Education 1: Can everybody learn everything (created 11-09-09)

The following view flies in the face of everything that the United States has been trying to do in education for the past 20 or so years.

Teachers in training and teachers in jobs are taught that every child can learn every subject and it is the kiss of death to buck that sentiment. School districts are held hostage to the aspiration that every child will test at least "proficient" in every subject or the school district will be denied state funding and will ultimately be taken over by state authorities.

So, as a teacher, do I believe that every student can be proficient in every subject.

No I do not.

I believe that every person can be successful in life. That for those who have immense difficulty learning to do math, that there will be other strengths which can be cultivated to help them be successful and be a self-sufficient adult. The same goes for every school subject.

I have a friend who was in special education in high school. He wasn't good at reading or writing or arithmetic. But he was good with engines and he is very successful working at the city garage repairing their trucks and busses and such.

We compare ourselves to other countries and conclude that our education system is failing and so we reinvent it every few years. Guess what. The European countries who are testing better than us for high school kids is in great part because in 8th grade they separate the kids with the aptitude and desire to go to college from the other kids. The other kids get training in a trade. The college bound kids go to high school as a group and do remarkably well on the tests. We compare all of our kids in high school to just Europes best and brightest. Our high schools for the most part do not teach skills which prepare a student to immediately get a job. Our high schools attempt to be college prep schools.

Not every one wants to go to college. Not every one should go to college. There are not enough college level jobs for every one to go to college and get an appropriate job. So why do we continue to make everyone go to a high school that for about 30% of the kids is not teaching them any of the things to help them be successful in life.

This is not the politically correct opinion. But it's my opinion and I'm free to have it.

Bye for now, Doug