Monday, February 14, 2011

The Joy of Booze...

Ever sat, hungover, in front of a roomful of kids? I did, for the big V-day. I told all my class periods to read 5 chapters of our book and don't bug me unless it was important.

While I was sitting there, nursing my head like I'm a goddamn breastfeeding mother, I realized something.

There are some serious problems with the education system in this country.

...

NO I DID NOT JUST FIGURE THIS OUT NOW. The thing is, I always thought I was doing something to help. You know, being the cool teacher who actually gets them interested in the subject. The cool teacher that you could talk to.

But being the cool teacher isn't enough. Even if I get these kids interested in one subject, there's still the other six periods filled with mindless, regurgitated drek. The age of 'No Child Left Behind' has brought the era of ALL KIDS BEING PULLED ALONG.

If you don't get it, let me fill you in. Over the last oh, three decades, there has been a gradual shift towards standardized testing, and away from, you know, ACTUAL TEACHING. Children and teenagers are taught to spit up facts on command, and then forget them so that the NEW batch of facts can be learned, ad nauseam. Nothing being taught is of any practical application, aside from a few, non-essential classes.

World History was fascinating for me. I love literature, history, sociology. I still have no idea where the wiper fluid reservoir on my Azera is. That's the problem, too. Even if the kids give a DAMN about the subjects (and from my experiences, most teens think school is wasting their time. I'M INCLINED TO AGREE), it won't help them be a functional member of society, which is what I THOUGHT THE PURPOSE OF SCHOOL WAS.

I'm not a revolutionary. I don't want America to have to go through what Egypt went through (yet). School is boring, unhelpful, and honestly damaging to the development of our youth. I see it every day, and have almost been fired a couple times for trying to change it. It'll take someone with a hell of a lot more clout than me, and I don't see that happening.

3 comments:

  1. good reads! I can't wait to read more. following.

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  2. Interesting read.
    I blame Bush.
    I'll be following you! Keep up the posts.

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  3. Great to hear this from a teacher's perspective.

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