[July 29, 2021] The complaint that our education system is failing us has been around since Socrates. In more recent centuries, when that “system” – the formal application of state-sponsored teaching – is corrupted, the result has been the downfall of nations. Education is the soul of society.
Our failure as responsible members of our communities to address the decline of education will result in the decline of the United States and our culture. The growing shortfall in practical skills in engineering, mathematics, medical technology, and management grows daily. A recent OECD 2018 program found that the U.S. was outperformed 36 countries, including Italy, France, Poland and Russia.
“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” – Moses Maimonides, medieval Sephardic Jewish philosopher
A new movement within the U.S. aims to remove “merit” as the basis for achievement and advancement. Commonly called Critical Race Theory, this ideology is neither new nor innovative. It goes by different names and is not to be confused as the cause of our educational system decline but more as a symptom.
In a world where our nation’s education skills push the economy, the value of merit-based education cannot be overlooked. The brain gap is reflected in the growth of U.S. university enrollment but not in academic majors that provide immediate value. For example, in American colleges, only 5 percent major in engineering. In China, 33 percent major in engineering.
Our denunciation of meritocracy – such as punctuality, rationality, and hard work – is a supreme error. Such behaviors, those proven over the entire course of humankind, are now labeled “racist” and part of “white privilege.” Two plus two does not equal four anymore. If you don’t believe me, you are a racist, and we will demand you be fired from your job and run out of town.
Elon Musk disses American higher education in general, saying, “colleges are basically for fun and to prove you can do our chores, but they’re not for learning.”1 College enrollment is dropping, with Junior Colleges leading the decline. Perhaps that is a positive corrective course of action, but it does harbor a danger. Less formal education, when done right, is terrible for our society.
There should be an expansion of a competitive workforce, especially those without college degrees. In contrast, the current educational philosophy has purposefully downplayed skills acquisition by scrapping measures of achievement. That means many are graduating, but it does not mean they have the right skills to compete in the real world.
When we devalue hard work and aptitude, eliminate advanced coursework, fail to punish “willful defiance,” or reject diligence, attentiveness, and student integrity, we will fail as a nation.
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Gen. Satterfield, thanks for reminding us that this remains a huge problem. The good news is that we are seeing, now, push back. School boards, for example, adopting CRT are being thrown out and new common sense folks elected to help straighten things out.
Yes, a ray of sunshine is finally coming out. But, there is a long long way to go. I’m not implying that we should reject all the new ways of doing things but we should be circumspect about it, take our time and test these new ways, and realistically adopt them. Not willy nilly like so many folks I hear say.
Adopting stupidly is not an antidote to racism.
This whole PC ideology stuff is going to get people killed. But remember, that individuals in this movement are NOT important. Only the “state” is important or … the ideology of the state.
I agree with Gen. Satterfield that, “Education is the soul of society.” For far too long, there are folks who have inserted a radial neo-Marxist ideology into education. They are now making their move to take over our education system that once taught values that work and substituted something insidious. Call it Marxism if you like, I call it evil.
You are spot on, RED. And, I might add that you are one of my favorite guest writers in Gen. Satterfield’s column.
Great article to start my day. Thank you, Gen. Satterfield for more highlights on this topic. I have been in the education field for a long time now. Mostly at the High School level. Even there I’ve witnessed a serious decline in what we teach and how. I hope to help stem the tide against the racism, disguised as anti-racism that I see in the classrooms today.
Hang in there TJ. We’re all behind teachers like you who want to teach people how to think as opposed to what to think (leftists only want you marching in step with them). In the long run, what those leftists teach will fail. It may take time, but they will fail.
Yep, I say kick those leftists in the nards. What else is there to do?
Yep, same thinking on my end Rusty D. We must support those who are insuring our traditions remain valued and that any new methods or thoughts are tested and without bias.
We support you, Mr. Asper. 😊
Merit, out the window? I doubt it. Reality has a bad habit of intervening.
It is only a matter of time before this reality hits home. If you start losing your elecrtricity, like in California because of poor govt policies, you can’t work in your basement any longer. Now you might have to get out and do something with your hands. Ha Ha Ha……..