Teachers from elementary school through college are telling students how to distinguish between factual and fictional news — and why they should care that there’s a difference.” This is the opening lede in an Associated Press item I saw the other day in the New York Post.
And therein lies the problem in our educational system today.
No longer are our children taught the really important things to survive and be a productive member of society. Yes, it is invaluable to be able to infer that Johnny or Janey is pissed off without really reading that they are pissed off, or what is fake and what is real, but they need to be able to add and subtract too.
Oh, how did we all survive without knowing Venn diagrams?
But it is so much more useful for our children to learn how to balance a check book, sew on a button, write a letter, write a check, put air in a tire, how to manage a household budget, or how to boil a pot of water in order for them to be productive members of society.
Our children go to school from pre-K to college, and they can’t write a letter using real letters and words, or make change without a register.
I cannot tell you how many times I see e-mails that are in Twitter speak or have waited on line for the cashier to figure out how to make change from a $20 bill.
Let me enlighten you: f u rt ths way ur not gng to b rich.
Schools are churning out record numbers of children who are unable to (two, too) keep their (there, they’re) tenses straight or how to navigate through simple addition and subtraction.
The problem today runs a whole lot deeper than being able to tell the difference between fake news and real news, our children need to be able to make a decision based on basic knowledge and common sense. Oh, yes — and how to peel a carrot.
Sadly, today common sense is no longer a lesson learned — it is neither taught in the home or in school, and neither are basic skills.
Our education system has failed in its objective and that is to teach and instruct, to turn out useful individuals that can support themselves and provide for the next generation.
Not for Nuthin™ but the solution lies in getting back to the basics. Yes, children should be allowed to use their innovation and imagination — these are qualities that have created the great innovations and wonders in our world today — but first a child needs to learn how to survive before he can create and thrive. Our children need to learn the basics — more common sense, not more common core.
Follow me on Twitter @JDelBuono.
