20 April 2012 archive

That cryptic phrase was the actual message sent by Astronaut, Jack Swigert on April 13, 1970, to NASA Mission Control in Houston, Texas. As you will see here, it was definitely a problem. The rocket was over 200,000 miles from earth and heading toward the moon when an huge explosion occurred on board. The process by which the rocket was turned around using brilliant engineering tactical skills resulting in a successful return back to planet Earth was miraculous.

The question is: Does America have the brainpower today to meet such challenges?

Now that I have your attention, let us consider the problem. The immediate problem we have has to do with the lowering of academic standards in our schools (and colleges) over the last 40 years. What kind of preparation do high school students get for college or for life in general, for that matter?

More and more American colleges have incoming freshmen that are flat out not prepared for college-level work. Even professor’s at the most competitive Ivy League schools see the diminishing writing, reading, and critical thinking skills their students have. Why is that?

For an in-depth answer to that question, you can read the insightful, exhaustive, and extensive research by Charlotte Iserbyt. Her tome, The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America is where to start.

There is a myriad of good solutions to the problem. But like most things, it will need a consensus that there is a problem and an interest in the solutions. A teacher’s ability to teach is obviously important. But teaching a classroom of diverse personalities is not easy.  It takes a special person who has the passion and ability to teach and inspire effectively. As I talk with high school students, I learn that their interest in various subjects often depends upon the teacher’s ability to engage and motivate them. It may not even be a subject they had an interest in before taking the class. Are you a student? Is that true? 

Another challenge that principals and superintendents have is that school systems are required to meet the state and federal rules and regulations of the Departments of Education. Ms. Iserbyt does an excellent job of pointing out the problems there. Do you think that the government may have overreached and put both the teachers and students at an extreme disadvantage?

Parents should learn if the curriculum being taught is what the student needs to learn. Is it time to ABOLISH the Federal Department of Education and return education planning to the states, and more importantly the school districts? Admittedly, it will be extremely tough because most school administrators and parents have gone through the indoctrination that needs to be changed. But the interview here is where to not only see the problem but how to solve it.

In the final analysis, isn’t learning a lifelong activity? As Saint Augustine once wrote, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only one page. Think about how you can leave the world better than you found it when you arrived. (Email or call for the password.)