Where is Education Today?
Idiot Nation, by Michael Moore, describes the lack of education students receive and where the funding for education comes from. Moore talks about how teachers are underpaid and not respected. He also describes how government funding is dialed out to schools, libraries, and other educational institutions. Schools often turn to Corporate America for funding such as; Coca Cola, Pepsi, and Dr. Pepper machines in the schools.
As I read this article I tried to remember if my own high school did any of the things he described. My high school did have a decent library and our books, computers, and walls were not adorned with advertising. However, we did have Coca-Cola and Pepsi vending machines. The thing that I most related to my school was Channel One. I never thought of Channel One as a marketing ploy until reading how he described it. I found it very interesting that the majority of the 12 minute show was not related to anything educational.
I know that our schools do not receive the funding they need. Many students do not receive a proper education. One of the best examples is the people that used to work for me. I used to run a telemarketing call center. Everyday we would call people in states all over the US. Most of my employees needed a chart for knowing which state abbreviation was which. I used to think to myself, “Didn’t they teach you that in Elementary school?”
The other thing I hate about education is that schools are turning away from making children read the classic novels, poems, and plays that I had to read. Yeah they were no fun when I was in school. But, I look back now and I am glad I was made to read them, and I read more of them now. Students don’t have to read much of anything anymore really. It is much too easy with the internet now to go online and find a book report that someone else did and just put your name on it. How many teachers really have time in their schedules to try to find out if all of their students actually wrote their own paper and didn’t copy a paper from the internet? I can imagine that most teachers don’t have the time.
Tags: advertising, america, books, channel one, classic, coca cola, computers, corporate, dr. pepper, education, educational, funding, government, high school, Idiot Nation, institutions, internet, libraries, Michael Moore, novels, pepsi, plays, poems, read, reading, reports, student, students, teach, teacher, teachers, underpaid, vending machines
November 23rd, 2009 at 9:33 am
You know that this is my biggest pet peeve, ever. Children that are not educated. But what can we expect, when teachers are so grossly underpaid, and a good deal of our teachers aren’t that well-educated, themselves. I can’t tell you how many times, when you kids were in schools that I would get bulletins or notes that were full of misspelled words and incorrect grammar. I got to the point where I would circle the mistakes and send them back to the school. It’s ridiculous.
Another problem today, is that teachers aren’t really allowed to “teach.” They have to follow such strict guidelines, that if you do have teacher that could really make a difference, by teaching in a certain way that kids could relate to………their methods are squelched, because, “We’re sorry, that’s just not the way we do things.”
AND……..while in theory, the “No child left behind” Act makes sense…it is not working. Children are being passed to the next grade, without being properly educated. Teachers seem to be afraid to “fail” a child anymore. Either that, or they are told they cannot fail anyone. WHY IS THAT? If there are no consequences for your actions, then how do you learn?
Let a child be held back a year, and I guarantee you they will start paying attention. Or, if they are held back a year…….it turns out to be the best thing possible for that child, because they weren’t mentally ready to be in the grade they were in anyway. And now they are given a second chance to succeed.
Isn’t that what we want? Our children to succeed!? We must show respect for our Teachers. And just like any Corporation or big business, if you expect the “cream of the crop,” you must be willing to pay for it. And we simply cannot be afraid to discipline our children, when they don’t meet expectations. If they fail, then then they fail. But that’s how you learn. And you pick yourself up and you try again.
Marta