I am very concerned about today’s education. Are we learning the same way that we learned years ago? Should I believe the theory that the brain isn’t getting the proper exercise in today’s classrooms because of Iphones, texting, and other forms of technology? If this is true, how are teachers compensating? What can they do in order to continue teaching the old methods so that future generations can possess enough intellect to be the doctors, nurses, lawyers, and other important parts of our future? If the old methods don’t work any more, how creative can teachers become?
I have heard horror stories about how kids in a Vermont classroom spend time texting one another. Bill O’riley spent a day interviewing college kids on a beach. They were asked basic questions about American history, and their answers made me sick. You would be surprised at the number of college kids who did not know who George Washington was. A few kids thought that he was a horseback rider.
There were other famous historians that today’s kids know nothing about. During a similar interview of the younger generation, someone said that Benjamin Franklin was President of the United States, and that Thomas Jefferson was nothing more than a slave owner. I thought that Government was taught on a regular basis, both in middle and high school. I guess we have a problem, don’t we? I don’t understand it. I will assume that you took American History in high school as I did. Perhaps you don’t need to know all that you learned, but at least you know who George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln were.
Is it me, or are schools not teaching kids about George Washington? If it’s neither, then where were these kids during history class? Did they have their nose in an Iphone, and if so, couldn’t the teachers adopt a policy prohibiting that practice during class?
I am worried. If education is being watered down because of the times we live in, please reassure me that we will continue to produce good doctors,
good lawyers, good police officers, and anyone else who will continue to keep us safe from harm.
I am also quite concerned for the future of our literacy. When people use Facebook, texting and other codes in their regular correspondence, including business letters, I wonder about the future of proper grammar.
I guess I am looking for reassurance that education will continue to mean what it always meant. However, every time I hear about what today’s technology is doing to the younger generation, I am unfortunately having my doubts.
Please try to restore my faith.
