Is Our Education System one of Educating or Indoctrination
Our education system is an embattled entity these days with the push for common core and in some cases the philosophy of textbooks being used for various subjects. History is one area of concern as time after time there are reports that history books being written today have changed events which have taken place and in some cases have completely ignored specific details.
The goal of education is to educate but what is being taught may not necessarily be what our system was intended. I highly respect the teaching profession and have taught classes myself. Teachers are the connection for their students for success when they enter the workforce. What they teach and how they teach can make the difference for each student. The goal of any subject whether it is being taught in a work environment or our school system is to inform but informing requires that the content be accurate.
Our future leaders need basic subjects which will help them in the future such as English, and Math but history should not be ignored. Many events have taken place which impacted our country as it is today and if they are not presented to our future leaders they could impact decisions they make. Understanding our history and the reasons some events took place helps them to understand the principles on which this country was found.
Education across the board face some difficulties in educating for which adjustments need to be made. Each student has different capabilities and talents and as such they learn at a different pace and sometimes do not readily comprehend the content of the subject being taught. Every individual deserves a quality education. While our education system is a great one it does not mean that improvements should not be considered.
The question of whether each citizen has a right to an education is not open or should not be open for debate. While education is not specifically mentioned in the Constitution as a federal responsibility it leaves the responsibility to each of the states to provide the education for their respective citizens. Education is a critical part of our society for without it individuals would not have the necessary preparation for the jobs of today and into the future. The job market today is quite different than in the past and it will be different tomorrow. Our education system needs to meet the challenges of today and those of the future in preparing the leaders who will lead industry and our country far into the future. Any system can be improved it is a matter of what needs to change and who makes the decisions.
Education is becoming a system where individuals are making decisions on what needs to be taught and how it should be taught. Efforts are in place to move from the basic concept of the past to more of indoctrination to impose a philosophy which has no basis. Ignoring our past as with our history eliminates the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and apply solutions which worked to problems of today. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result does not work. A one size fits all philosophy does not accept the reality that individuals learn at different paces and their capability to comprehend is associated with the methods being used to teach.
I mentioned in the beginning that our education system is an embattled one as efforts to change it in relation to systems across the world. These efforts are being met with some resistance as states are taking action to improve their educational system based on their needs not the one size fits all philosophy. Each state has their own educational needs and the methods used may be different but they need to utilize what works for them. Each state has their own history which needs to be part of their curriculum in addition to the real history of our country. We should not worry about being compared to other countries in conjunction to their education system. Comparisons are in principle a good thing but the question to be answered is who is making the comparison and is it objective.
