Recent Reflections

What's with our schools?

This could turn into another long post.

Did you like grade school? High School? Not the friends, not the sports, not the memories of getting in trouble or getting to third base with the lead cheerleader. Did you enjoy the part where you were taught things? Did you have teachers that inspired you? Did you learn what you needed to learn to prepare you for "life"? Were you prepared for university? Were you prepared to life on your own or with roommates?

My parents took a lot of time trying to prepare me. And I was not prepared.

I was, much like many of my classmates, correct in the assumption that most of what we learned, would never be applied to real life. What I learned from education before University? How to get along, and work with people I don't like. Where are the schools where you learn many of life's lessons? Where are the schools that have entire faculty invested in the best interests of our children? It's an unfortunate reality that our Canadian schools are very lacking. Much like America, teachers are being forced to teach a very basic curriculum. Money is being taken away from our schools, and its costing us more money than we can ever imagine.

What's happening? Our children are not getting the education they deserve, and where many households rely on two incomes, it is increasingly difficult for parents to pick up the slack. Our children have less exposure to just what is out there and available to them. How are our children supposed to figure out "What they are going to do when they grow up" if they are only exposed to the very basics of education and even then, don't have sufficient time with their teacher to explain concepts they don't understand.

How can we fix this? I don't know yet. But I think we need to develop a system where our children can advance at their own pace, and teachers serve as mentors, and educators, not babysitters. I'm writing this blog on my iPad, I'm sure somehow a curriculum can be developed using this technology. Students could use "apps" to learn, and can be graded on tests, in the app. Teachers can be available to start the theme of the days lessons, answering any questions, and then the students are free to go at their own pace, leaving the teacher free to help any students who need it.

Wow, rant wasn't that long this time.

Cheers

posted by Unknown @ 14:49