I made a statement last week to a coworker that indicted our education system in the USA...
I soon discovered that several relatives of this coworker happened to have been teachers, and so she became very offended at my indictment...!!!
Let me say that, with practically no exceptions, every one of my teachers from preschool, through elementary school, high school, and into college were very dedicated to their art and scholarship and their career choice (those I liked and those I didn't particularly care for), and provided me with the best education anyone could ask for or pay for...
Moreover, most of these teachers provided their services under less than optimal teaching conditions, and at extremely less than the going rate of pay...It would be impossible to repay them...
Then why do I indict the education system as a cause for many of our societal ills...???
Let me quote you from a very thin book which was a textbook used when I attended Drexel University back in the 1960s...
The name of the publication, originally copyrighted in 1938 and dated March, 1965, is 'ACCURACY IN THINKING' by Mody C. Boatright of the department of English at the University of Texas...
first quote: "We are more likely to do creative thinking--that is, add to our knowledge or change opinions to better ones--when we are confronted with a problem."
Among the list of hindrances to creative thinking listed by Boatright are these two as quoted from the textbook:
second quote: "We are prone to believe what we already believe; that is, we have prejudices..."
third quote: "We have a tendency to believe what we wish to be true...Closely associated with our tendency to believe what we wish were true, is our bias in favor of our own interests."
In light of these quotes, why did I then indict the education system in the USA...???
First of all, I am of the belief that parents are the PRIMARY educators of their children...so when opining about my indictment of the education system, take this into consideration, because parents are included in my indictment...
Next, if many on both sides of the political spectrum are finding it convenient to 'BLAME' the media, then they need to ask 'where did the media get their MO'...wasn't it from their educators...parents AND teachers...
And when you consider how many Americans are being raised in single parent homes, and by day care centers, and then educated by teachers who have been taught for generations now with a liberal bias...
Therein lies the problem...!!!
Virtually everyone agrees that education is the key to solving society's problems, but I place upon that agreement the condition that whatever form education takes, pursuit of TRUTH must be education's ultimate goal...
Anything less would be Brain Washing...!!!
More on TRUTH in later posts...!!!
