SLEEPER: THE NEW VISION FOR EDUCATION OBE ETC. IS NOT A GOOD ONE \doc\web\97\08\sleeper.txt From: sleeper@warwick.net Date sent: Thu, 30 Oct 1997 00:09:12 -0800 Send reply to: sleeper@warwick.net To: arthurhu@mail1.halcyon.com Subject: American Education and STW Dear Arthur: Here is a copy of a little article that I wrote and submitted to a few papers and loop lists that you may not have received. Sincerely yours, Sleeper (Who is Awakening!) ******************************************************************* REINVENTING THE AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM FOR THE 1990'S: Today we are witness to the many ways that our government and our educational change-agents have decided to "Reinvent American Education". In today's new vision for education, Academic excellence and valid, reliably proven, documented Teaching Methods tested by Knowledge-based Standardized testing, have given way to the new more modern visions of Outcome-based Education with Assessment testing and all it's many teaching philosophies. Such as: Teacher as Facilitator and Equal, Whole-language, Creative Writing, Creative Spelling, New Math, Chicago Math, Applied Math, Child-Lead Learning, Developmentally Appropriate Learning, Multi-Intelligence Learning, Group Learning, Mulit-Cultural Learning, Homogeneous Learning, Emotional Well-being Learning, Social, Politically Correct , Civic Responsibilities and Mandatory Community Service Requirements for graduation, now are considered an academic education. Let's compare academic education of the past with todays newer more modern visions of an academic education. 1. Past: The ability to read. Taught to the children through direct intensive instruction. Present: The ability to read. Taught to the children through the Whole Language philosophy of 'sight words', guessing and group readings. 2. Past: The ability to write using proper grammatical sentence structure and correct spelling. Present: The ability to write using 'Creative Writing and Creative Spelling techniques with the help of Spell Check and Editor features on computers. 3. Past: The ability to mentally compute mathematical equations from prior memorization and knowledge of basic mathematical facts and theories. Present: The ability to Apply math to everyday situations with the help of calculators, manipulatives and group consensus. 4. Past: The ability to recite and understand important dates and events in our country's and the world's history. Present: These are considered 'Elitist' information and not relevant to todays society. Now they will learn to understand the differences between racial, gender, sexual and multi-cultural influences on todays society. 5. Past: The ability to recite and understand important dates, inventions and inventors and their impact on our society. Present: Only as they relate to the differences between racial, gender, sexual and multi-cultural influences on todays society. 6. Past: The ability to recite and understand important dates and use of basic to advanced aspects of science and their impact on our society. Present: Again, only as they relate to the differences between racial, gender, sexual and multi-cultural influences on todays society. 7. Past: An introduction and insight into the 'classical' arts and music that has given this world the ability to connect people with people from different country's, cultures, and economic backgrounds based on nothing other then their love of and appreciation for art or/and music. Present: A complete tolerance for all forms of art and music no matter how perverse. This though does not include any references to 'classical' arts and music as they are considered too elitist. 8. Past: No mention of social, political, emotional and behavioral modifications. Present: Classes such as Quest and Lifeskills deal mainly with modifications to children's social, political, emotional, behavioral belief's and values and questioning of parental authority. Health well-being class now discusses the acceptance of different forms of gender and trans-gender people, different sexual acts and positions, personal gratification techniques and a myriad of other 'health and psychological' topics and personal questioniars. 9. Past: Vocational Training was allowed only in the last 2 years of high school and was an elective class. Present: Mandatory for All Children. School-to-Work or Career Development Training will start in Kindergarten and all class subjects and textbooks will be rewritten to reflect proper work ethics, responsibilities, work group consensus for all decision making, job shadowing and job mentor situations. All children will have a career choice chosen by entrance into high school (some cases by middle school) so that all further 'academic' studies will revolve around their specific career choice. There is also discussion now of Mandatory Community Service for ALL children (some states have already passed legislation allowing and mandating this and the Supreme Court has ruled it allowable) in complete disregard of our country's Thirteenth Amendment against involuntary servitude except for convicted criminals. Are the students (children) in those states considered convicted criminals now? Todays schools are no longer institutions geared towards a liberal arts academic education but are becoming an institution for the proper development of students Proper, Emotional, Social, Political, Civic,and Employment Training Facilities. If you do not believe this just read what New York State Education Commissioner Richard Mills remarked to the Board of Regents: "They should have a muscular concentration of courses that add up to something instead of a smattering of courses that are not connected." "Mills said a focus would help students better prepare for jobs and college." It is the 'smattering of courses' that gives all people the ability to make informed decisions and discuss in an intelligent manner all matters of life from business, to family, to arts, music, child rearing, philosophical and religious matters. Take this away from our students and all you will be left with are students that can only perform the certain tasks that they were trained (not educated) for under the new more modern visionary Outcome-based, School-To-Work, Locale Economic Development philosophies drilled into their heads from their first day of school. Is that what we want for our children? It is not what I want for mine. Sincerely yours, Sleeper