Sunday, February 1, 2015

"Invasion of the Body Snachers", or common core...

I am an unabashed "Generalist" and I tend to ponder many things in a very general way, things I am no expert on...or pretend to be. I also tend to think...laterally, or hope I do. As they say down at the tavern, "pinions are like assholes, everybody has one". So let Me weigh in on Common Core with My very general critique.

I found I did not get along with the educational system and academia from My very first day of Kindergarten (a day I remember well after 65 years, or so) . This would continue through the haphazard 160 semester hours of higher education I have managed to accumulate with no degree, or even the particular wanting of one.

I have found that the many jobs I have held over the years were far more valuable to Me as an educational tool than "formal learning" and by a factor of about 50 to 1. Even My avocations and just for fun readings exceed anything I ever learned in class. Self directed learning I call it.  This all probably accounts for Me not accumulating  official degrees or being a "rich man". The aforesaid and a real lack of ambition or need to feel "better than others", a certain phlegmatic personality caps it. So... what do I have against Common Core?

I seems to Me that to attempt to teach all children in all places the very same things is not a good plan. At worst you might well end up with a bunch of tiny little automatons or robot like critters, "the Borg" if you will, and quite reminiscent of the denizens of the "Village of the Damned"...thinking and acting alike and simultaneously. They would I surmise make very fine minimum wage Burger King or McDonalds employees. You might also end up with a bunch of teachers that "Teach to the test" to look good and to keep their jobs, as a friend of mine who is a teacher pointed out. It also occurs to Me that making it easier to teach does not guaranty that the job at hand..."Children learning" would even happen. Inevitably a narrow focus on a easy to test "stuff" will stifle the richness and creativity of both the teachers and the children.   

For various reasons having to do with the "human Spirit" and the need to learn I do not think it will come to this. There does seem to be a great risk of dumbing down of the entire population, limiting the diversity of "human" thought and the resulting limiting of "Human Progress".

In the end I believe children will find a way to grow and learn in spite of attempts to inflict silly and expensive educational fads upon them. I doubt that they will ever point and scream at other children, reminiscent of  "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" at those who have learned in a different way, or perhaps more or better than they. What they might learn in school as opposed to living and learning "life" is not so important in the cosmic scheme of things. An education is a great way to learn a basic outline, but get over yourselves educational shit asses...just get out of the way, let the children learn in their own way the lessons of life. Do not attempt to cookie cutter their opinions and ability to learn. You will fail.   

And there you have it...everybody has one!