The Main problem with Education today?

Question

1. Stop teaching opinion as fact.
2. Stop teaching our kids what to think and start teaching them how to think.
Do you agree or disagree? State your perception pleace.

Answer 1

I am a public school teacher.

I disagree.

I think to many people have their nose in education. Just because someone has an opinion and a vested interest does not make them an authority on the situation. Many people think that because they have been in school they know what is going on and how to fix it. This is not the case. Many people do not realize that just because someone knows how to do something does not mean they can teach others how to do it.

I think the biggest problem is that too many parents are either divorced or not involved enough in their own childrens lives to know anything the school is doing. I am not saying that parents shouldn't be advocates for their children, but too many parents think the schools are out to get their kids. SO, if you discipline your children at home to respect authority figures they would be more successful at school.

School is not a RIGHT, and should stop being treated as it is. School is not there to represent the interest of the students or the parent. It is their to represent the interest of the state. However, so many people think it is a right, so the schools have becoming a baby sitting factory for parents to make two incomes and not worry about their kids until they fail or get angry about what some stupid teacher or administrator is doing.

I do not go to anyone's place of work and tell them how to do their job. Why is it everyone is an expert in education. If education was so important, why do they not fund it to provide enough money to attract more qualified teachers, upto date equipment, and modern facilities. Check out what teachers get paid compared to most jobs that require 4 year degrees and an internship, then tell me your troubles. Most teachers have to work second jobs to make their own payments. Contrary to popular belief, teachers do not get paid for their time in the summer. Teaching is a contract job that only pays for 9 or 10 months of the year. The other 2 or 3 months, you are out of work. The odd thing is that in any other profession, this type of seasonal unemployment would be covered by unemployment insurance, but then again education is not.

A thing about time with a student for a moment. If you have 20-25 students in a class for an hour. That means that you have approximately 2 to 3 minutes per student per period. That is of course if they are all on task and they all behave as directed. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

I think parents should be held just as accountable for their childs education as the school. After all, the children belong to them. If a parent can't get the child to study and try to learn, then who can.

Who cares anyway! I am every going to use this in the real world. (get it?)

Answer 2

I don't know if I'd say that's the main problem. I think that stating that 1 and 2 are the main problem sort of contradicts #1. Aren't you telling us these are facts, and not opinions? The main problem is subjective, as are most things in education.

I do believe that the person posing this statement is not a teacher, and does not teach kids on a daily basis. They would know that, especially with #2, the majority of teachers tear their hair out trying to get kids to think for themselves, but kids are LAZY, and don't want to.

Teaching opinion as fact is also problematic. Who's defining the difference between the two? For example, is the need to teach proper grammar an opinion, or a fact? Schools are based on a power structure that relies on certain "facts" to get things done.

Either way, I think there are more pressing issues that demand the attention of the public than esoteric arguments that really have no use in the classroom.

Answer 3

The main problem with education today is that we have these huge lists of stuff we want them to "learn" (which doesn't involve understanding necessarily).

The list contains a few big ideas and a LOT of trivia.

Instead, we should be teachings students to deeply understand and apply a much smaller list of things, the "biggest bang for the buck" most broadly useful things from each field.

They should continually be applying what they learn to understanding the world.

And, yes, we should stop teaching false things as though they were true.

But if I HAVE to stick with your lingo, I'd say #2 is the biggie.

Give them the tools that have been developed for understanding various hunks of reality, and give them lots of experience in using those tools in a variety of contexts to actually understand things.

They'll pick up some set of details along the way, but the details aren't the important part. Currently, the details are given as much emphasis as the big ideas.

They should also spend a lot of time communicating the results of their work -- publishing (producing newsletters, on the web, whatever), where they create a piece of communication that they've polished and made as perfect as they can.

Answer 4

I'd say they are both problems but Not the Main problems.
I think one of the main problems today is that the family unit has broken apart and most children are raised in one-parent households. Not to be mean against one -parent households, but the job is too big for one person.
The other problem, as I see it, in education, is that kids come in with no discipline, no basic skills and no communication abilities.
Teaching fact is very important but there are times when there is only one answer......math, music, some science and then other times when the concept of thinking through the problem is more important. A balance.....everything should be a balance.

Answer 5

My opinion is that parents are not getting their children "ready" for school, and expect the teachers to be the diciplinaries as well as the educators. Note the key word...EDUCATORS!

I am not a teacher, but a parent! I made sure that my children will be and are prepared for school, as I have a 3 and 12 year old, and I've had no problems with the school (regarding my 12 year old) and my 3 year old is at the child care center of the university I attend, and they are quite impressed at how I have prepared him for once he will be in grade school.

I don't think it's the education system, they can only do so much, it's quite frankly, the parents!

I know it sounds harsh, but it's the truth!

Answer 6

These are both important issues that, in my opinion, need to seriously be revised. However I think the biggest problem is inequalities in educational attainment. Not only do we need to equalize across schools but also within schools. Differences in funding accounts for 20% of the differences in attainment across schools. That means that 80% falls on the shoulders of the schools. So what is going wrong that there is such a large educational gap between lower and upper class kids, as well as between racial and ethnic groups? Tracking is a contributing factor, especially when teachers track based on SES instead of ability, which is the true purpose of tracking.

Answer 7

Broad subject! I would go with answer #1 first of all. I believe you can't totally separate the messenger from the message. History for instance is always interpreted by the teacher. It's amazing how history can be revised by the next generation. Neutrality is almost impossible because we are influenced by our beliefs and value judgments. There is no moral/value "vacuum". The best we can hope for is personal integrity and a willingness to share as many credible views as possible in order to show our youth that "someone" may have a different opinion and have their own reasons for believing it than our own personal perspective. My favorite professor in College would argue 4 different viewpoints on a particular historical item and treat each one like he believed it. He would defend each view fervently for a season until he presented the next view. By the end of the semester we were dying to know exactly which view he personally endorsed, and he wouldn't tell us. It was up to us to figure it out. It's okay to have an opinion, just don't expect everyone to accept it as fact. Another favorite quote that I love by a man named Charles Simpson was...
"All of my beautiful theories were murdered by a gang of ugly facts".
Some of "my theories" have died over the years as I listened better and talked less.

Answer 8

I agree that those things are a problem.

Sorry but I don't have a "pleace" so I can't state my perception.

Answer 9

1. Back to the basics--no "new" stuff.
2. Corporal punishment was a good thing.
3. Yes, teach students HOW to think for themselves.

Answer 10

i'm not sure what Obama will do. i comprehend he's incredibly into offering good training to all, so i'm particular he will grant a super type of help to colleges and instructors to make this achieveable. i might wager that he might grant underfunded colleges with money so as that they'd improve their colleges gadget so as that the little ones could have a greater effective greater up thus far training.