Do you think our public school system is designed to teach or to mole and fit one into a slot?

Question

I truly believe that the governments support of public educations is more a desire to indoctrinate and teach conformity and to "socialize' our children as they would have them. Do they teach them how to think? I do not think so. I went to public school in the U.S. and we were never taught logic or thinking. We were taught to memorize and repeat. Freedom of thought was not encouraged. What do you think their real agenda is?

Oops I meant mold not "mole"

Glad to see so many postive posts. We homeschool our sons and we do teach Logic and thinking skills. We also study Classical style we learn ancient history. Many of the things we are learning together as I was never taught them.

Answer 1

the slot thing, i didn't learn any truth while in school.

Answer 2

I've always felt that the grades given in public schools are not a measure of ability or intelligence, rather a measure of obedience. I am seriously depressed when i think of everything I could have learned if I had stayed at home and everything I could have done if I had not been stuck in a classroom under artificial lighting doing busy work.

People have told me the reason I don't have fond memories of school is because I had low grades, but in reality I had high grades until Junior year when I realized that there was more to life than pleasing parents and teachers. The problem now is that kids are so focused on doing homework and getting good grades so they can get into college that once they're out of college they have no idea how to handle the real world.

I believe George Santayana said it best when he stated "a child educated only at school is an uneducated child."

Answer 3

It is widely believed that America has a highly advanced educational system, but in reality this is far from the truth. Ever since the dawn of the S.O.L.( or whatever standerdized testing system your state of country had thought up) teachers have been pressured more and more into having a student memorize the required material and then vomit it back on to a piece of paper. I many cases even after the S.O.L.s are completed a teacher may get stuck in this mind set. They are decieved into believing that education is the memorization of a set of facts. I had a science teacher who brought this to light. I had always had my suspicions but this teachers words helped me to affirm them. She believed in the principals of education so much so that she stopped teaching us the S.O.L. material around the end of the year. Instead, she began teaching us how to look at a problem logically and to then discern the information form a standard set of material. This teaching method was so effective that we passed the S.O.L. with a higher than average set of scores. What teachers need to focus on is teaching students how to reason and THINK. A widely believed concept is that this is exactly the opposite of how governments would like their citizens to be. Logical thinkers are often political opponents. In addition to this, if a governmnt is rife with corruption, how long would it take for a logical thinker to determine this and begin causing quite the uproar. Political and civil turmoil is what governments fear the most.

Answer 4

Absolutely, it is all about conformity, and I loathe it. I have found also some truth to why this is giving some jobs I have had with rigid schedules. My bosses resemble virtual robots with little to no personality. I am not a sheep! I for one refuse to baa to these sub-standards. I am glad college is not like this. ( Well mostly not) I want to know who invented the rule all work and no play? For pete sake there needs to be balance. I see no balance or creativity in our current system. I see children falling through cause of it too.

Answer 5

u know i used to think that, until my guy went to work at the school as a janitor,the way the government has set it up, yes it is set to make all kids the same, but from what i have seen of the teachers in the past few years thay honestly want to teach the kids, and are as upset as we are about the rules thay have to fallow to do that. i went to a public school as well,but i was taught individuality at home,as well as Greek, Latin,and french languages. and to question everything, especially my teachers, those at school and at home.

Answer 6

We unschool, to take the freedom of thought of responsiblity for self to its logical conclusion.

I don't think there is an agenda to american schools. there are lots of good people struggling to make it work for the kids. however, it was designed, its current, persistent model, by great 19th century minds which were trying to get americans fit for factory work. true to its design, and despite the desires of many good people, school crushes intellectual curiousity and individuality.

keep in mind, the right wingers who put forth alternative and alternative school materials are much more conforming and restrictive in their ideas about what knowledge is and how it should be transmitted.

Answer 7

Some of both. I thought it was a stupid waste of time to sing patriotic songs and to learn about the missions in California (third and fourth grade curriculum). I still do.
Geometry teaches thinking. Kind of a shame you don't get it 'til tenth grade! You also get to think in Calculus. LOL. 13 years of school, and only two courses where you got to think.

Answer 8

I think that the public school system is designed to teach and prepare people to deal with life and the real world where education is vital. If a person choses to ignore the education, that is on them and no one else's fault. I hate hearing the people ***** about it later like it was someone else's fault they are illiterate and ignorant. They had their chance, they choose to blow it and it is their fault, no one else's.

Answer 9

Yes I believe you to be very knowledgeable about the direction our education is going in. They are being taught what the world government want them to know and the direction they want their thinking to go. I see you are one who thinks for yourself. They do not want them to think independently though. correct:-)

Answer 10

People do not learn to think for themselves in public school.

Answer 11

I think NoChildLeftBehind legislation has left all non middle class white kids behind.