Why our educational system is the way it is.....

[PureX]

And as always, we still have no idea what actually happened, or why.

No matter, all the hot buttons were pressed, and the media can jump to another advertisement.

 

[Polymath257]

The educational system in the US is messed up because parents don't want their children to be educated. They want a day care service. They want their children to be taught to conform and not think too deeply about most things. They want their children to get awards whether or not they actual abilities or achievements. And they want their children to be entertained.

And this has been going on for a very long time. There was a brief period, during the space race, when education was valued for its own sake. But throughout most of US history, education has been denigrated and avoided.

 

[Kooky]

A video is worth a thousand words.

This woman math teacher has lost it. Her numbers don't add up.

So this individual woman is the reason your education system is the way it is?

Why is she so influential and exerts so much power over entire institutions?

 

[Kooky]

And this has been going on for a very long time. There was a brief period, during the space race, when education was valued for its own sake. But throughout most of US history, education has been denigrated and avoided.

I'm fairly confident in argueing that during that period, education likely wasn't valued "for its own sake", but rather for the potential of producing another generation of bright young NASA engineers that could finally "beat" the Soviets to prestige science projects (and it worked, sort of).

During that same time period, postmodern art was heavily supported by US public institutions for similar reasons.

 

[Aštra’el]

The educational system in the US is messed up because parents don't want their children to be educated. They want a day care service. They want their children to be taught to conform and not think too deeply about most things.

I do not know which parents in the US you have in mind, but mine were not like that. I was only ever pushed to succeed, to take my education seriously, encouraged to do my best and not settle for less. I know this is the case with many families.

 

[Kooky]

No offence but your educational system is somewhat mocked by the world at large. Has been for decades now.

I would argue, undeservedly so. As far as I can tell, in PISA tests, US public schools did not fall dramatically behind the European average, it's just that the Scandinavian countries, as usual, tend to skew that average upwards.

US charter schools, on the other hand, are a truly mockworthy concept.

 

[Polymath257]

I do not know which parents in the US you have in mind, but mine were not like that. I was only ever pushed to succeed, to take my education seriously, encouraged to do my best and not settle for less. I know this is the case with many families.

Have you ever taught?

The vast majority of parents want their children to 'get an education', but when it comes to details, they don't want their children exposed to new ideas or new ways of looking at things. They ultimately want their children to be trained for some job.

But even more, they want a day care so they can go to *their* jobs and leave the kids with someone else. If you look at their feelings about school closures, that is very apparent. But it has been true for a long time.

Some actively want their children NOT to be taught anything against their beliefs as parents. These are the ones trying to keep science from being taught, history from being taught, or anything that might lead their little darlings from questioning from being taught. Unfortunately, there are enough of these that the whole school is affected.