Education

Education has taken on many guises. In the eighteenth century our minds were to be used to solve creative problems by providing youths the educational crutch needed to uplift society, onto the industrial period where education/ schools were seen as a haven for young children from harsh labor and so on. These earlier schools of thought birthed paths for advocates of education where the centralized zeitgeist was "Let the home and the church teach faith and values, and the schools teach facts" as stated by Horace Mann (pg 379, Ballantine). A revolution/movement started in the name of free education and spurred a domino effect, where one small cry was met with two, then four , etcÐ'... (Humanistic education was a reaction to authoritarian educationÐ'...humanistic focused on emotions and interest (affective) versus the cognitive of the latter). We are now a nation of great minds, but face more complex issues. These problems range from equal and fair education for the less fortunate, allocation of government funds for schools districts, to state and federal standards/guidelines for instructional theories or pedagogy.

All of these issues mentioned center around the same topic; student's absorption and comprehension of reading, writing, and arithmetic. When our students drop out of school or fail to meet the standards set by the schools or state, Ð''someone must be held responsible. This is where accountability comes into play. The name of the game is Ð''who is to blame.' I agree with Ballantine that teachers have taken most of the grunt. So called incompetent teachers were the cause of our failing educational system. Pressures from parents lead to National Teacher Exams and rigorous training for educators. Students were now given exit and entrance exams at every turn, but their results were used to crucify or glorify their teachers.

I truly feel that people use administrators and teachers as scapegoats for their children's failures. Yes, they may hold some responsibility but not all of it. Parents, income, emotional and mental health are all contributing factors. The lack to take all of this into account will result in the downfall of our youths. A teacher cannot go home with a student