Why do we need public education in a Google world?

wanderingbear

wanderingbear

Radical liberal
Today anything and everything you ever wanted or needed to know is as close as the nearest computer for Free. So why do we need public education?
I know my fellow liberals wont like this at first but think about it.We live in a new world.
 
Education is not a collection of readily available facts, but the learning of a process of thought.
 
King of the Hill said:
Education is not a collection of readily available facts, but the learning of a process of thought.
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So, clearly, the conservatives don't want any part of it.

Let's end wasteful government spending on teacher salaries and school buildings and get back to what made America great - giving tax breaks to the rich!
 
wanderingbear said:
Today anything and everything you ever wanted or needed to know is as close as the nearest computer for Free. So why do we need public education?
I know my fellow liberals wont like this at first but think about it.We live in a new world.
Click to expand...

There are a couple of reasons that come to mind. First, education is far more than the memorization of facts. It is learning critical thought processes and understanding. The availability of facts cannot replace that.

Second, the english language is not something that can be learned via Google. Of course, it can be argued that it is not learned by most people anyway, but it is certainly not something that a child can grasp on their own.
 
Personally, I think education should be less dependent on technology. This opinion may seem strange coming from an IT systems engineer, but from my perspective, conveniences such as calculators and word processors have been a detriment to the learning process. Everyone has encountered that cashier at the grocery store who doesn't know how to count change, and many young people nowadays have no understanding of basic sentence structure, spelling, and grammar.

I don't even want to imagine what it would be like if we did away with public education altogether. If anything, we should strengthen public education with less emphasis on technology, and more emphasis on reading/writing, mathematics, and science.
 
Why stop with public education? Why not also abolish universities? People will learn to become surgeons, lawyers, and civil engineers from Wikipedia. Doesn't that sound marvelous?
 
King of Gods said:
It's about critical thinking, not American thinking (or at least that's how it should be).
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It should be, but you know that's not the way it is.

Do you believe letting kids roam free on the internet is as good as public education?
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I think that the internet is a better resource then public schooling. As to what kids should and should not know.That should be up to parents to decide.
 
wanderingbear said:
It should be, but you know that's not the way it is.
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I didn't attend public schools, so I can't comment on that; but my friends who attended public schools seem to have a well-rounded education. If anything, public schools in Seattle discourage Americentrism.

I think that the internet is a better resource then public schooling.
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Just out of curiosity, did you attend public schools?

As to what kids should and should not know.That should be up to parents to decide.
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On that we agree, for that most part.
 
wanderingbear said:
Yes. I wish I hadn't.One bad experience amongst many.
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I'm sorry to hear that. It doesn't work for every child, that is for certain. But educational choice is one of the many great things about this country. I went to public schools for first and second grade, was mostly home schooled for 3rd - 10th (took a few classes at a high school), and went to a community college when I was 16. It worked well for me.

Should we also abolish institutions of higher learning?
 
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wanderingbear said:
Yes. I wish I hadn't.One bad experience amongst many.
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if someone wants to truly educate themself...they will not rely solely on others. there are many great leaders of this country who have self educated...lincoln for starters. if you rely solely on others to educate you, you will learn very little. education is about teaching you how to learn, how to understand. if you don't ever seek knowledge on your own, no amount of education will help you.
 
wanderingbear said:
Today anything and everything you ever wanted or needed to know is as close as the nearest computer for Free. So why do we need public education?
I know my fellow liberals wont like this at first but think about it.We live in a new world.
Click to expand...

maybe so you recognize when the google information you are reading is bullshit?.....
 
We need a formal public education in place because our children and our future depend on it. Not because there are no other ways of collecting facts. Not because our system churns out nothing but geniuses. And not even because we have such a great system.

We need a public education system because there are too many bright kids from families who would not educate them beyond earning a minimum wage paycheck. We need a public education system because we need a place we can force our children to face calculus, english literature, world history, biology and more. It is the only place we have that can have a 14 year old boy read Shakespeare, and hopefully see the absolute beauty of his writing. It is the only place we can have an inner city kid face down a trig exam and accomplish something he can take with him. It is the only place the daughter of a fundamentalist redneck farmer will be exposed to the theory of evolution and the scientific method that she will not be punished. It is where teachers push, cajole, force, lead, coerce and ramrod bright young minds towards goals they do not yet see. To leave this to the internet is to allow our futures leaders to be educated by porn sites, Rush Limbaugh soundbytes, and urban legends.

If you think education is merely memorizing and regurgetating facts, then the education system has failed you. To think that an improvement is to remove those who live to see children learn is to fail the future. How many kids will see the brilliance of JFK's speeches or Lee's strategies? How many will rise above the level of their parents and contribute to our society without it?

Is our system perfect? Hell no. It needs improvements aplenty. But if you expect an 11 year old to show interest in Hannibal without being pushed, you obviously haven't known many 11 year olds.
 
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