Blog Post #2

Warning this blog post maybe offensive to some!
For this blog entry I watch several videos that I feel is suppose to provoke some kind of response that resembles shock. None of these videos shocked me whatsoever and I will tell you why.

First of all the videos I have viewed are:
Did You Know 3.0 by Dr. John Strange which is a short of the video Did you know 3.0 by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod.
Mr. Winkle Wakes by Mathew Needleman.
The Importance of Creativity by Sir Ken Robinson

I think all of these videos have very good points to them. They are designed to catch your attention and make you start thinking about education and how you currently view the system. And I will point out that Sir Ken Robinson is a very humorous man, you will enjoy that video.

I would like to start out by saying that I believe the education system as a whole is broke. I would not begin to propose how we fix the system, your guess is as good as mine, but it doesn't not benefit everyone in the same way no matter how hard you try. I believe with my whole heart that everyone should know the basics such as Math, Reading, Science, History, English, Spelling; but I do not believe it benefits everyone to go to school for 12 years and college is not for everyone.

In America right now this is a stigma about school and education that majorly affects our children and young adults. We treat everyone the same, teach them the same things, push them all towards college, and again and again we see many fail or end up coming out of college only to not find work. I think one of the biggest things is to stop treating each child the same. We are all wired differently, we do not learn the same, we don’t like the same things, some kids are hyper, some are calm, some are average, some are exceptional, some have learning disabilities. We shouldn’t expect each child to learn the same things at the same times and take the same paths.

One thing that Sir Ken Robinson said that really sticks with me is that we are pushing our children to become college professors of a subject. Guess what we can’t all be college professors, then no one would have a job. The problem is that our society today has put so much emphasis on did you complete a certain number of years of school, did you achieve your bachelors, your masters, or even that doctorate. None of those options are bad, it is something to be proud of if you obtain those degrees, but there is a whole world out there that we are starting to leave behind that we will continue to need, at least in the near future. For instance trades such as welding, masonry, plumber, electricians, auto mechanics, construction managers and workers, HVAC technicians, aviation technicians, are still greatly needed. Unfortunately there is such as stigma around people who do not attend college that many people refuse to do these jobs, not because they don't pay well, but because the way people view them. These are forms of education, but it is done differently.

The way I personally see it ,and have experienced it in someway, is that if we continuously cram this education down our children's throats the way we do so now, we will be hurting in the future for people with certain skills. I believe education should be more than "reciting" idea for a test, but it should open up the imagination and confidence in children. We should try to take the time with each child when they are young and ask what do you enjoy? What is something you would like to learn about? I think as they age they would find their passion and their interest earlier and they could start pursuing the life style they would like to have. If children and young adults are passionate about what they are doing, they are much more likely to excel at the task before them.

I see this path also helping a work force of all kinds in the future because experiences would come earlier, they would be able to have more of them, and they would be catered to what they are doing that would benefit both employee and employers.

I guess most of what I am saying is that we need to focus education not on just what you are learning today to pass this class, but what are you learning that will benefit you in the future. What will help you grow as an individual? Over all I know I have a different outlook on education, but that is mostly because I have done my own schooling differently and have had different experiences.

In closing I do think we need to educated our children to prepare them for future technology, but I also think that we need to educate our children on how the world and the world system works. Teach them that everyone is different and that everyone's path isn't the same, and it shouldn't be. Show our children that each person has something to bring to the table that will benefit in the future.