Hello from “Jes Straub”! This is my first attempt at a blog, so bear with me. I am a former high school English teacher and public school administrator who also has been a youth minister. I have also taken a stab at writing essays, poetry, and a “would be” novel. I have two writing projects in the works–one a memoir type about my experiences as a high school English teacher. The other is an attempt to explore fictionally the struggles of being a wife/child of a minister who “follows the Lord’s leading,” while the family has no input as to when and where they go or for how long. These musings may take on the form of sharing some of my previous writings as well as random thoughts on random subjects. I will warn you that I have opinions and don’t hesitate to express them. I do, however, believe in being civil in what I write and respect those who may disagree. I only ask that you do the same.
Random thoughts for today are related to education, what it is and what it is not. I taught high school English, mostly 11th grade with some 9th grade as well, and did my best to encourage students to actually think rather than simply repeating what they heard. Ralph Waldo Emerson once mused that most people never get to the realm of actually thinking. They use their brains to store and reproduce information, becoming “merely parrots of other men’s thinking.” I am afraid that today’s education system actually expects students to be parrots. Most of the academic process is spent preparing the students to take a standardized test that does not measure actually thinking at all. These tests are used to grade not only the students, but the teachers and administrators as well. As a result, teachers are pressured to “teach to the test” so that their school will be considered a “blue ribbon school,” based solely on test scores. Not many generations hence, if we are not already there, we will have members of society who cannot respond to anything they have not already been taught and will merely repeat what they have been programmed to say. Where will the philosophers, poets, and challengers of society come from? An education should teach one how to think and respond to information rather than teaching one what to think and what not to question. My junior English classes read controversial novels and essays that challenged them to examine new ideas and respond “in their own voice.” I am afraid that we have moved too far away from this approach and endorsed the idea that “if it does not help the student get a job, it should not be a part of education.” There is so much more to an education than just getting a job. Our society depends on people who can listen to political candidates, examine the issues, and draw a conclusion as to whom to vote for. Otherwise, our system of government will no longer exist. A colleague of mine once told me that “education is what you have left when you forget all the stuff you learned in school.” To me, an education prepares one for becoming a contributing member of society, not just by getting a good-paying job, but also becoming involved in the community and nation in a productive and intelligent manner.
JES Musings 