Education Fail

I could remember growing up in School 18, later Passaic County Tech. One thing I lkearned about education is that is meant to make people disposable. All we had most of the time is reading, writing, and arithmatic. Lucky to be near New York City, we did have access to culture. When I went to College I found that there was a problem with education. It was understimulating. College was more encouraging and the teachers more engaging. What is wrong with the system? It is geared to disposablility. The schools exists on a Darwinistic basis. The Industrial Corporate model of survival of the fitest. First education is not about equality. The grading system alone undermines the confidence of students. Only the Smarter kids where considered good and less where bad. If the system worked we would all get the same education as lets say, Dan Quayle or George Bush II. Yes, there are smart and gifted kids. But no child is disposable. Ok, some kids are not very intelligent, but still not all kids shold be relegated to a life of dismal living.
It has been proven through tests that many have strengths and weaknesses. That all people could have a sense of purpose. This was alarming to the Texas board of education that halted that testing immediately. The Saxon Education system proved that kids can learn if they are taught right and methods where used. This was also shut down because the children where finally starting to succeed in school. This system was attacked even by other teachers. Saxon math, developed by John Saxon, is a teaching method for incremental learning of mathematics. It involves teaching a new mathematical concept every day and constantly reviewing old concepts. Early editions were deprecated for providing very few opportunities to practice the new material before plunging into a review of all previous material. Newer editions typically split the day’s work evenly between practicing the new material and reviewing old material. Its primary strength is in a steady review of all previous material, which is especially important to students who struggle with retaining the math they previously learned.

The Saxon Math 1 to Algebra 1/2 (the equivalent of a Pre-Algebra book) curriculum is designed so that students complete assorted mental math problems, learn a new mathematical concept, practice problems relating to that lesson, and solve a variety of problems. Daily practice problems include relevant questions from the current day’s lesson as well as cumulative problems. This daily cycle is interrupted for tests and additional topics. From Algebra 1/2 on, the higher level books remove the mental math problems and incorporate testing more frequently.

The Saxon math program has a specific set of products to support homeschoolers, including solution keys and ready-made tests, which makes it popular among some homeschool families. It has also been adopted as an alternative to reform mathematics programs in public and private schools. Saxon teaches memorization of algorithms, unlike many reform texts.

A friend who is an engineer took his some out of school and they where engaged in home schooling. My friends son failed calculolous. My friend started with calculous lessons and found that is son performed well. He went to school and asked the teacher what calculous he was learning, and when the teacher showed him, he called the teacher on his ability. What his son was learning in school was useless calculous. Algebra and calculous are not important for critical thinking. We are told that line of nonsense because what it really does is make children disposable in the system.
The education system exists so the weaker kids fall through the cracks making them disposable even before they are out of grammar school.
It may be a fact, some children have to have their ability to learn developed and gain confidence. Learning to learn may actually have some good results. Also, the system is set on an elitist basis. Children with wealth go to schools that prepair them for leadership and have many opportunities to explore with a quality education that poorer students do not get. This creates the illusion of higher intelligence so wealth children achieve more out of life then their disposable counter parts. Their bands will play in Germany at the tax payers expense while poorer kids will have mediocre opportunities, while their parents have to raise money for local events. The current education system supports systems of inequality and class elitism, along with disposability.


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