Our schools system--are kids really learning?

im a mother of two primary age children and in my opinion the education system is serving its primary function, destroying all ambition, creating a subservient and maliable work force, little more. Truth be told if any other element of the state had the failure rate that the education service has, it would have been closed down years ago. It is a sad indictment to modern society that we are still content to teach our children only enough so they are able to follow orders and provide a sustained income for owners and share holders. Teaching children at home has, unfortunately, to be cleared by the same people who run the education system so the values to be inculcated (inherent within the national curriculuum) remain the same. In darker moments, i turn to Ivan Illich's clasic text, Deschooling society, because only by ridding the world of the all-pervasive inculcation of values, that go hand in hand with education will we break out from this tyranny. I mean why is knowledge still broken down in to subjects? why not just encourage the aquisition of knowledge and let the child decide what is important? In my opinion, the answer is simple, free knowledge is power thank you for allowing me to rant blessed be

As a former school teacher and a current tutor, I would have to say I don't think kids are learning what they need in school. Unfortunately, there is no easy or simple remedy to fix the problems in the schools. I do think home schooling is better in many cases, but there are many drawbacks to that also. Small, private schools are usually good, but are expensive. I, too, feel for the parents of today's children.

I have been blessed in this area. In the area we live we pay the highest taxes in the area but have the greatest school system as a result. Our classes aren't over crowded and the students get all the individual attention they need. If there is a problem the school will arrange for special tutoring, classes, or work to help the individual and are great at working with special circumstances. I do know of many many schools that don't provide all that our schools do though and in those cases do believe often home schooling would provide better for the student.

The school system here is really bad, mostly because of the way the school day is structured. They have regular school hours, but the only have four classes a day. That means they are in a class for nearly 90 minutes same class every day. That is a long class and just asking for trouble if you ask me, Granted they change subjects mid term but still for classes or subjects you don't like in the first place it is an agony to go though. Children should learn things that are of interest to them, within reason of course. If they are interested in math give them math, if they like science give them science and challenge them to learn don't force them to memorize. There is a difference. Different interests for different people and the same is true for children. A good teacher can teach not just one subject but several and tie them aall up together with a nice neat little diploma. Smaller classes would be nice, but you can dvide a class into groups and work with each group part of the time. The school system can be improved upon if the system tries. I would advocate parental participation for a period of time as mandatory. Parents need a little exposure to understand what their children are going through.

i think in schools the ratio of students and teacher is becoming greater due to which some students feel neglected.so the parents look for alternatives such as private tuitions where individual attention to each child is given.also parents teach their own child.

maybe,i agree that schools are getting worse,my brother for instance was put into the next grade just because the teacher didnt want to teach him the next year he should have failed

I think another question to ask is if they are learning enough. It really hit home to me how much time is being wasted in schools when we went away and took the work that the teacher figured the kids would ned to cover over the days they were away. This has happened several times and it has always been the same. We do a load of work and it isn't challengeing. Much of it is simply repetitive. I call I 'busywork'. Having kids that have now been in the system for many years, and having had to call in for one reason or another, it is plain the etachers are doing a lot of, "Please sit down/be quiet/get stared/pay attention" and the kids that are ready to work and learn are just spinning their wheels waiting for the rowdy element to settle down. Needless to say, we do lot of extraciricular work, reading and activities to make up for anything I don't think they are getting enough of at school.