4 ms·
Whatever we decide we want to prepare kids for. Do we want auto-didacts? Do we want them to just be able to do all citizen things like maintain their house/car
by maximus-decimus 5y ago
Whatever we decide we want to prepare kids for. Do we want auto-didacts? Do we want them to just be able to do all citizen things like maintain their house/car and do their taxes? Do we want to have the best researchers? Do we want the best athletes? Do we want citizens expert in our own culture/history?
The school system has always seemed aimless to me until you hit university where the goal more clearly is to either make you a great professional or a great researcher.
- quartesixte 5y agoIt’s aimless because we (I’m assuming American) have decided to drop the one thing public schools were actually designed for: creating citizens that share a common national identity based on having learned the same things and values. It’s a tool of nationalism, and when you forget or willfully expunge that half of public schools (the other half being the creation of a populace that is decently educated enough to engage in civic society), shit starts to look pointless. Edit: As an example of this, most Americans can recite both the pledge of allegiance and a canon of children’s rhymes — yankee doodle, mary had a little lamb, etc. Knowledge of which act as an immediate shibboleth to others that you on some level grew up American.
- 2OEH8eoCRo0 5y ago>creating citizens that share a common national identity based on having learned the same things and values. This is actually very important for a melting pot country of immigrants.
- ultrarunner 5y agoCan't we just read what the founders of American education modeled it after and what they said they wanted to accomplish? People say that schools are failing, but compared to their stated goals they seem to be humming along alright.