Some thoughts about schools (long post)

[drmeow]

I had a rather unusual educational experience. I lived overseas from the time I was 6 months to the start of 1st grade, came back to the US for 1st grade, was back overseas in 2nd grade and finally returned to the US in the middle of 6th grade. I was in different US cities for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade but managed to stay in the last city through HS. I went off to college, dropped out after 2 years, went make 3 years later and eventually went on to get a PhD and teach at a top public research institution for a while. My father was a professor for his entire career and both my sister and my partner are tenured professors.

My parents decided not to send us to the American school where we lived so I started my education in the German system. We were not living in German and the school had a 2 year kindergarten program – year one was an intensive language program and year 2 was the standard German kindergarten. So I started kindergarten at age 4 ½. I had two years of German kindergarten before moving to LA.

In LA my parents lived in a low rent district and initially sent us to the local public schools. Apparently said public schools were pretty terrifying for two privileged and naïve white kids and my sister and I apparently were, indeed, quite terrified. I remember absolutely NOTHING about that school. At the first parent-teacher conference my parents realized that something was terribly wrong and pulled us out of the school and put us in a private school (this went very much against their liberal tendencies but the level of behavioral dysfunction that my sister and I were apparently exhibiting was worse). During this time my parents also had us taking German classes since they knew we were going back to our old school.

I lasted another 2 ½ years at the German school when we returned overseas before switching to the American school. Half way through 6th grade we came back to the US, I finished 6th grade in a smallish town school in Northern CA, was the 1st class of the school I was in for 7th grade (Stanley Jr. High in San Diego), and finally ended up in Orange County where I finished 8th through 12th grade.

A lengthy intro but my point is that I’ve experienced a private European school, American public schools, and American private schools. Both in 1st grade and in 6th grade I was ahead of my American counterparts. That was partly because partly because the German system is VERY stringent and partly because the private schools I was in only had to deal with “better” American students (the students were mostly kids of embassy staff and the American university).

Yes, the German system had a more rigorous curriculum (in third grade every one of us started learning a second language – not an elective – EVERYONE). By the same token, it was far and above the most miserable experience and I NEVER would have survived and NEVER would have gotten a Ph.D. in that system. There is no room for errors and no room for students who do not follow a traditional trajectory.

I had a mixed experience in the public American schools. I had a lot of issues but still managed to skate through with a solid B to B+ average thanks to good genes and good childhood educational experiences.

I don’t remember specific bad teachers, per se. I remember extremely rigid teachers at the German school. In the US I was in AP and gifted programs through out so I suspect our teachers were the crème de la crème. I do remember a fantastic teacher English teacher who taught me how to write and was very tolerant of my psychological problems (I would have failed out of the German school at that point, never to go back and get a bachelors degree, let alone a Ph.D., at least not in Germany). I remember being challenged in my non-AP class and being amazed that a less capable friend gained nothing out of a civics/economics class we were in together. And I entered college well prepared for that experience – a combination of natural smarts and good teachers.

So here are some of my thoughts about schools.

First and foremost – we do not value teachers nearly enough in this country. Parenting and teaching are two of the MOST IMPORTANT roles any one of us has – yet we treat both roles like sh*t. There is no value that almost any CEO brings to our society which is greater than the value of teachers except that the CEO makes money for other people. But the CEO couldn’t do that if we didn’t have teachers – there would be no capable employees to produce goods and services if it wasn’t for teachers.

Second – our education system does need to be reformed. Some of the stuff I dealt with as a college professor boggled my mind. How could these kids have gotten out of HS without knowing how to write? Why were some of them even in college? We have seen tremendous degree inflation where jobs that should not require a college degree now do. There are people in college who simply are not cut out for college (there are also people who do not have college degrees who are Ph.D. material – and I’m not talking about computer whizzes who are making 6 figures, I’m talking about people like one of the most brilliant people I ever dated who kept having to drop out of community college due to lack of support and was working as an installer for Verizon). I think that needs to be looked at and thought about.

Third – reform of our education system has to be developed by our teachers and other people in the schools primarily, not by politicians or voters. That reform needs to include ways to encourage growth and excellent performance from teachers who are capable and the ability to get rid of teachers who shouldn’t be teaching. The good teachers in a school know who the bad ones are. They also know what the unique challenges of each school are and what sorts of things can make a good teacher look bad.

Fourth – While I disagree with the rigid tracking system of the German school, there is something to be said for having a different curriculum for students who are college bound and those who are not. Some skills are universal – everyone should have to master them. But we also need to prepare students for a world after school if it doesn’t include college. When I dropped out of college I had not idea what marketable skills I had.

Fifth – College should be free for everyone and it should be easy to start/go back at any time. I wasn’t ready for college at 18. Going back to college after working full time was very hard – and that was when there were Pell Grants and the like available. Now its even harder. I get sick and tired of people who complain about how high taxes are and then expect miracles from their schools. I have no kids and don't plan to have kids but I am HAPPY to pay taxes to support my local schools. That's because I recognize the importance and value of education. I wish everyone in this country did.

I gotta go to Trader Joes so that’s all for now. This ended up way longer than I expected.

[spin]

1. Excellent post, an idea for your consideration...

You mention that our educational system needs reform.

I believe we need to move our educational system into this century. Children today are very computer literate and love playing computer games.

Educational games could be created that would teach basic skills but still interest the student. Imagine a historical games based on the student being a time traveler. The student could wander the streets of ancient Egypt, Rome or London in the middle ages. He could be given a task to complete that would require learning basic facts about the civilization at the time.

Or a stock market game that would teach how companies operate and how to invest. A lot of math could be taught in this game.

I watch my daughter and grand kids play the computer game World of Warcraft and while I am distressed by its addictiveness I am also impressed by the market place and the trading skills that my grand kids learned. The game does have some educational value.

I have enjoyed playing some educational type games such as SimCity and some strategy games such as Nobunaga's Ambition. I learned how difficult it would be to be a city planner or a conquering general.

Now I'm not suggesting that teachers be replaced by computer games and simulations, but that they would provide an excellent tool to interest young minds.

I agree with you that we are putting too much emphasis on a college education and that it's really not necessary for all that many jobs. We do need to make sure that the really qualified people have a chance to go to college. We are reaching the point where only the very rich kids can afford a good quality education. While this is a good way for the rich to maintain the status of their children, it's a poor way to advance our country. With this system, we may well end up in a feudal society with lords and peasants.

[drmeow]

3. end up in a feudal society

with lords and peasants.

I think that is the goal of many of the extremely wealthy in this country - including the Bushes and everyone in that administration. That's why they hate people like Clinton and Obama much more than seems reasonable.

[spin]

4. The Bush administration caused me to come up with the idea...

of a return to a feudal society.

At a minimum we have been turned into wage slaves. Americans are forced to work at demeaning jobs with tyrannical bosses because they have been encouraged to go deeply in debt and because they fear losing the poor health care benefits offered by their employer (if they are lucky). If they do lose their job, and can't pay the ridiculous fee for COBRA then they have the risk of being deigned insurance for a preexisting condition when they do find employment again.

We have to do better than this. The people we elect should represent us, not the big international corporations. The United States should not be a nation of the corporations, by the corporations and for the corporations!

I seriously believe the big corporations are terrified of Obama.

[LuvNewcastle]

2. I definitely agree that

college should be free, at least at state schools. Just about any decent job now requires a degree and if we can have free K-12, then why not college as well.

[Thothmes]

5. We could, if we taxed for it.