----- Original Message ----- From: R. William Gosper To: math-fun@mailman.xmission.com Sent: Friday, May 09, 2003 3:55 PM Subject: [math-fun] Public education more harmful than Al Qaeda (350 line flame)
Gene kindly forwards me copies of a newsletter by one Arthur Robinson, who rages against the American public school system, claiming that its failure to crank out scientifically literate graduates goes beyond mere incompetence and is, in fact, politically motivated sabotage of objective and quantitative thinking.
I tended to ascribe this extreme view to Robinson's conservative politics and desire to promote his own extensive home-schooling curriculum.
That was before I started helping some Los Altos kids with their homework.
[much elided]
Where is the outrage from scientifically literate parents? I guess they all home-school. --Bill Gosper
<soapbox> I'm one of those homeschoolers. It may not be the optimal education, but I much prefer it to a public school system which leaves children ill-fitted to make correct change in the grocery line, much less question their government or media. It is my observation that the quality of public education has declined significantly in recent years. I can't pin the blame on any individual or policy, I believe there are several factors. One problem is that today, teaching is one of the least rewarding ways in which a person can invest his intellectual resources, hence the profession tends to draw less than stellar talent. Also, the prevailing laws prevent the proper imposition of discipline on the student body, at best making it difficult for teachers to maintain necessary order, sometimes leaving teachers at the mercy of the students. Add into this mix the garbage that passes for curriculum in many public schools, and you have a recipe for academic disaster. I have to believe that in the policy and curriculum areas, there are some political influences which prevent remedies that would be obvious to many. On top of this, public schools expose children to unnecessary social problems. Lack of discipline leads naturally to a youth culture in which bullying, drugs, premarital sex, violence, and you name it flourish. Traditionally, when drug lords target a community for infiltration, the first place they target is the public school. I could go into gruesome detail, but why. You all know about Columbine and other similar incidents; these are tragic, but symptomatic of even more tragic systemic social problems with public education. Historically, public education grew up after the Civil War, championed by such reformers as Clara Barton. At that time, a good education was not generally available, and the goals of public education, to avail every child of an adequate education, was laudable. In those days, public educations was truly public, being funded largely by the local community. Over the years, however, the Federal government has become an increasingly overbearing presence in public education, and communities have been trading away local control of their children's education for Uncle Sam's almighty buck. If the trend continues, I ultimately see public schools becoming essentially government institutions, with conduct and education of the students being geared to the benefit of the government, not of the student. I expect that sooner or later, some influential liberal will argue that compulsory public education is the answer to today's educational decline. There has been a lot of time and money spent on trying to fix public schools, and we don't ever seem to be able to do it. To my way of thinking, if public education is the problem, more of it can't be the answer. It is interesting to note that compulsory public education is the hallmark of totalitarian governments, vis Napoleonic France, Nazi Germany, Communist Russia, etc ad infinitum. Government-funded education does not have savory historical bedfellows. </soapbox> OK, back to math or fun or whatever.