First off I got to say love that you included a still from The Stalker, such a good film. Second on the topic of discussion I think you're right about the problems of public education. I agree it shouldn't be forced but should be available to those that seek it Although, I do think that there are some benefits for some in forced education, because it can open the doors new possibilities for some people that may not have gotten the chance otherwise. There are some parents that don't want their children to do better then they did.
I am sure public schools are probably worse now then when I went to school. During the early 2000s you could still have open debates of varying opinion and not be called names, or shunned for expressing insights people didn't agree with. Though I do remember in high school seeing people starting to glorify the trashy celebrities and gangster culture.
I personally liked some of the books I had to read for class, there were a few exceptions. We read a mix of things Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's dream, Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Godling's Lord of the Flies, and Fitzgerald the Great Gatsby just to name a few that I enjoyed.
The advantage of growing up in an English-speaking country is that the literature is so good and there's so much to chose from. Growing and going to school in South America, we didn't have a lot of great local writers to chose from (there are a few, but very limited in comparison to European literature). That said, I always liked reading so I was reading much more advanced and interesting stuff that I was made to read at school.
As I said, I am not completely against the model, but I think it should have some changes. I feel it's getting more and more about brainwashing and less and less about learning actual stuff.
But, in the end, you learn mostly by doing. Here at the art school, I'm mostly practicing by myself and learning by mistakes. The teachers give you complete freedom. In fact, perhaps too much freedom, I wish some of the teachers would guide more and teach more about the painting techniques, and how to correctly mix colours and so on, but no, in general they just let everyone do whatever they want, even paint with their fingers, there is no right or wrong way, and then they just say "that's nice, that's very nice". It's a bit like kindergarten, really, :D :D :D Same atmosphere. Maybe that's why I like it, actually. :D :D :D But I do miss learning more about classic techniques. There is so far only one teacher (Artistic Anatomy) who teaches more in this way, saying what you are doing incorrectly and how to improve.
Very thought-provoking article, Tom. I completely agree with you that a lot of people would be happier forgoing extended schooling and instead acquiring the skills they need to get on with having a life.
What we have now is, as you say, a system of indoctrination that doesn't benefit anyone - the people who would be better off in an apprenticeship, or the more academically inclined. A different approach would benefit both groups.
To be fair, I think public schooling, especially in the US, has worsened a lot in recent years (I know because I have nephews studying in the system, and they ended up being moved to private/religious school because it was really bad). But it probably wasn't so bad before. In Europe I think it is still okay, but also getting worse, thanks in part to diversity and all that.
I always went to public school, and I was a good student, and I never had many problems, but still I think that I would prefer a mixed system, perhaps with less years of schooling, or with classes divided by groups and where people who are dumber or not interested in learning could just be moved to other classes where they don't disrupt the others.
But, in the end, you learn by yourself. A teacher cannot teach you anything if you're not interested yourself. But it's true that a few teachers are very good and can really motivate students. They are rare. I remember only a handful of those. But they can be life-changing.
First off I got to say love that you included a still from The Stalker, such a good film. Second on the topic of discussion I think you're right about the problems of public education. I agree it shouldn't be forced but should be available to those that seek it Although, I do think that there are some benefits for some in forced education, because it can open the doors new possibilities for some people that may not have gotten the chance otherwise. There are some parents that don't want their children to do better then they did.
I am sure public schools are probably worse now then when I went to school. During the early 2000s you could still have open debates of varying opinion and not be called names, or shunned for expressing insights people didn't agree with. Though I do remember in high school seeing people starting to glorify the trashy celebrities and gangster culture.
I personally liked some of the books I had to read for class, there were a few exceptions. We read a mix of things Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's dream, Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Godling's Lord of the Flies, and Fitzgerald the Great Gatsby just to name a few that I enjoyed.
The advantage of growing up in an English-speaking country is that the literature is so good and there's so much to chose from. Growing and going to school in South America, we didn't have a lot of great local writers to chose from (there are a few, but very limited in comparison to European literature). That said, I always liked reading so I was reading much more advanced and interesting stuff that I was made to read at school.
As I said, I am not completely against the model, but I think it should have some changes. I feel it's getting more and more about brainwashing and less and less about learning actual stuff.
But, in the end, you learn mostly by doing. Here at the art school, I'm mostly practicing by myself and learning by mistakes. The teachers give you complete freedom. In fact, perhaps too much freedom, I wish some of the teachers would guide more and teach more about the painting techniques, and how to correctly mix colours and so on, but no, in general they just let everyone do whatever they want, even paint with their fingers, there is no right or wrong way, and then they just say "that's nice, that's very nice". It's a bit like kindergarten, really, :D :D :D Same atmosphere. Maybe that's why I like it, actually. :D :D :D But I do miss learning more about classic techniques. There is so far only one teacher (Artistic Anatomy) who teaches more in this way, saying what you are doing incorrectly and how to improve.
Very thought-provoking article, Tom. I completely agree with you that a lot of people would be happier forgoing extended schooling and instead acquiring the skills they need to get on with having a life.
What we have now is, as you say, a system of indoctrination that doesn't benefit anyone - the people who would be better off in an apprenticeship, or the more academically inclined. A different approach would benefit both groups.
To be fair, I think public schooling, especially in the US, has worsened a lot in recent years (I know because I have nephews studying in the system, and they ended up being moved to private/religious school because it was really bad). But it probably wasn't so bad before. In Europe I think it is still okay, but also getting worse, thanks in part to diversity and all that.
I always went to public school, and I was a good student, and I never had many problems, but still I think that I would prefer a mixed system, perhaps with less years of schooling, or with classes divided by groups and where people who are dumber or not interested in learning could just be moved to other classes where they don't disrupt the others.
But, in the end, you learn by yourself. A teacher cannot teach you anything if you're not interested yourself. But it's true that a few teachers are very good and can really motivate students. They are rare. I remember only a handful of those. But they can be life-changing.