EDUCATED or MISEDUCATED?
Our political leaders are obsessed with the education of our children. We constantly hear about the need for a college degree, high school diploma, elementary school, kindergarten, preschool and pre-pre-school.
The state of education is a concern for both parties, one supports a tax supported voucher system to give families a choice of schools. One supports tax subsidized government schools with centrally mandated curriculum and mandatory preschool. The question is what are the students learning and why is it so important?
Test scores have fallen but self-esteem has risen. Schools have become a social experiment that seems to be failing. Adding more money has shown no positive results, but the call for more and more money is rarely questioned. The demonizing of homeschooling and charter schools is puzzling considering the positive results. I must ask the question, is the real focus education or indoctrination?
What concerns me is there is a difference between a poor education and being miseducated. Everyone needs the basic tools to earn a living and handle money. We need to learn to read, write and do math, world and American history, and if you are from Texas state history. Civics classes to understand how government works from Washington to the local school board and an a basic understanding of our governing documents and our responsibility as citizens.
Throughout history the education of the masses has been used to maintain a healthy functioning society. Before writing, history, traditions and skills were passed on through mentoring and story telling. The younger tribal members would memorize these stories and skills so they can pass them on to the next generation.
As written languages were invented this knowledge was preserved in a more permanent way to be passed on to future generations. As technology progressed, the printing press, audio, photography, film and video were added.
No matter how well preserved the one variable was the motives of the people passing on the information. Like the telephone game a spoken message can get distorted but this distortion was only lessened as it was written down. Even now with HD video from the surface of Mars and access to the history and knowledge of the world in our pocket the distortion can still happen.
Even after we had writing leaders could limit access like they did through the dark ages. Man was kept illiterate only knowing what the leaders wanted them to know. The printing press broke down some of these walls to give more access to the masses resulting in a period of renaissance.
Radio, telegraph, newspapers and television brought information into our homes. Schools and universities grew in number and eventually a basic education was common. The literacy of the average person is hard to nail down. It is strange but the graphs I have found either omit the US completely or stop around 1979. Try to read the Federalist Papers today and tell me the average New York Times reader could comprehend them today.
Modern communication, internet search engines, social media, traditional media, news, radio, television and the movie industry came along in the past 75 years.
Lately we are spinning out about censorship and a lying media. This is a big deal but the consumer of information is the real problem. Many lack the desire or interest in the truth, it's there, it's just harder to find.
Curiosity is the key, but questioning the popular "truth" is not easy. The first time you turn over a lie is when the real journey begins. An over the top opposition to questioning the established "truth" is the second proof something is wrong. If you continue you are perceived as a threat and you are slandered, censored and banned.
Most are directed to an adult audience, but adults have the ability to critically think and peek behind the curtain. Unfortunately many are willingly deceived, its just easier to go along.
Many are responsible teachers focused on education but many are focused on molding the opinions and values of their students. Unfortunately even teachers without an agenda are required to use educational materials that have a built in agenda.
Through out history the practice of propagandizing children to destroy a civilization has been very effective. In only a generation or two a society can forget its history and principles. Not that our children will be the next Khmer Rouge but ignorant and narcissistic works too.
We are in a bad place today, my education included history, civics and a focus on personal responsibility. Any moral or sexual question was redirected to the parents because it wasn't the schools business.
I don't blame them they are sitting ducks. My hope is the American spirit of independence is still in their natures. All is not lost, there is a bright light, there is a grass roots movement of young people who are realizing they have been lied to and they are really pissed off.
