I have a new column up at Pajamas Media. It’s thought-provoking. Like you may not have a thought right now, but if you go read my column, you will be provoked into then having a thought. Maybe even two thoughts. Not three thoughts; it’s not that good.
Jonathan Swift would be proud, FrankJ.
I actually propose a small halt to technology, and that halt should last until people stop speaking like they type. Someday, when I take over the world, saying, “LOL” rather than laughing will be equivalent to hippies in terms of annoyance.
My great-great grandfather was too busy farming and doing some other stuff to get a high education. He would have described that “other stuff” as “Joining in ’62, Getting shot at Gettysburg, getting captured at Mine Run, and spending a year and a half in a miserable camp in North Carolina.” My great-grandfather and my grandfather both farmed, fished, and got paddled if they didn’t eat their scrapple and liver and onions.
As for me, the only reason I’m not screwed up is because I was homeschooled and Mom would paddle me if I acted liberal. Until kids know paddling is an option for teachers, they will rebel.
I had a teacher once who taught me about the “80-20 rule.” 20% of the people do 80% of the work. The rest are lazy. We would do well if we just taught our kids how to work, let alone how to dream.
I’m in Frank but there is the socialization part that would be missing. While all the “Poindexters” are off learning to build a nuclear reactor, the rest of the kids need to be taught how to adeptly pick on fat, stupid and ugly kids! Sitting in a toy factory probably won’t allow this interaction unless proper break time (recess) is allowed. This will give plenty of time for wedgies, nad punching and so forth! All great stuff. You haven’t been a kid until you or one of your friends have done something so totally rotten to someone that you wet your own pants laughing!!! We can’t let that go away or where will future IMAO readers going to come from. (Hint) – It won’t be from the kids that are being educated!!!
How did you learn of the Secret Liberal Education Agenda?
Frank:
A refinement – every child needs to be educated AS FAR as they profit from it.
We must be honest about what children can absorb, honest about their true capabilities, and then give them all the tools they can use.
Because child labor is DEFINITELY the best option! /sarcasm
Marko I didn’t know you were h’schooled (all 4 of my kiddos are.) Thanks for the tip on paddling if they act liberal – haha!
Because even if they grow up to be bloggers they can use the title “Why Every Kid In America Doesn’t Need to be Educated” instead of “Why Not Every Kid in America Needs to be Educated” and no one will notice. You know who else mangled his syntax like this? Mao. When he was talking to Hitler and Stalin and Jimmy Carter.
And now for something completely different:
I don’t know. Some of us are going to grow old (as opposed to killing ourselves with drugs, alcohol and just plain genetics). I don’t think people who spend their lives flipping burgers are going to be either much help taking care of us (ie as opposed to doctors, nurses, medical, insurance professionals) much less support us (having only minimum wagers to tax is going to seriously impact social security, medicare and medicaid).
Before Jonathan Swift wrote a modest proposal in 1725 the Brits, who had been in charge for centuries made sure Irish children (except the wealthy and the connected) were not educated. The native Irish couldn’t own property, couldn’t own a business, couldn’t run for office. They were subsistence farmers and day laborers and once factories appeared, factory workers. In 1848 the Great Hunger (famine) began. More than a million Irish citizens (including many, many children) died within next 5 years. In the 20th century Ireland was finally given back it’s liberty. I’m not sure we can wait 300 more years to fix our education mess. But we won’t fix it by educating less children. Maybe a forced famine to get rid of the underachieving, undeserving of education, might be an option. Sure there my be some collateral damage, “but you can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs, any cook will tell you that.-Col Mustard in Clue.”
While a appreciate your attempt at satire, and applaud your desire for change in the education debacle, history tells us that less is not more at least on this subject. A country filled with ignorant, simpleminded alcohol fueled drones doesn’t sound the least appealing to me. Of course. if all we’re raising is cannon fodder for the invaders, than I guess that’d be peachy keen. I personally didn’t give birth to, teach and raise six children for that purpose but then again I took responsibility for their education. Made sure they were being taught correct principles and untaught incorrect ones. I took parenting seriously not just as a box to check in the journey of life or children as a accessory to pull out when it came time to show off my achievements. Of course, I’m also a conservative, a believer and a cynic so the opinions of others about my life and trust in government entities are not part of my core values .
Thought #1 – test scores:
Those international rankings are not apples-to-apples. The US administers its tests to pretty much everybody. These other countries administer these tests to only their top students. There is a strong inverse correlation between participation levels and test scores. If some other country is only testing their top 25%, then we should only compare scores with our top 25%.
Thought #2 – gerunds:
It would surely be nice if we could determine exactly what each kid is ever going to need in his/her future life-work-existence and only teach them that. Good luck with that one.
Thought #3 – child labor
Excellent idea to have kids make the useless trinket-y crap that we spend/send money overseas to acquire. Minimum wage laws don’t apply in schools, or below a certain age. This idea soars!
(Does the third thought count? I’m over budget here, I think.)
Good stuff, Frank.
@Marko – “My great-grandfather and my grandfather both farmed, fished, and got paddled if they didn’t eat their scrapple and liver and onions.”
Your Great Grandmother and Grandmother sound pretty tough.
It all depends on what your definition of the word “education” is.
Listening to the rants of an aging hippie that hates America, wants socialism, but won’t simply move to a socialist country, is not an “education.”
An American Carol – Liberal Colleges: