Readicide - Chapters 2 and Class 3

At our last class, we had a heated discussion regarding the educational system. Some folks favor the idea of narrowing the educational realm - letting people study what they are good at. Others believe high school students are too young to decide on a life pathway. I, of course, argue that no one truly know what they want to do when they grow up... until they do. And, oftentimes, people change their minds - after all, didn't we? Isn't that why we are ALL in the MAT program?

Then, I read Chapter 2 of Readicide. And, within the first two pages - I became more convinced that students NEED education. Yes, I believe students need different levels of education (it is completely unnecessary for a student who struggles in math to learn trigonometry and for a student who excels in English to sit in a regular classroom). But, I do think students NEED to be educated. After all, we just simply need to know whats going on around us so that we can make knowledgeable decisions.

And, here is where chapter 2 comes in. Page 28, "only one of my ninth graders could name the sitting vice president of the United States..." I don't know about you, but I find this unnerving - in the words of Kelly Gallagher, "there is something seriously wrong with this picture!"

Could it be that our students are lazy? Could it be that our students simply do not care? Or, could it be that we are teaching incorrectly? Whatever the reason - "can we afford to graduate students who are so intensely geared toward reading exams that they leave our schools never having had the opportunity to look out the other reading windows?" (p. 29). Could it be that we need to EDUCATE our students to help them find and interest? Could it be that we need to connect school to our students' lives? Could it be that we need to teach our students so they can be knowledgeable contributing citizens with a complete picture of the world rather than a partial picture? Could it be that our education system, although deeply flawed, had one thing correct - we need to educate students and help them become educated, knowledgeable members of society... so they, in turn, can affect society for the better?!?! If it is so - let's jump on it. Our students need the help we can provide.