memorization is vital in the learning process but that’s not all that needs to be taught.  These days and even my own generation, kids are taught to just go through the motions instead of learning how to be independent.  How is our world ever going to get out of an economic or environmental crisis if nobody can develop an innovative mind to think outside the box and come up with solutions to the most disastrous problems?

            This is the problem but what is the solution?  You can easily say just teach the students upper level curriculum but the state issues certain tests to see if the teachers are teaching the right standards, and if they fail the teacher is fired.  This is another major problem.  Whatever the solution is it needs to be done fast.  Maybe it’s actually standing up against the man and taking charge!