I'm not sure you could find a much more controversial topic than education to talk about. Check out some of the following links to learn more.
That video above is a preview for a new movie about charter schools in New York City. This article has a lot more information about these schools and the role that they play. They are basically private schools that are funded with public money but without the bureacracy and bullshit that public schools are afflicted by. It's a very interesting read and offers lots of things to think about. Speaking of kids and confidence, this book is apparently a very good explanation of many of the problems affecting education in the US. Also, that bit where the kid hits the roof on his mountain bike? Hilarious!
This woman above gave a very interesting speech to the Conservative Party Conference in the UK. There's some very interesting points, including the guilt she talks about experiencing when voting Conservative for the first time. I would suggest that a lot of the issues she talks about would also be experienced here in Tasmania. Read more about it here.
Boy on a Bike wrote a very good blog post about his son's schooling and some of the issues that he has encountered. This is exactly what education is about nowadays.
Too much of today's education is put back onto the students. They need to provide their own motivation, they need to choose what they should do. Unfortunately, the reality is that they're still CHILDREN! The biggest problem in education nowadays?
Students have lost their fear.
That's it, it's that simple. Not only do students lack respect for their teachers, but many parents just don't value education and as such are not willing to back up the teacher when they need to. It only takes a few students doing the wrong thing to drag down the overall level of the school.
Imagine a typical bell curve. On the far left are those students who are always going to be unable to function in a normal classroom (for whatever reason). On the far right are those students who are always going to achieve well, no matter what. In the middle, sitting on the bell, are the vast majority of the student population. Where things are going well, the entire bell curve can be moved further to the right, so that all students achieve to a high standard. When things are going poorly than the entire bell gets dragged to the left. One or two students getting away with doing the wrong thing sets the wrong example for all those students in the middle and allows that drag leftwards to occur. How can we fix this? In all seriousness?
Bring back the cane.
That's it. That's the solution to many of our educational problems right there.
Speaking of which, this woman is talking about how good teachers make more of a difference than anything else in schools and that we need to find ways to identify those good teachers. She's quite right, good teachers have a massive impact on a student's outcome. However, a teacher's impact, while large, isn't the largest influence on a student. What's number one? Parents and home life, by a long way. Remember the old Jesuit idea of show me the boy and I'll show you the man? (I'm paraphrasing here obviously). It holds true to an extent that many people maybe just don't recognise.
Will any of this happen? Not for a good long time. In the interim, standards will continue to slip as kids continue to get away with stuff they wouldn't have dreamt of doing in the past.
Dr Harry
