A Rant on Education

So I've been watching some videos about education on Ted.com and I'm thinking about our education system. What is important for our students to learn? What should our priorities be? I've always thought that reading and writing and math (yes, I know the 3Rs that have been around forever) are the foundation. You learn to think and observe and gain all kinds of perspectives and experiences through reading. Writing is a terrific means of communication (and don't most movies, speeches, etc. begin with a written script), as well as a means of discovering more about ourselves. Math is used every day in so many different ways.

Science changes as we learn about the world around us. There are so many areas of science to look at and you're not going to find two kids who want to learn about all the same stuff at the same time and in the same way. Why do all Grade Threes have to learn about rocks and all Grade Fours about light. Why can't those kinds of things be learned as kids get interested? Granted you need something to focus on when teaching about observing and stuff - they just don't want kids to have a headstart if a new class teaches it after they've learned some stuff once. Can't they just continue where their interests have taken them? Maybe a student who's already focussed on a topic can help be an expert during that unit.

Saskatchewan seems to match the social studies curriculum to mental development. Starting with self and then growing outward, which I think is great. Not all students are ready for it at the same age - which is why I wish there was more flexibility in grade placement in the younger years. Some of the curricula choose which countries you have to focus on when you get out far enough. Why? Sure we can do bigger things and have projects where the students get to choose the countries they study if there's time. We're told we need to focus on the curriculum and get the students mastered in that, especially if there's standardized testing. Teachers have to pick and choose what student directed-projects they do throughout the year.

I don't know. It seems that guiding students in their interests (and sometimes we have to force them to see outside their interests) is more helpful to them as people. It would be nice to have more time to let them explore their passions and introduce them to ours. Who wants to worry about every little detail? Yet we make kids do their work over and over so that it looks right without giving the content enough thought. Why would kids want to try when they know every little thing is going to be torn apart? Sometimes, I just want to be told I wrote a great story because the story is good, not because the spelling and grammar are great and the printing is tidy.