I Don’t Care What My Son Learns in Elementary School
I care a lot more about the environment than I do the content
For the record: I do value my son’s education.
I appreciate teachers and the near-impossible task they are handed every single day: Please, educate these children. No, you may not have more resources. No, you may not have better ventilation in your classroom. No, you may not have additional professional development days.
Also, we have a few extra students for you this year. They all have IEPs, and no, you cannot have another EA in your classroom.
Whenever I write a smart-assed article about public education, I want to make very clear that I’m not here to knock teachers. As in any profession, there are amazing teachers and terrible teachers, and most are somewhere in between.
This is not about teachers. (Not really, anyway).
I meant what I said: I don’t care what my son learns in elementary school.
Y’know why?
Because he’s going to forget about 75% of what he “learns” anyway.
I put the word learns in quotation marks because there is a significant difference between retaining specific details and developing one’s ability to comprehend, critique, and analyze.
Compulsory schooling
If children are going to forget most of what they learn in school, then why do even they go?
Good question.
Compulsory schooling dates all the way back to the first world war. Men went off to battle, meaning women had to work, so someone had to care for the children.
You’re not here for a history lesson though (and if you were, you’d forget three quarters of it anyway!).
Aside from learning facts and figures, children go to school to socialize with other children. My son is an only child, so it’s important he has opportunities to make friends and learn how to get along well with his peers.
The two most important things I want my son to get out of his education are:
To escape elementary school with his self-esteem, creativity, and curiosity (mostly) intact.
To learn how to learn.
The first point could be an entire book in and of itself, so I’ll focus here on the second.
Learning how to learn
What skills are important for learning how to learn? In our current public education system the qualities most valued seem to be obedience and the ability to memorize facts.
Those are not the skills I care about, nor are they the skills important for a successful future.
“…authentic learning [includes] children’s social and moral development — building a sense of community, allowing time for creative play, developing conflict resolution skills, etc.”
— Alfie Kohn
The five most desired qualities employers are looking for in potential employees are:
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