Education
Like sailboats on the ocean, one room schoolhouses dotted the American landscape for more than a century. The obituary for these simple structures was written by a man who had absolutely nothing to do with education - Henry Ford.
Modern Education ideas were being developed in the early 1900's, just as Henry Ford was achieving worldwide acclaim for his "assembly line" production of automobiles. This homage to efficiency was adopted by educational leaders at the time. Consolidation, along with large gleaming structures, was deemed to be the more appropriate method for educating - not unlike the bright shiny factories that Ford was creating.
Advocates for one room school houses were outraged. They felt the close, multi-class structure provided a preferred education, while educational experts felt children could only reach their full potential in the consolidated approach.
BOTH WERE WRONG!
One room schools were great because of WHAT they were teaching, not WHERE they were teaching. One room schools were teaching children the most important lesson of all. What is it?
HOW TO BE A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN.
Kids emerged from these small schools knowing how to work and survive in society. When today's high school graduates are entering life and willing to sign up for an interest-only home mortgage with no money down - we've failed them as a country. When someone with a high school diploma racks up $50,000 in credit card debt by the age of 26 (and is paying 15% interest), our educational dollars were wasted.
Here in Illinois, I see public school districts that are producing hard working, financially smart graduates. Remarkably, they are doing it for less than 1/2 of what it costs to educate most of the children in the large metropolitan school districts.
The difference, is that, in the successful districts, the parents remain engaged in the educational process. Not unlike the parents who dispatched their children to the one-room structures, they are demanding that the schools produce RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS.
The more we see efforts to dictate educational "norms" from on high, the more we lose the key element of our country's educational foundation and success. Responsibility from our parents produces the same in our graduates.
It's as simple as a one room school.
What is this "personal responsibility" you speak so highly of? You mean I'm supposed to ask my children questions about their school work, help with homework, and talk to their teachers? Bob, you ask to much of me!!
Reminds me of that story a few weeks back where 80% of the 8th grade class failed at a school in Chicago. Some parents were outraged because "they didn't know their kid was flunking". Other parents said exactly what you wrote in your article. The teachers said they sent notes, emails and left messages about the failing students. God forbid that parents take a role in lives of their children instead of letting XBox360, TV and the internet raise and educate them.
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This post is near and dear to my heart...for a few years before I was a stay-at-home mom, I worked for a non-profit character education organization. So many of the schools I worked with were realizing that personal responsibility is just GONE.
Though our oldest is in public school, we petitioned to get him into the school he attends (which is still in our district, but not the one he's supposed to go to) because of the high rate of parental involvement in all aspects of the school...they want us there, and and they want our input.
Great post!
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