First day of school
Today I was back to the old school routine. With the twins going to school, we finally have everyone on the same schedule! Breakfast on the first day was 4 eggs, 4 pieces of toast, 2 each for Oliver, 1 each per twin, and 8 pieces of bacon, 2 for Oliver, 1 per twin, and 4 for dad. I think mom snuck some too. Julia is at her other house this week and I’m not sure what she had for breakfast. When reached for comment Julia responded via text “ok”. Classic Julia. The morning busses we both on time! A Christmas Miracle! The girls were so excited to ride the bus. I love seeing the look of wonder in their eyes. After the kids were off it was time for work.
What do I do? Well, I manage a business, sometimes I do graphic design, sometimes I print tee shirts, sometimes I write articles, sometimes I meet with customers but mostly— I think.
So, in between all those other tasks I take time each day to think. Since today was the first day of school I was thinking about education. The education system and I do not get along. I was a very well-behaved rebellious student. I didn’t get in conventional trouble, but I did get written up once for asking why too many times. I can’t remember the exact details at this point, but we were discussing To Kill a Mocking Bird and I wanted to know more about something and my teacher told me that it wasn’t important because it wasn’t on the test. I heard that a lot while in school. It’s not going to be on the test is code for “we decide what you know”. That always frustrated me. If a kid struggles with one piece of information the teacher will probably just move along because they have so much more to cover in time for the test. The test method of education operates on the idea that children are some kind of computer that can be programmed, however children are much more complicated than that, children can ask why. And when a teacher tells the child not to ask why they are hurting that child’s ability to learn in the future. When children are ignored, they either speak louder so they can be heard, or they simply stop trying.
The education system is working so hard trying to prove they have no agenda they’ve forgotten it’s their job to have one. Instead of having a plan, it has kids learning a little bit of this and a little bit of that. The education system is focused on teaching facts that can be filled in on a scantron sheet so smart people can evaluate our child’s school and teacher without having to set foot in the classroom.
I graduated in 2003. I think we were the first class who had to pass their SOLs to graduate. Since then, I have watched one kid graduate and two others enter middle school. And from my perspective, it hasn’t gotten any better. My kids have been lucky to have some great teachers and that can make a big difference, however, the education system is setting teachers up to fail. I think that’s why so many teachers are resigning. Instead of focusing on basic reading and detailed history, it’s focused on MLA formats (is this still a thing?) and big historical events. If you want a child to write then teach them to read, and how to write, and give them a pen. When writing in MLA format becomes a need for them later in life, their job can teach them how to do it or they can learn it in college, I guess. Education isn’t a means to a career; education is about building a foundation, so each child has the opportunity to pursue their interests and build something for themselves. And instead of spending lots of time teaching the American Revolution and Civil War while skimming over Nullification and Manifest Destiny, they should connect the dots so the student can understand why it happened and not just what happened. Education shouldn’t be about determining what is important to teach in history and what not, education should be about teaching the why so we can understand and continue growing.
Through my conversations with teachers, I’ve come to believe they want less to teach and more time to teach it. I think they wish they could take the time to answer the child when they ask “why?” instead of worrying about what’s going to be on the test. At the end of the day, our education system should prepare our children for the future. It should focus on teaching the why and not just the what. It should focus on teaching kids how to think and not what to think. Instead of focusing on lots of information, it should give kids the knowledge and tools so they can learn whatever they want.
The afternoon busses were not on time. Olivers was 30 minutes late, the twins only about 15. In the grand scheme of things, it’s only a minor inconvenience that I can live with. When the bus door opened, the girls didn’t come running off as expected. Instead, the bus driver had to get up and bring them to the front. They both fell asleep! When they got off the bus, they had big toothless smiles. Ellie had lost her front tooth on the first day of school. When I asked them if they had had a good day, they said “it was a great day!” Success! I know that if my children are excited to go to school, they will be more likely to listen and learn. I just hope the education system takes the time to reevaluate what and how they teach our children, so they aren’t wasting another generation’s future.