Mediocrity is the Religion of Educators
"We can see nothing today that wants to grow greater, we suspect that things will continue to go down, down, to become thinner, more good-natured, more prudent, more comfortable, more mediocre, more indifferent, more Chinese, more Christian—there is no doubt that man is getting 'better' all the time. Here precisely is what has become a fatality for Europe—together with the fear of man we have also lost our love of him, our reverence for him, our hopes for him, even the will to him. The sight of man now makes us weary—what is nihilism today if it is not that?— We are weary of man." -Nietzsche
No Child Left Behind. One Size Fits All. Mass Production. These slogans embody one concept that has embedded itself in the core of our modern society and education - a concept that promotes standards over achievements. The first mass production lines were purely for mechanical objects - now we subject children and minds to the same. People who cry out against this atrocity are silenced by generalization and ignorance - "Nobody should be left behind. Everybody is equal."
The emotional argument is partially true - as a society dedicated to freedom, we have our obligation to each person - after all we must take measures to prevent democracy (as used in a modern context) to be simply the oppression of the minority by the majority. Our educational system takes the same stance - when I asked to take accelerated math courses at a nearby college (after acquiring the permission of the college), my high school refused to let me, telling me that they were proud of their math department. I ran out of math courses to take my Junior year. A few teachers protested - but the principal adamantly refused. An education that was good enough for our high school was good enough.
Let me ask you - how many people who are simply "good enough" have significantly changed the world that we live in? To use a cliche example - had Einstein been only interested in passing his classes, our science would be significantly more backwards. Inventions, insights, works of art- these have all been created by people for whom good isn't enough. Before people out there try to dismiss my argument as a manifest of arrogance on my part, however, let me make it clear - I am not anywhere near as intelligent as Einstein. However, there is one thing that I believe is significantly more important than equality.
That is the opportunity to be the best that you can be. Sometimes that conflicts with equality - but we are only guaranteed equal opportunity - otherwise we might as well paint ourselves red and call ourselves communists. Not everybody is equal and it is time for the general populace to face up to it - it is time for the media to stop spewing it out like so many hopeless sperm from the flaming red fire hydrant of reproductive organs.
Given a random group of twenty people, it is likely that I am better at math than 19 people. It is likely that someone is best at writing, someone at art, someone at skill N. Nobody is allowed to really excel though - after all, you might make the other kids feel bad! In our world, we are so concerned with the vulnerability of our children, that it is only when they are considered adults are they allowed to explore the field that they are interested in. Failure is not an option is given a completely new meaning - give the kid so many damn tries that it is harder to fail than to pass - then when he passes, give yourself a pat on the back and a corresponding salary increase. In the midst of our great educational crisis, the chair of education makes $250,000. The principal makes $150,000. Doing nothing. Occasionally they hold meetings I suppose. Apparently they lobby, although not very successfully.
No Child Left Behind. One Size Fits All. Mass Production. These slogans embody one concept that has embedded itself in the core of our modern society and education - a concept that promotes standards over achievements. The first mass production lines were purely for mechanical objects - now we subject children and minds to the same. People who cry out against this atrocity are silenced by generalization and ignorance - "Nobody should be left behind. Everybody is equal."
The emotional argument is partially true - as a society dedicated to freedom, we have our obligation to each person - after all we must take measures to prevent democracy (as used in a modern context) to be simply the oppression of the minority by the majority. Our educational system takes the same stance - when I asked to take accelerated math courses at a nearby college (after acquiring the permission of the college), my high school refused to let me, telling me that they were proud of their math department. I ran out of math courses to take my Junior year. A few teachers protested - but the principal adamantly refused. An education that was good enough for our high school was good enough.
Let me ask you - how many people who are simply "good enough" have significantly changed the world that we live in? To use a cliche example - had Einstein been only interested in passing his classes, our science would be significantly more backwards. Inventions, insights, works of art- these have all been created by people for whom good isn't enough. Before people out there try to dismiss my argument as a manifest of arrogance on my part, however, let me make it clear - I am not anywhere near as intelligent as Einstein. However, there is one thing that I believe is significantly more important than equality.
That is the opportunity to be the best that you can be. Sometimes that conflicts with equality - but we are only guaranteed equal opportunity - otherwise we might as well paint ourselves red and call ourselves communists. Not everybody is equal and it is time for the general populace to face up to it - it is time for the media to stop spewing it out like so many hopeless sperm from the flaming red fire hydrant of reproductive organs.
Given a random group of twenty people, it is likely that I am better at math than 19 people. It is likely that someone is best at writing, someone at art, someone at skill N. Nobody is allowed to really excel though - after all, you might make the other kids feel bad! In our world, we are so concerned with the vulnerability of our children, that it is only when they are considered adults are they allowed to explore the field that they are interested in. Failure is not an option is given a completely new meaning - give the kid so many damn tries that it is harder to fail than to pass - then when he passes, give yourself a pat on the back and a corresponding salary increase. In the midst of our great educational crisis, the chair of education makes $250,000. The principal makes $150,000. Doing nothing. Occasionally they hold meetings I suppose. Apparently they lobby, although not very successfully.
posted by Michael at 7:28 PM
1 Comments:
I can sympathize with you on that one. In elementary school I was surrounded by dumbshits. Well, some of them couldn't excel because they had never learned English, but others were just straight up stupid kids. So, when the teachers realized that Sonja kept completing half-hour assignments in five minutes, they put me into this bullshit program called GATE. I got to leave twice a week for two hours, whereupon I would receive lots of busy work and large packets of worksheets.
The truth is, a lot of schools simply aren't equipped to deal with students who deviate significantly from the "average" IQ of the class. But then again, none of the kids ever seem to be right on the mark when it comes to measuring up to a particular grade level. The problem is that teachers just are not taught to teach a lesson for kids who are at multiple levels. Most of them plain old lack the skills necessary to reach a retard, a so-so, and a genius all at the same time. It's pretty frustrating, and the best solution we've come up with is magnet schools and accelerated programs, which eventually become schools in and of themselves. So, one size fits all education? Doesn't work unless you are a damned skilled teacher. Until then, intellectual stratification is the only practical way to be fair.
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