Thursday, December 25, 2014

Let's Try Education For A Change




Violence, mistrust, hate, resentment, and frustration seem to be the news of the season.  The reasons that lead to these conclusions can range from totally logical to completely unreasonable.  Killing seldom is a lasting and empowering action that results in meaningful change and better circumstances for all.   The world, national and local news is filled with a littering of bodies in the name of religion, justice, revenge, love, power, and self serving possession. 

If we want change maybe we are looking in all the wrong places.  Legislatures across the country mandate gazillion laws and regulations about what should be taught is schools.  Empowering the individual generally is not one of them.  Facing responsibility and obligations of service are not in Common Core.  The thrill of learning, natural curiosity and joy of discovering are lost in the drills and demands of memorization.  The bottom line is a test score and measurement against some norm that apparently is destroying our society.

Attempting to enable the individual to be a responsible and productive citizen living in a free society supposedly is some goal of most schools.   Maybe money should focus on children and their teachers and not the makers of tests and publishers of remedial programs.  Let's give education a chance.  Let's let children love learning.  Let's let teachers teach, parents be parents and celebrate our precious individual children.  

Maybe there can be a new year.

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