Blog #107--Education Is Much More Than Memorizing Details

I believe in a broad-based education for everyone who wants it. I get my feelings honestly since both my mother and father spent part of their lives teaching, and both my wives were teachers. I have four degrees, including a Master's in Adult Continuing Education. Someone claiming I am biased toward the subject might have a valid point to make.

However, I don’t always agree with educational policies, and I certainly don’t respect those who distort the truth to perpetuate their version of reality. My philosophy is based upon a lifetime of experience observing those involved with education, and that includes not only students, teachers and principals but also school boards, politicians and those who write or edit textbooks. There are plenty of pitfalls associated with various educational systems, but there are also opportunities for those motivated to learn more about themselves and their world.

As I stated in my book “It’s a Secret, So Pass It On: a Toolbox For Life,” school systems are usually based on a model formulated by Aristotle. He described a pyramid with the masters at the pinnacle, and students work their way up the pyramid. There are fewer students at each level, with only a rare few making it to the top. This system appears to work well for many students, but those with special skills or advanced awareness can only become imperfect imitations of their masters. To become their own masters, they must go beyond their mentors. There is little opportunity to do that in most school systems, so the Aristotle model has its limits.

Students who are capable of thinking for themselves seem to do best, but many students would prefer to learn only what their teachers provide them so they can pass tests and advance through the grade levels. And at this time, there is a trend where schools are limiting independent thinking by requiring standardized examinations which reward memorization and recall at the expense of free thinking. Those capable of thinking for themselves can learn on their own, but they may get minimal reinforcement for their ideas.

This is not just a problem in the younger grades. Even PhD candidates may be unsuccessful in their quest if their primary professors oppose free thinkers or those wishing to research subjects that might threaten the expertise or hierarchical position of their professors. Professors who set limits on their own knowledge also tend to set limits on what their students can learn under their tutelage.

One can get a college degree without ever learning much of value for the rest of their lives. And one can attend schools which specialize in propaganda and distortions of truth that coincide with the preferences of their families and/or their religious and political leaders. Simply memorize and regurgitate to pass all the examinations without making waves, and a college degree is quite possible. There are a number of people who do just that. College degrees may give them sufficient credibility to obtain good-paying jobs, but they may not have developed reliable skills that have practical application over time.

Not everyone needs a college education to succeed in life. There are plenty of successful artists, musicians, athletes, business people and the like who quit formal education relatively early in their lives. Construction workers, repair people, technical specialists and other blue collar workers also don’t need a degree to be successful. But they still may have benefitted from their educational experiences.

We learn much more in school than facts. We learn a great deal about ourselves along the way, and that may be our most important lesson. Are we disciplined and trustworthy enough to complete our assignments? Do we finish our work on time, or do we procrastinate and wait until the last minute? Do we delay self-gratification until our responsibilities are complete, or are our priorities the reverse of that? Are we willing to ask questions or seek additional sources of information if we don’t understand something we are taught in class, or do we settle for mediocrity? These and other behavioral tendencies crop up throughout our lives, so adapting our behavior to meet our needs gives us the confidence and maturity to face future problems.

Learning how to learn is essential, and schools give us an opportunity to discover what methods are most compatible with our individual abilities and interests. We may not like taking tests in school, but we are tested in some fashion or other nearly day of our adult lives. Schools give us a chance to learn how to face difficult tasks with confidence, diligence, and perseverance.

There are several types of schools available these days, especially for families with enough money to afford them. Besides public schools, there are privatized schools, religious schools, charter schools and home taught curricula. Some of these schools are unavailable to poor families regardless of their children’s academic potential. Some teach a curriculum which coincides with their overall philosophy, even when that philosophy is considered incomplete or erroneous by non-biased experts. Some nonpublic schools seek a homogeneous student body which excludes those from different religious, political, financial or cultural backgrounds.

Public schools are criticized frequently these days, often by rich people who don’t want their tax money going toward helping poor people get an education. After all, the fewer people there are with advanced knowledge, the less competition for the plum jobs there is for the rest. But these schools cannot help students learn about people from backgrounds different than their own and how to get along with them peacefully. Public school students may feel they’re in a melting pot while attending classes, but they begin to learn that all types of people can have something positive to offer. Judgment and negativity can be replaced by understanding and forgiveness.

Some have argued that public schools do not have the best teachers, but I believe that is a misnomer. Paying one teacher more than another doesn’t make the former one a better teacher. Often times, the best teachers aren’t the ones with the highest grade point average but are those who give their students the quality attention and encouragement they need to learn. And they are the ones who teach practical application of concepts.

It isn’t the details we memorize and later forget that make us educated. It’s the way we use our knowledge to make a living and help others in the process. There is at least as much opportunity for this in public schools as there is in private schools. Given all the short cuts some private schools make to maximize their profits, public schools may ultimately be a salvation for countries that want their populations to compete in a world market.

Learning is needed throughout our lives. Schools that provide the tools we need to think for ourselves and solve problems while interacting with all types of people do a great favor for those of us who want to become increasingly aware and successful during our lives.

http://dreamtime3.wix.com/jacktuttlebook

Comments and questions can be directed to dreamtime@insight-books.com.