Education, a short observation
Education should be a priority.
I think that's easy enough to agree upon. But, there are ideas surrounding this simple truth. One: it's not a right; Two: it requires balance.
To address the first point, I propose that in order for a right to exist, it must exist wholly by itself, be held by itself, be universal, and not demand anything of anyone else. It cannot be controlled. Life cannot be controlled once it is conceived. Liberty cannot be controlled once it is gained. The pursuit of happiness cannot be controlled once it is realized. Life demands nothing of another.* Liberty demands nothing of another. The pursuit of happiness demands nothing of another.
Education, on the other hand, demands that one or more people deliver unto another individual information gained. It demands time. It is not a right for it requires the will of others to operate upon it.
To address the second issue, that of balance. It is not the job of the teacher to espouse their own beliefs in the classroom, to breed their own philosophy in the young. Too many times have we heard teachers spreading their ideologies like little smoke rings into the air above our children's heads. It is, however, the teacher's job to provide information enough to the child for them to make their own decisions and to teach the children how to defend their positions.
A teacher should be welcome to adversity, knowing that it makes them better equipped to deal with all walks of life that come in through the doors. It is incumbent upon the teacher to impress the importance of critical thinking, to allow their children time enough to analyze their own beliefs and have those beliefs challenged. It is not up to the teacher to influence thought. It is never up to the teacher to do that.
It's time we start to change the schools. Keep liberalism, conservatism, libertarianism, populism, Marxism, communism, socialism, religion, and any other ideological theorems out of the schools. It's time to teach our children how to find where they belong on their own.
I think that's easy enough to agree upon. But, there are ideas surrounding this simple truth. One: it's not a right; Two: it requires balance.
To address the first point, I propose that in order for a right to exist, it must exist wholly by itself, be held by itself, be universal, and not demand anything of anyone else. It cannot be controlled. Life cannot be controlled once it is conceived. Liberty cannot be controlled once it is gained. The pursuit of happiness cannot be controlled once it is realized. Life demands nothing of another.* Liberty demands nothing of another. The pursuit of happiness demands nothing of another.
Education, on the other hand, demands that one or more people deliver unto another individual information gained. It demands time. It is not a right for it requires the will of others to operate upon it.
To address the second issue, that of balance. It is not the job of the teacher to espouse their own beliefs in the classroom, to breed their own philosophy in the young. Too many times have we heard teachers spreading their ideologies like little smoke rings into the air above our children's heads. It is, however, the teacher's job to provide information enough to the child for them to make their own decisions and to teach the children how to defend their positions.
A teacher should be welcome to adversity, knowing that it makes them better equipped to deal with all walks of life that come in through the doors. It is incumbent upon the teacher to impress the importance of critical thinking, to allow their children time enough to analyze their own beliefs and have those beliefs challenged. It is not up to the teacher to influence thought. It is never up to the teacher to do that.
It's time we start to change the schools. Keep liberalism, conservatism, libertarianism, populism, Marxism, communism, socialism, religion, and any other ideological theorems out of the schools. It's time to teach our children how to find where they belong on their own.
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