In the wake of the recent school shooting, I can add my voice to the millions who think that easy ownership of hand guns and assault weapons is absurd, but there is another point to be made. Can’t we at least start to debate whether having schools is such a good idea?
Below are some of the questions typed into google in the last week that landed the searcher on one of my outrage columns. They paint a picture in the aggregate of students who are very unhappy in school. Were these searches made by just some odd kids? Or is it possible that most children find school difficult, threatening, and uncomfortable?
children should learn more useful subjects at school
public school teach you to conform
why should i go to school
math curriculum completely useless stupid
i hate high school what can i do
why school is bad for children
why i hate year eleven secondary school
students don't need certain subjects
hate high school will college be better
useless classes in high school
hating history class
If the school forced students to learn they are not interested in the course
why does a high schooler start thinking they are not that smart
hating a subject
high school is pointless
textbooks suck
commonly hated high school rules
how to get high school students to like you
Maybe you were one of the ones who loved school. I wasn’t. My kids weren’t. And I am pretty sure that any kid who is made to feel different, lonely, stupid, or miserable in school will come out angry. They may not all decide to shoot other kids or teachers, of course. But, some will.
We need to re-think the very idea of school and we need to do it soon. They are other ways to teach kids the skills they need in life besides shutting them up with 30 or 100 other kids all day, many of whom also hate being there.
While we have evidence that public education should be banned, what will probably happen in the U.S. is public terrorism of children by political and educational experts. The experts will teach our children to fear guns or any non-government personality toting a gun. Perhaps they will be taught to fear mental illness for good measure. The emphasis will not be on teaching children self-control and respect for weapons, just as the emphasis is not on self-control and respect for sexuality or drugs. They are taught that babies are evil, that sex is a game, and that human bodies are toys. They are taught that they shouldn't do drugs, unless of course, they don't conform to the school schedule and must be forced to fit with medication. There is a better way to raise our children other than demanding fortresses so they will be "safe," so that even if they live with gusto and their lives are ended, they will have lived courageously, truthfully, and as fully as possible instead of having put off living until the magical day of graduation.
ReplyDeleteMr. Schank,
ReplyDeleteDo you see any organizations, companies or movements doing anything practical and worthwhile addressing this huge school teaching problem in the US? To scrap the existing public education is a monumental task. A good way to do away with it is bypassing the system. However, somebody needs to work changing it head-on. Do you see any champions deserving a positive comment?