This week’s proposal for a national academic standard has been hailed as one of the most important events in the history of American education. But this latest vision of our expert educators is short-sighted, and will only further undermine what little real education we have left. The basic problem of modern education is its sinister goal of forcing uniformity and conformity on children who were created as unique individuals.

Children are very special and put on earth for a reason. Each child is different from any other child. They have a job to do that no one else can do. Why should we impose a common standard on them?

Children need to be children for as long as possible. They need time to breathe in and out. Some educators call this “white space.” They need to learn to play. The more thoroughly a child plays, the more thoroughly he will work as an adult. Children are not computers or robots that can be programmed according to our wishes; they have a heart and soul, not only a brain. True education is a mystery that can never be forced on a child. A child has to want to learn. In every child there is a longing to learn. This longing is often locked deep within the soul of a child.  A teacher’s primary task is to discover and encourage this longing.

We have become so possessed by our technological success that we are in danger of losing all common sense. We think we are smarter than our forefathers. They knew that academic education was only a small part of life. They built this great nation in a time when almost no one went to high school; when education was learned in the field, at home, or in church; through hard work, the Bible, and through an occasional Sears catalog.  Today, we want everyone to think the same and act the same, and to take away all creativity and uniqueness. We need to go back in time and look at how our forefathers handled this problem. Some children became doctors and lawyers, but others became farmers and carpenters. All of them contributed to society, and none of their contributions was seen as more valuable or necessary than the other.

The most important education is to learn to live with others.  None of us can go it alone, or we will become mentally insane.  Remember the well-known phrase from John Donne, “no man is an island...”  True education happens only when we teach our children how to relate to other people. 

More than learning how to use a computer or pass a standardized test, our children need to learn about nature. Children already have an idea what life is really about. They pay attention to everything around them: flowers, butterflies, worms; sun and rain and stars. For them, nature is the best classroom. What they learn in nature can often be transmitted to the classroom. 

Children need true role models. The most important role models are first their parents, and then teachers. Albert Einstein, one of the greatest scientists of the last century, approached this problem a lot more simply. He said “If you want your children to be brilliant, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more brilliant, read them more fairy tales.” 

Children long for love and attention. The greatest gift we can give them is our time. They want to be recognized as human beings. They all have a story to tell. We are often too busy to hear their story. It is the task of a good teacher to win the trust of a child to tell their story. Each time this happens it is more valuable than money in the bank. The roles are reversed and the child becomes the teacher, and the teacher the student.  This is true education that will open up the heart and mind of the child to learn about the mysteries of life. By imposing this National Academic Standard, we are in great danger of losing this opportunity.

 

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Responses

Well said! Thinking is preferred over memorizing. Physical play teaches social skills and enforces home training by parents. Too much emphasis today on standardised everything and everyone is a unique creature with unlimited possibilites to be persued and encouraged. We need cooks, engineers and auto mechanics. Higher education is way over rated.

Tom Steele
Prescott Valley, AZ