In Which We Discuss the Meaning & Means of Education
November 9, 2009: Leaving Never Land.
Top three posts people read at Education Conversation…
Dare the School Build a New Social Order?
The Ultimate Question: What is Education? Are we chasing something we can’t define? Links to essays, stories and excerpts to consider. You’ll find things here that aren’t anywhere else on this site.
Access all Voucher-Related Articles.
Religious Reasons to Choose Freedom.
Links to sites of related interest:
Alliance for the Separation of School & State
Take Your Kids Out of Public Schools
Freedom of Education
Cato Center for Educational Freedom
Exodus Mandate: Let My Children Go
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The Problem of Education
One of the main reasons we have so many problems today deciding where to go with the education of children and young people is that we haven’t taken the time to figure out what education is. Once we’re clear on the purpose of education, we’re in a position to figure out how to make it happen. The purpose of education may not be the same for all people, which is another important issue to face. Who should define education? Who should define the future? Who should control education?
Some of my thoughts…
One of the most important decisions you’ll ever make is who will educate your children. Education is not just learning to read but learning what to think about what you read and how to choose worthwhile reading material. It’s about learning to discern truth and falsehood in what you read.Education is not just learning the facts of science but learning why they matter and how to apply them ethically. Education is not just learning dates and events from history but learning to apply the lessons of lives well lived and lives poorly lived — and how to tell the difference. Who will teach your children the meaning behind the facts?
- To participate, take a look at our Categories to the right.
- To fuel your thinking, read through some of our articles and take a look at the Quotations page.
All posts are subject to approval by our administrator. Please, no nastiness or crude language, and do your best to stay on topic. Consider fashioning a response in Word or Notepad before posting it — that way you’ll have time to think about and fine-tune your views.
Thank you for spending time with us!
Tammy Drennan, administrator
April 21, 2008 at 12:01 am |
The recent developments in concerning home schooling in California is very disturbing. I don’t have to tell anyone that is aware of this website that our rights as parents is slowly and systematically being eroded and taken away. Thank God for this alliance and information given and shared on it. Thank you for being here!
April 21, 2008 at 1:52 am |
Dear Mr. McComas,
Thanks so much for your encouragement! Working together, I think we can make a big difference.
Tammy Drennan
July 6, 2008 at 11:10 pm |
In Pokhara, Nepal I found an institute that is trying to provide education to deserved and backwarded students, this institution sometimes provides scholarships to those students when a foreign investor or donor helps.
January 30, 2009 at 7:23 pm |
I just found your website while searching the Internet for articles about the original purpose and intent of our US public education system. While I haven’t combed the entire website, the couple articles I’ve read on this site (which are extremely well-done!) appear to indicate that our Founder’s goals and objectives for the original public school system are not well-documented. I’m interested in this topic as a former public school student, as a parent with three children in Minnesota public schools, as a brother of a Milwaukee-area schoolteacher, and as a former school board candidate who likes to stay informed on issues affecting public school education. Recently, our school district started a conversation about a separate school for the “highly, highly gifted” student population in our community. Our community is affluent, and therefore has what is an above-average student population. I was surprised to read, however, that this “highly, highly gifted” segment of our student population only amounted to some 50-100 students. To build a separate school for these students seemed a bit extravagant to me, however most of what our particular school system engages in seems rather extravagant to me. I was educated in a low-to-middle class suburb of Milwaukee, and I feel I received an excellent, well-rounded education. I also feel that EVERYONE in our school system received the same; everyone was prepared to go in any direction they so chose because they were, indeed, well-prepared in the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Fast forward to today, and it seems the district my kids are being educated in aims not to prepare ALL the students for life after high school, rather our so-called “limited” funds are spent on all sorts of what I would call “non-core” programs that serve targeted groups of students; things such as Immersion programs and International Baccalaureate and a whole range of other seemingly extravagant things.
Somehow I feel that the original purpose of public education was that which I experienced in my upbringing rather than that which my children are experiencing, and I’m very curious as to the thoughts of the members of this forum. Thank you.
February 9, 2009 at 10:37 pm |
Mr. Borowski,
Just wanted to let you know I appreciate your post and am thinking about it (and have even written a little in response), but it may take me a little longer to post something. Life is a tad crazy right now. Thanks much!
Tammy Drennan
February 24, 2009 at 9:06 pm |
I am a UN Advisor of Global Education. I have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2008 for my efforts to network global education leaders to understand other cultures, countries and particularly individuals in order to create a pathway to sustained peace. I have created over 100 different formulae, theories and practica in order to improve the practice of pedagogy and administration worldwide. I have been to and participated in fora and seminars in numerous countries including China ( where I had dinner by invite in The Great Hall of The People); Jordan ( where I had an audience with the Minister of Education as well as having dinner with Princess Aliya in The Amman Gun and Rifle Club, both located in Amman; Australia ( where I met the ex Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson;Siberia ( where I met and had dinner with the Leadership Chair of UNESCO Dr. Adele Safty); England ( where I participated in a education administration event in Oxford University ) and others. In my opinion, the practice of pedagogy can be defined as the facilitation of the minds understanding times collective compassion. The most important word in that phrase is ‘ Compassion ‘. The most important person in any school or school system is THE STUDENT. And since individuals are the summation of their understandings from their all of their experiences, we should ….no….
we must honor their understandings. By the way, I have also given keynote speeches to PTK ( The International Society for Two Year Colleges ) as well as various colleges in the US. I am interested in networking with any individual who agrees or disagrees with my philosophy.
Honorably Yours,
Frank Palatnick
February 24, 2009 at 10:06 pm |
Dear Dr. Palatnick,
Thank you for your comments. I fully agree that the most important person/thing in any school or school system is the student. I’m sure you are acutely aware of the fact that in most government school systems the student is close to the least important thing. More important than the student is the agenda for promoting an ideology, money, position and prestige, power, and lots of other things. By way of example, I talked just yesterday morning with a mother whose honor-roll daughter was asked to leave her high school because her frequent illness-related absenses were having a negative impact on the school’s NCLB funding. It’s not an isolated incident. As long as governments run schools, children will suffer in endless ways, from receiving poor educations to finding themselves the targets of special interests that use schools to indoctrinate trapped children to being denied the freedom to truly develop their talents. It’s a sad state of affairs. We’re trying to help remedy it.
Thanks much.
Tammy
October 12, 2009 at 9:20 pm |
Most famous Americans went to small, rural schools & became successful with major contributions to society.
Now that we spend more money for education, the dummer our children become. Personally, I blame the NEA. If you cannot take your children out of public school then, at least, run for the school board & make a change. Become an activist!! I served on numerous school boards when my children were growing up. We can make a change.
There is a new, modern day book out that is a great about a small town in America that stands up to federal tyranny. It parallels the American Revolution & what caused it. It’s powerful so I got a few for my friends. Read it!!
Power to the People…..It’s We the people…..not you the government
http://www.booksbyoliver.com
October 15, 2009 at 5:49 pm |
Hi CTCTO5,
Thanks much for your comment. I agree that if a person cannot remove a child from public school, they need to become extremely “pro-active.” First and foremost, they must immunize their children against the worst of what they’ll encounter in the schools; they must make their children strong leaders and help them learn not to be followers. Next, they must make sure their children receive a good education, even if that means doing extra themselves. Finally, they can try to improve schools in various ways, but this won’t do a whole lot of good. The changes that are usually effected tend to be insignificant in reality (though sometimes big in the media and in the public’s minds and hopes).
But it’s important for parents to be honest and ask themselves if they really can’t afford independence or really just don’t want to. There are thousands upon thousands of parents living on very limited incomes and still managing academic independence for their children — the evidence says it’s far more feasible than many seem to think.
Good to hear from you.
Tammy
October 26, 2009 at 6:28 pm |
Tammy,
I like the new layout.
Recently I asked a friend (who believes that public schools are not anti-Christian) what world view she thought public education was centered on. To date she has yet to respond. I think so many people think of education as neutral. This just amazes me. How can molding of a child’s mind be world view neutral?
October 26, 2009 at 10:10 pm |
Frances,
Thank you! Your comment about schools and worldview is especially important right now, because more and more Christians are trying to argue that education and spirituality are completely separate things and that’s why theres’s no problem with having the state educate your children. They argue that math and science and history and literature can all be taught without the context of a worldview. A few argue that there is some worldview incorporated into the teaching of these subjects but that alert parents can easily counteract it at home. More on all of this very soon. If this attitude wins out in Christian circles it will be a sad day for Christianity and just as sad a day for the many people who could have been served and helped by a Christian community that led the way rather than followed the crowd.
Frances, if your friend comes up with an answer, I would very much like to hear it. I want to fully understand what people are thinking along these lines.
Tammy