A rant

At the end of the video Ken Robinson says, "... I believe our only hope for the future is to adopt a new conception of human ecology, one in which we start to reconstitute our conception of the richness of human capacity. Our education system has mined our minds in the way that we strip-mine the earth: for a particular commodity. And for the future, it won't serve us. We have to rethink the fundamental principles on which we're educating our children.  ... And the only way we'll do it is by seeing our creative capacities for the richness they are, and seeing our children for the hope that they are. And our task is to educate their whole being, so they can face this future."

I am inspired by his ability to so eloquently articulate what I think many of us are feeling about the state of education and the changes that need to be made.

I'm sick of watching my son come home with paper and pen and a 90 lbs book bag because a teacher or a school is scared of technology or feels ill-equipped to teach in a digital environment.  This weekend my 7th grader had to create a booklet made out of construction paper and free hand write a summary of Spartacus, using colored pencils.  Construction paper, colored pencils?  He's in middle school and it is 2011.  Later this week he'll take a multiple choice test on things like, "what year was Spartacus born?" 

My son doesn't need to memorize facts about Spartacus, that's what Google is for.  He needs to understand the value of learning history, how to critically think, and determine the relevancy of the information provided. 

Spartacus revolted in an attempt to make a change, he stood up to the leaders and built an army on principle ... he was also killed and his troops were crucified and put on public display... not the most desirable results, nevertheless, Spartacus was courageous and he is only one example of many who have attempted to "buck the system."  What if, rather than a linear approach to teaching, my son's teacher had infused the lesson with other people throughout history, that had the same goal, to make a change, but did it in different ways with different results?  Isn't that what our forefathers did with the Brits, and on a smaller less gruesome scale, what groups like the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street are attempting to do now, "buck the system"?  Wouldn't that be more relevant to his life and further instill in him that there is value in learning history,  and there is value in standing up for what you believe in - Sometimes your crucified body lines a highway and sometimes you start a revolution that changes the world.