Teaching Crap

"Ignorance is not knowing it yet. Stupidity is knowing it and still not learning it. Most of our kids today are ignorant. Never been taught the facts."

Back when I was in high school (circa mid-60's), I was an average student. That was before I learned how to really buckle down. Not a bad enough student to have to worry about flunking, but not a good enough student to qualify for accelerated classes (except for English comp and lit). In any event, the "stuff", and I mean the good "stuff", I learned in high school, was more germane than what I learned at the U of M when I got out of the Navy. And that was BEFORE the U went downhill.

I am going to say something which might sound arrogant to some. Trust me - it is not. I have a plethora of knowledge in my head. Much of which I learned in high school. The teachers back then were solid citizens, not corrupted by a corrupted union (that be Education Minnesota). And they knew how to teach the right stuff.

Here is something even more amazing. My folks both had high school degrees. That was a big deal in the days of the Greatest Generation. Some only went through 8th grade. That was fine also, as in those 8 years, much was taught and learned. Why is that important? In my grandparents day, most only received an 8th grade education. And the "stuff" they learned in those 8 years was awesome.

Today, we teach crap. Very few solid facts like were taught when I was in school. Or my folks. Or my grandparents. Our education is so screwed up these days, a large percentage of our kids think that socialism is better than capitalism. No history taught on socialism. Not a word about the death toll. The genocides. It is just "cool" not to be able to work and still get paid. Awesome! And these kids can vote.

Ignorance is not knowing it yet. Stupidity is knowing it and still not learning it. Most of our kids today are ignorant. Never been taught the facts. The problem is in our job market, hiring managers don't give a rip if you are ignorant or stupid. The effect is the same. Not knowing stuff is a ticket to the back of the line or working for minimum wage for years, maybe decades. 

Any hope for the future of education? Only one - get them out of the government schools. Charter schools, private schools, and home schools. Government schools have turned into sewers. Failure traps - especially for kids of color. Some schools only graduate 35% of the kids. And those who do make it out of the these failure traps, know very little. 

Meanwhile - a new school year approaches. We have the same leadership in our state as before. The failure traps will continue, no matter how much money is spent. Parents - pull the cell phones away from your kids and find out what they know. What they are learning in school. Careful however - it might shock you into next week.