A good starting point would be to admit that we made wrong choices. And that includes the (too) many reforms in the public education system.
What’s the purpose of public education? Answering that question should not require thousand pages of gibberish text.
It doesn’t matter one’s personal beliefs, values, political stances when seeing their kid barely being able to read and write, let alone have some grammar and vocabulary. This should worry any parent to their chore.
Why? Because it’s their own kid that is being screwed by not getting a proper education. Alas, so many parents themselves simply don’t give a crap about reading. Why would they worry about their kid not reading?
There is no nuanced thought possible without a rich enough vocabulary to put those thoughts into words. There is also no articulated discussion possible when there is no grammar to translate said thoughts and ideas into meaningful sentences. And in such a simplified world everything will either be black or white, good or bad. Unsurprisingly, exactly like what our society is turning itself into. A gigantic cacophony of ‘us’ vs ‘them’, ‘good’ vs ‘evil’. And I doubt this will end well.
And that’s a sad thing happening in France too.
I mention reading and writing because it’s my main point of interest but it’s as true for math as it is for sciences, as for any other matter that requires efforts and doesn’t give immediate rewards. All of them have been/are being reduced to nothingness in the name of not ‘asking too much from the kids’. Like if learning those (admittedly difficult) matters served no purpose and turning public school into the opposite of what a public school is supposed to be.
Meanwhile, many schools for richer kids are more than ever focusing on making them learn more of those demanding matters, with the blessing of their parents.
So, which kids do you think will end-up getting the best positions? Who do you think will end up being the next decision and policy makers? The next innovators or ‘disruptors’? And who will the the ones deciding what part of public money should be invested into… public education? Yeah, that doesn’t bode well.
Information is hard to get by too, it is either click bait or filtered through the wants and needs of the ultra rich. Any tips warmly welcomed!
Yes, it’s hard to get by and it also has a cost but quality info is still available. Even better, if it still requires time and… curating, it’s can also be free.
That’s the reason why public school should matter a lot more (teaching kids and probably their parents too how to access said info, which is not through TV, or YT, or social media).
As should matter public libraries because next to books, any public library here in France will have a decent selection of newspapers and magazines for adults as well as for younger audiences even though I’m more akin to encourage kids read ‘adult’ contents (I fell in love with reading at a young age reading Ovid and then Homer). Newspapers/mags in public libraries are free for anyone to read but they’re also kinda hard to get into because there is no simplified or ‘guided’ entrance.
Hence the importance to teach kids how to read (and how to properly use a book or a newspaper). It also helps a lot to have adults around then able to show them what to do, what to look for and how to use it.
Disclaimer: I will admit I’m an old moron (‘un vieux con’, we would say in French) that doesn’t understand jack shit to the actual world and to the many issues younger generations are facing.
You got a point ;)
A good starting point would be to admit that we made wrong choices. And that includes the (too) many reforms in the public education system.
What’s the purpose of public education? Answering that question should not require thousand pages of gibberish text.
It doesn’t matter one’s personal beliefs, values, political stances when seeing their kid barely being able to read and write, let alone have some grammar and vocabulary. This should worry any parent to their chore.
Why? Because it’s their own kid that is being screwed by not getting a proper education. Alas, so many parents themselves simply don’t give a crap about reading. Why would they worry about their kid not reading?
There is no nuanced thought possible without a rich enough vocabulary to put those thoughts into words. There is also no articulated discussion possible when there is no grammar to translate said thoughts and ideas into meaningful sentences. And in such a simplified world everything will either be black or white, good or bad. Unsurprisingly, exactly like what our society is turning itself into. A gigantic cacophony of ‘us’ vs ‘them’, ‘good’ vs ‘evil’. And I doubt this will end well.
And that’s a sad thing happening in France too.
I mention reading and writing because it’s my main point of interest but it’s as true for math as it is for sciences, as for any other matter that requires efforts and doesn’t give immediate rewards. All of them have been/are being reduced to nothingness in the name of not ‘asking too much from the kids’. Like if learning those (admittedly difficult) matters served no purpose and turning public school into the opposite of what a public school is supposed to be.
Meanwhile, many schools for richer kids are more than ever focusing on making them learn more of those demanding matters, with the blessing of their parents.
So, which kids do you think will end-up getting the best positions? Who do you think will end up being the next decision and policy makers? The next innovators or ‘disruptors’? And who will the the ones deciding what part of public money should be invested into… public education? Yeah, that doesn’t bode well.
Yes, it’s hard to get by and it also has a cost but quality info is still available. Even better, if it still requires time and… curating, it’s can also be free.
That’s the reason why public school should matter a lot more (teaching kids and probably their parents too how to access said info, which is not through TV, or YT, or social media).
As should matter public libraries because next to books, any public library here in France will have a decent selection of newspapers and magazines for adults as well as for younger audiences even though I’m more akin to encourage kids read ‘adult’ contents (I fell in love with reading at a young age reading Ovid and then Homer). Newspapers/mags in public libraries are free for anyone to read but they’re also kinda hard to get into because there is no simplified or ‘guided’ entrance.
Hence the importance to teach kids how to read (and how to properly use a book or a newspaper). It also helps a lot to have adults around then able to show them what to do, what to look for and how to use it.
Disclaimer: I will admit I’m an old moron (‘un vieux con’, we would say in French) that doesn’t understand jack shit to the actual world and to the many issues younger generations are facing.
And yet another rant… not sorry :p