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Friday, January 09, 2015

Teaching Children How to Think Instead of What to Think

Right now our education system is doing more to indoctrinate our children than to educate them. In fact, that has been the case for quite some time. Our young minds are being told to accept authority as truth instead of truth as authority, and teachers talk at the students instead of with them.

Teachers have become repeaters of information. They are merely regurgitating everything they once learned from their own teachers, and perpetuating the recycling of information; information that has managed to evade scrutiny for generations. Children are no longer the masters of their own learning, and instead, their minds are being treated as storage containers.

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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lmao! Let's see what the teachers have to say about this! And if one of them say they're forced to and don't like it then I say your a traitor to our country and should be tried for treason. After all you didn't try to fight it.

Anonymous said...

It has been this way for 200 years. Although there have been wonderful attempts to change it, many factors have sabotaged every one of those efforts. American education is essentially a closed, self-perpetuating system.

Anonymous said...

traitor?

Anonymous said...

Bull! I teach my students to think! I try my best to present both sides of every issue. We talk about the Age of Enlightenment, human rights, and multiple different economic and political systems. Sometimes information needs to just be passed down, but I do my best to ask thought provoking questions on important topics. I have read books like "The Revolution" by Ron Paul, "My Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn, and "1984" by George Orwell. This is obviously the short list. I ask my students to evaluate and explain what caused events. I ask them, is government force? I ask them about the Social Contract, and talk about Locke and Hobbes. We talk about current events. Even though I don't always agree with some of the opinions of their parents...you can tell the kids are just repeating their parents point of view because they obviously have not had enough time to gather the information and form their own original point of view. I respect their perspective no matter how limited. For all of my education, which I paid for, and hard work I get to see kids think! How am I supported by many viewers/readers of this website....as someone undeserving of their salary. As if I didn't work 55 hours a week teaching, grading, and planning after obtaining six years of education and a masters degree to earn a $43,000 per year salary. You, Joe A., publish it and mock me. You act as if we do nothing. I am not a capitalist.....I make no money off of other people's labor. I earn my money! Sure my salary is not privy to the same laws of the private sector, but there are upsides and downsides to that. You as an entrepreneur should understand this! You take a risk investing capital and organizing labor to earn money. Did I not take a risk investing capital in myself so that I one day could earn a decent living? I really wish this forum would support teachers. We are in fact public servants, and not your enemies. I DO NOT INDOCTRINATE CHILDREN AND I DO NOT EVEN MAKE AS MUCH AS A JOURNEYMAN PLUMBER! A little support please.

Anonymous said...

You lie. You ask your students a lot! But do you tell them the real deal? Of course not. You have a curriculum to follow. Or you'll loose your sweet ride in life. And you say the kids have their parents point of view....of course. Their parents are probly the last ones who remember the real america and what it stood for. And they see where its heading....under your direction. You teachers claim you have our kids more than us.....shouldn't they have your opions and lessons in their heads? And yes you are a public servant. Knowingly or not your under their control and teach what they say they want kids to learn. Sorry yes you are the enemy . your on the front lines for crying out loud.

Anonymous said...

OOOOO my sweet ride......hahahahahaha. I forgot about that, if I loose that I most likely will have to go and work another job making as much or more money than I do now. Kind of like the job I left to become a teacher.