As a public school teacher, I have been on the front lines of the battle to educate children to become literate, well-balanced, intelligent, and productive members of society. Unfortunately, many aspects of public education today seem to do more toward undermining this goal than meeting it. My last post dealt with the problem of creating artificial self esteem by finding new ways to celebrate mediocrity. Today, I’ll discuss another aspect of why the public school system is failing our children.
All Feelings, No Common Sense
At one time, education in America was all about teaching children key academic and ethical principles that they would need in order to prepare them for life; things were relatively straightforward. But today, many Utopian philosophies of education, combined with feelings-based decision making, have threatened to undermine an educational foundation that once put America at the top of the world academically.
The first and most destructive philosophy I see in education is the whole language movement, which gained momentum in the late 1960s and is now a mainstream practice in education. On the surface, the basic philosophy sounds harmless enough — that humans are predisposed to language and have an incredible capacity to develop language skills naturally (as opposed to the belief that language needs to be systematically taught). When this philosophy is put into practice, however, it begins to fall apart.
A child who is taught using the whole language system is presented regular opportunities to read various pieces of literature in the hope that exposure will cause him or her to develop language experimentally. What’s the harm in that? Well, oftentimes, the “basics” of reading — learning letter sounds for example — are not taught because they are seen as tedious or boring and do not enhance a student’s enjoyment of literature. Whole language is focused on giving students the opportunity to learn by feeling their own way through the English language, with the belief that the fundamentals will develop naturally.
What if we educated surgeons that way? Instead of requiring hours and hours of instruction and study of the basics of human anatomy, what if a doctor-to-be shows up to the first day of class, is handed a scalpel and told, “Mr. Jones, we want you to enjoy being a surgeon, and since studying anatomy is not particularly fun, we’re going to kick-off your education by letting you operate on this lady. Don’t worry about making mistakes, and don’t worry if you’re unsure what each part of the body does, you’ll figure it out in time.”
Despite the obvious lack of common sense, whole language proponents might have a solid case if their approach actually produced large amounts of literate, literature-loving students. Unfortunately, my experience is that the vast majority of students who are taught via whole language are very poor readers and generally do not enjoy quality literature; Captain Underpants books are the cream of the crop to them. Is it any wonder they can hardly read when they have never been taught the basics of the English language? I believe that language is innate, but I do not believe in the theory of allowing kids to figure it out on their own.
Here are a few other brief examples I’ve seen of theory trumping common sense in our schools:
Student-led Conferences
Theory: Students and parents meet together each quarter to discuss academic performance. The child leads the conference and tells the parent how he or she is progressing. The teacher isn’t even present. It’s supposed to make students feel “empowered”.
Common Sense: I am the expert, not the nine year old. While it’s good practice to have students participate in their own conferences, we teachers have the tools necessary to properly evaluate and understand a student’s progress, and to clearly communicate any deficiencies to parents. Leaving that task in the hands of a child is ridiculous.
Bi-lingual Education
Theory: A child is more well-rounded when he or she can read, write, and speak in both Spanish and English. Bilingual studies also help students to understand and appreciate their native culture and gives them cultural pride.
Common Sense: Study after study shows that a child learns a second language best when he or she is already proficient in their first language. Most Mexican immigrant children are functionally illiterate in their native language, so presenting them with a mixed bag of superficial Spanish and superficial English is only going to teach them to be illiterate in two languages. Also, consider what bilingualism does to students from other countries. Now a child from Romania or Kenya is expected to learn two new languages?
No Grading in Red Pen
Theory: When a child sees his paper all marked up in red ink, its going to make him feel bad, and he’ll begin to associate red with negative feelings. To alleviate the pain that can come when a child earns a failing grade, it’s best to use other colors such as purple or green.
Common Sense: The color of the pen is not what causes the bad feelings, it’s the student having to confront his poor performance. Instead of being so concerned with what color might produce what feeling, teachers should take that disappointment and teach students to pick themselves up and try again. If the pen color is changed instead of the student’s effort, eventually he’ll begin to feel bad when he receives papers all marked up in green, and then green pens will have to be banned.
Have you noticed anything in education that seems to toss common sense right out the window? What did I miss? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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