Ahhhh, I have opened a whole can of worms haven't I?
I myself often wondered this when I taught. As I became disillusioned of teaching within our elementary school system I questioned our heavy reliance on regurgitation. We test on things, not how well an individual can integrate and apply this knowledge. I often was stopped dead in my tracks by an out-of-the-box thinker. One boy in Grade 2 was one such child. He in all liklihood had ADHD and some processing difficulties and as a result of our rigid system, his marks certainly did not reflect his abilities. He was so bright! He prompted me to research the different way snakes give birth. Some lay eggs, others hold their eggs internally and the young then bursts forth from those internally held eggs. Making the whole issue of live birth a point of contention for this child as we discussed mammals. What a kid!
As our society changes and modifies itself, the social architects cry about the need for creative thinkers in the new millenium. Interesting, as our system seems not to breed that many creative thinkers and we invest paltry amounts into education (less than the US ironically). Yet, we allow more creativity than systems you might see in China, Japan or India. We sit stoically in the middle, on the fence. Neither excelling in the hard facts of medicine, technology, hard science.... and not producing vast quantities of creative souls either.
What is the answer? Damned if I know. I guess it comes down to us parents taking the time to engage and encourage our own young. Challenging them. I also toy with the idea of providing wider streams within education. Becoming aware that it is OKAY that not everyone is bound for University. That not everyone being a "level 3" is okay too! From an earlier age I think we need to create environments for success where kids can be both "doers" and "learners". Like the old systems in the Eastern Block countries where kids streamed early into technical opportunities. Yet this is imperfect as it relies on someone making decisions about what route that kid should take.
I guess my frustration arises as I meet so many people who are brilliant in their own area. Who are articulate and yet question their own intelligence due to their experience in the indoctrination of education. We are getting there, I see it as the system has created an alternative education opportunity for my best friend's son. Yet, the system kept on forcing the same old until the kid reached crisis levels.
The more I read, the more I realize I have yet to read. The more I learn, the more I realize I do not know. And instead of terrifying me... it is exhilirating! Lucky me, I made it through the system. It was not easy, and I was lucky enough to have parents both intelligent and questioning in nature. Now as a parent myself, I look at the systems within society-- education being the one we place inordinate pressures on-- and wonder if it is up to the challenge.
