The title is borrowed from Sir Kenneth Robinson, an English
author, speaker and international adviser on education. He has great ideas
about changing education which resonate strongly with me. I believe that
schools tend to smother creativity in order to “educate” us and this needs to
be changed.
I began to think about the common core and how that is
structured to make sure all students are at the same level, learning all the
same things. Who is to say that is the right way? Who is in charge of making
these decisions? It is the Council of Chief State School Officers. You can read
about them at http://www.ccsso.org/who_we_are.html
Their promise is that their officers are “committed to
creating a public education system that prepares every child for lifelong
learning, work, and citizenship… by addressing and increasing the capacity to
produce students ready to succeed as productive members of society.” What I
find interesting is their use of the word “produce” which means to “make or
manufacture from components or raw material.” It seems as though they have a
goal to produce a certain type of citizens that they want. But who is to say
that their way is the right one? What determines a successful person?
There is a story from the 1930s about a young girl who couldn't focus in school. All her teachers and thus her mother assumed she must
have a learning disability. So her mother took her to the doctor. He ran some
tests and then came to a conclusion. He told the young girl that he needed to
step out of the room and talk with her mother. He turned on some music and left
the room. He and the mother watched the girl through a two way mirror as she
began to move around and dance to the music. The doctor looked at the mother
and told her that nothing was wrong with her daughter, she is just a dancer.
That young girl was Gillian Lynn, who went on to become a famous ballet dancer
and choreographer. Nowadays she would have been diagnosed with ADHD and been
given some meds to help her “focus” in the classroom. We need to stand up for
our educational liberties and take away some of the authority from the people
who claim that they know how to “produce” successful and productive citizens.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree that differences need to be addressed, but the core education is necessary to be able to function in society. A general span of knowledge helps create well-rounded people. The authorities should probably revise the core education, but a "revolution" type response to the core would probably create more problems than it helps.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I cannot remember the source of what I want to share. If it is really important, ask me to find it for you and I will devote more time to it.
ReplyDeleteThe current system of education that we adhere to was developed and eventually mastered by people such as Adolf Hitler. It is a system that's purpose is to take individuals with distinct characteristics, beliefs, and values and turn them into the ideal citizen. The ideal citizen isn't the best citizen; it's the most obedient. No blacks, no whites, only greys. There are schools and school systems that focus on other attributes that creating good citizens. Maybe this problem is more of a system problem than a dogma?