The New (Old) Apathy
It's not the consequences at Kent State in 1970 that make students so unlikely to demonstrate about anything. No, it's that old education act, come back to bite us again. Well, this time, it's doing just what the government might hope. We've dumbed down our youth to simply be able to fill in small circles with number 2 pencils rather than think or, more importantly, question.
The whole point of No Child Left Behind, let's remember, is that students score better (or lose federal funding, which seems counter to the point . . . but I digress, as always). But better than what? What benchmark are we trying to achieve -- the cold war is over, and we don't have to get to the moon first. Our standards are mediocre at best, and we have the notion that everyone can, no, deserves to, go to college. To be sure, schools like Harvard or Princeton or Stamford are still going to get the top tier applicants. But the masses, are going to college as well. That's where the state and community college system comes in. So it's become a truth that anyone can go to college. Once there, these students will take remedial courses to supplement what they didn't learn in middle or high school to fill in the basic skill set. Yet, they still don't know how to think, beyond the basic reasoning needed to do an algebra problem or write an expository essay.
Last fall, just before the midterm elections, I spoke with some of my students in a 100-level course at a state university. I was encouraging them to vote, because I feel it's the most important tool Americans have to affect change or not, as one prefers. I was shocked to learn that most of them had no intention of voting, had not been following politics at all. One girl shrugged and said, it was too much work to learn about the issues. The others agreed.
This is not a phenomenon restricted to my classes or even the university where I work. Nearly every day a student is quoted in print or on the radio, bemoaning the apathy of his or her classmates. Google "student apathy", and you will find countless articles on the subject. Many sources indicate that it is the absence of competition (and reading them I think of the news report on the school system that banned the game of "tag" because the slower children were feeling bad about themselves (that's okay, Freddie, have another Twinkie)) that causes the ennui.
I don't agree. We are so focused on testing students now to see how they rank, that we've run out of time to teach them anything interesting -- to add color to the basic RRR curriculum. Couple that with the fact that we as Americans are constantly being lied to (we're winning the war on terror, did ya know?), and you will have a youth that is culturally bereft and suspicious. The final ingredient in this mess is the ease with which one can get misinformation through the internet. For example, I have read countless "scholarly" articles over the last few weeks that tell me with certainty that there is no scientific evidence for evolution.
This is the ideal set of circumstances for producing individuals who are filled with indifference. And now colleges and universities are brimming with them. Good job, W.
The whole point of No Child Left Behind, let's remember, is that students score better (or lose federal funding, which seems counter to the point . . . but I digress, as always). But better than what? What benchmark are we trying to achieve -- the cold war is over, and we don't have to get to the moon first. Our standards are mediocre at best, and we have the notion that everyone can, no, deserves to, go to college. To be sure, schools like Harvard or Princeton or Stamford are still going to get the top tier applicants. But the masses, are going to college as well. That's where the state and community college system comes in. So it's become a truth that anyone can go to college. Once there, these students will take remedial courses to supplement what they didn't learn in middle or high school to fill in the basic skill set. Yet, they still don't know how to think, beyond the basic reasoning needed to do an algebra problem or write an expository essay.
Last fall, just before the midterm elections, I spoke with some of my students in a 100-level course at a state university. I was encouraging them to vote, because I feel it's the most important tool Americans have to affect change or not, as one prefers. I was shocked to learn that most of them had no intention of voting, had not been following politics at all. One girl shrugged and said, it was too much work to learn about the issues. The others agreed.
This is not a phenomenon restricted to my classes or even the university where I work. Nearly every day a student is quoted in print or on the radio, bemoaning the apathy of his or her classmates. Google "student apathy", and you will find countless articles on the subject. Many sources indicate that it is the absence of competition (and reading them I think of the news report on the school system that banned the game of "tag" because the slower children were feeling bad about themselves (that's okay, Freddie, have another Twinkie)) that causes the ennui.
I don't agree. We are so focused on testing students now to see how they rank, that we've run out of time to teach them anything interesting -- to add color to the basic RRR curriculum. Couple that with the fact that we as Americans are constantly being lied to (we're winning the war on terror, did ya know?), and you will have a youth that is culturally bereft and suspicious. The final ingredient in this mess is the ease with which one can get misinformation through the internet. For example, I have read countless "scholarly" articles over the last few weeks that tell me with certainty that there is no scientific evidence for evolution.
This is the ideal set of circumstances for producing individuals who are filled with indifference. And now colleges and universities are brimming with them. Good job, W.
posted by kingoftherabbits at
3:08 PM
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