the point of education

Interesting conversation in one of my classes today. Students were having trouble focusing on the small-group assignment I had given them, (a structured listening exercise) and were really just kind of falling apart. So I had them talk in their groups for three minutes about the question, "What is the point of education?"

That woke them up.

And boy did they have lots to say about it. I was surprised to hear that many of them don't think very highly of their own school, and do not think that they are very prepared for college. (I wonder how well-prepared they are compared with kids in other schools -- but should that really matter?)

They did a lot of finger-pointing at the redundancy of high school, how they have to go through the same English class four years in a row, how they never plan to use any of the math they've learned, and how they don't understand why they keep having to go into the library to learn about "study skills".

They talked about how the education system itself really just seems to be preparing them to join the profit-earning workforce and nothing else. One student had heard that the school format we have today started around the industrial revolution, when we needed to begin teaching people to get up early and sit in one place doing one thing all day (so they would be good factory workers). Hmm. Interesting. I never put that together, but he's probably right.

A totally fascinating discussion for me -- and encouraging, too. I loathe the education system, and I hope to do something in my career to transform it into something better, so I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one in the room who's looking for a different solution.

I look forward to the ongoing conversation . . .

Posted: Wed - November 12, 2003 at 11:01 PM

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the point of education

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