Watching interesting Dr. Phil television show about public school and other schooling techniques such as homeschooling and unschooling or child-directed learning (hope those are correct terms; those are what they're using on the show.)
Many interesting points and counterpoints. Talk centers about socialization, what kids are learning, school safety fears and more. Show dates from around 2006, but many of the issues are the same today.
One thing that stands out to me is there is no talk on the show about the issue of public schooling versus private schooling. Actually, now that I think about it, we hear very little on television and not much reporting about the separate and unequal system of private and public schools in the United States.
To give you some background, I was formally educated in West Virginia and Kentucky public schools. Thus I had no exposure to anything else growing up other than public education. Growing up, I just thought that's how everyone was educated.
I became more aware of issues of public versus private schooling after reading the book, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!" by Robert T. Kiyosaki. This is one of the best books about money and financial matters I've ever read.
"Rich Dad, Poor Dad" opened my eyes in a big way about the realities of what I myself was never taught in public schools and what others learn early on in a quite different education system. Or, as Mr. Kiyosaki says what his "rich dad" taught him versus what his "poor dad" taught him.
Don't get me wrong, I learned quite a bit in public schools and had some incredible teachers. Public school gave me a foundation of reading, writing, mathematics, history, science and other subjects. And I do feel that a public education is far better than no formal education at all in terms of providing a foundation for learning. Much is up to the person what or how much he or she will learn. Public school can teach us to read, for example, but it's up to us to pick up the book.
However, over the years, I've come to feel strongly that public schools are failing as a system to serve the people in some of the important aspects regarding the idea of FULL and EQUAL education of the majority of citizens. The net effect of this failure is that the system of public education (taken as a whole) is part of a combination of forces conditioning most people to be lifelong employees (or some would say serfs or debt slaves) for the far smaller percentage of the population which is educated in private schools.
I do realize this is a strong and controversial position to take. And I know there are many out there who will argue with me about this. They'll say "That's not true." Or "That's not the reality." But I will leave it to the reader to decide, based on his or her own knowledge and experiences. (And maybe those who disagree can teach me something new about this issue.)
I address this issue directly in a far more in-depth manner in my "STARLING Series" in hopes that more people, particularly those in education, begin to address this, or at least acknowledge this issue exists. The teenagers in the series are struggling to gain a full and equal education in the year 2045, despite the promises of increased technology and ever larger systems.
What do you think? Did our public schools live up to their promise or were we conditioned inside those halls to be, as the rock band Pink Floyd sang, "Just another brick in the wall?"
Many interesting points and counterpoints. Talk centers about socialization, what kids are learning, school safety fears and more. Show dates from around 2006, but many of the issues are the same today.
One thing that stands out to me is there is no talk on the show about the issue of public schooling versus private schooling. Actually, now that I think about it, we hear very little on television and not much reporting about the separate and unequal system of private and public schools in the United States.
To give you some background, I was formally educated in West Virginia and Kentucky public schools. Thus I had no exposure to anything else growing up other than public education. Growing up, I just thought that's how everyone was educated.
I became more aware of issues of public versus private schooling after reading the book, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!" by Robert T. Kiyosaki. This is one of the best books about money and financial matters I've ever read.
"Rich Dad, Poor Dad" opened my eyes in a big way about the realities of what I myself was never taught in public schools and what others learn early on in a quite different education system. Or, as Mr. Kiyosaki says what his "rich dad" taught him versus what his "poor dad" taught him.
Don't get me wrong, I learned quite a bit in public schools and had some incredible teachers. Public school gave me a foundation of reading, writing, mathematics, history, science and other subjects. And I do feel that a public education is far better than no formal education at all in terms of providing a foundation for learning. Much is up to the person what or how much he or she will learn. Public school can teach us to read, for example, but it's up to us to pick up the book.
However, over the years, I've come to feel strongly that public schools are failing as a system to serve the people in some of the important aspects regarding the idea of FULL and EQUAL education of the majority of citizens. The net effect of this failure is that the system of public education (taken as a whole) is part of a combination of forces conditioning most people to be lifelong employees (or some would say serfs or debt slaves) for the far smaller percentage of the population which is educated in private schools.
I do realize this is a strong and controversial position to take. And I know there are many out there who will argue with me about this. They'll say "That's not true." Or "That's not the reality." But I will leave it to the reader to decide, based on his or her own knowledge and experiences. (And maybe those who disagree can teach me something new about this issue.)
I address this issue directly in a far more in-depth manner in my "STARLING Series" in hopes that more people, particularly those in education, begin to address this, or at least acknowledge this issue exists. The teenagers in the series are struggling to gain a full and equal education in the year 2045, despite the promises of increased technology and ever larger systems.
What do you think? Did our public schools live up to their promise or were we conditioned inside those halls to be, as the rock band Pink Floyd sang, "Just another brick in the wall?"
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