Education Matters

Catching up on some magazines that came in over the holiday, I read a spirited defense of teachers and the role of education in society.  This did not deal with teacher unions but rather the good that teachers have done for so many students and what that education is meant to accomplish.

What prompted the article was the focus on home schooling and the book advocating that everyone forego college and become a computer programmer entrepreneur.  I had noticed the book but not given it much thought.

I have been concerned about home schooling because I don't understand the quality control process.  However, statistics show that parents who take this on generally do OK because the kids do as well or better than the graduates of organized schools in college.

However, I know I benefited from college and not just in a monetary sense.  The teachers I had in high school and college taught me to think independently, to research facts and derive a sense of how to achieve what I want given those facts.  The course work taught me how to understand the complexity of this world and its societies and to appreciate the value that different experts can bring to a discussion of issues.

Just focusing on the monetary reward of education oversimplifies the role that each of us needs to play in society as a responsible citizen.

I think the origin of this lack of respect for teachers has three sources. One, teacher unions are resented for protecting underperforming teachers and creating an environment where managers have limited control over performance management processes. Two, a significant percentage of schools are not doing a good job, have not done a good job for many years, and this frustrates people who want the best for their child.  Three, U.S. culture has been completely focused on the monetary reward of work for a long time (rightfully so) without reflection on the value that informed opinions being to the country.

Thus, we have a substantial number of people who believe the earth was created 6,000 years ago, doubt the scientific base that says CO2 causes the atmosphere to heat, don't understand fiscal or monetary policy and do not understand the need for gradualism in changing policies.  And I cannot forget the retired NYC police officer who said to me that the government should stay out of his retirement benefits because to do otherwise was socialism.  This of course is a variant on the theme that many retired people believe Medicare is not a government program and therefore should not be part of any budget solution. Ignorance is dangerous to political process.