People always know how to fix the problem with American schools. You can see that in
Obama's new standards approach and in
this attack on teachers. In the first article, Obama wants to throw some of our grandchildren's money at the problem. By bringing the states together to adopt a universal standard which the federal government would enforce, he will fix our issues. In the second, the weight of academic success for the entire country should be the sole responsibility of the teachers as if they are assembly line workers.
They are both swell articles.
But who is talking about the real problem?
The problem isn't one of money. Money is only as useful as those spending it are creative and wise - a rare combination in my experience.
It isn't teachers. Teachers are people, and like people in any field some are talented, lazy, brilliant, passionate, disinterested, and self-interested. There are those teachers that help us to love learning, and those that cause us to hate it. If someone compares their list of which is which with Joe-down-the-street, they might find that their lists are completely opposite.
The truth is that learning is the responsibility of the learner. Every parent has probably learned (whether they admit it publicly or not) that you cannot force knowledge (education, skill, or values) on someone who is unwilling to do the work to acquire them. The learner must decide that acquiring the knowledge will be worth his or her while in some personal, material, or social fashion, and then keep at it until the knowledge is their own.
So we reach the root of the problem. Acquisition of knowledge is not an American value.
Acquisition of wealth is valued by Americans. Some people try to claim an association between acquisition of knowledge and acquisition of wealth. I won't make such a claim, even if the odds are better for someone with education than for someone lacking.
Acquisition of entertainment is valued by Americans. That's why someone will shell out big bucks (theirs or their parents') for college, then sit in class and text or watch YouTube or play games. That's why the graduating generation is looking for companies that allow employees to use social networks on the job.
As parents, we may or may not make our kids do their homework. We may or may not help them do their homework. We may or may not expect a certain grade performance from them.
But when was the last time our children saw us turn off tube or step away from the game console or computer and learn something, anything at all, that didn't have an entertainment payoff (like the instructions for the Wii) or have dollar signs attached (like a book on how to become a millionaire by reusing your old toilet paper)?
Improving American education, like improving American work ethic, American morals, and American anything else, will depend on our families. No amount of government money or misplaced accountability can help our children to value their education. What we can do is develop and demonstrate our own love of learning and hope that our children can be convinced to emulate us.
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