Posted by
Aaron on Saturday, July 22, 2006 1:41:58 PM
Recent statistics have shown that our children are competitive in math
and science when compared to the children of countries such as China
and India in their elementary years of schooling. However, once
our
children reach their high school years their interest and success in
these subjects decrease substantially, while the scores in these other
counties remain high. Part of this can be blamed on the teacher
union's preference of putting their own interests before the interests of
our children, but I also put a large part of the blame on an
ideological shift within the foundation of America's educational
system. More specifically, there has been a shift in America's
educational system from more of a absolutist way of thinking to a more
relativist means of thought. Think about math and science
and one can easily see how this shift will affect our children's
ability to succeed in these areas. In math and science one has a
problem in front of him or herself, and when attempting to solve that
problem by a system of rules and guidelines, that individual reaches an
answer that is either right or wrong. One can understand
that if one comes from a school of thought that puts more of a bias on
an absolutist way of thinking, that it will
ultimately make math and science easier to understand.
Unfortunately, this shift, caused by the feminization of our public
schools, has caused our children to put more of a bias on a relativist
school of thought. Yes, now there are no absolute answers.
Now every answer to every question is up in the air and up for
interpretation. Now, in the American educational system, it is
perfectly acceptable to question things such as who was really at fault for
9/11. Americans? Jews? Capitalism? Neocolonialism
perhaps? Yes, in American's educational system two plus two
might equal four, however, it might not. I will guarantee you one
thing: In China and India two plus two is still equaling four, and
if the United States wants to stay competitive she better undergo
another ideological shift back to normalcy.