Learning

I've had conversations with a couple of parents of kids in schools these days.  One of them was my daughter this morning.  We sat around solving the worlds problems...and still didn't get her lawn mowed.  By the way, my neighbor has faithfully mowed his twice now, taking off at least a quarter of an inch each time.

I'm not the first to say that one of the tragedies of school these days is the education toward taking a test.  Unfortunately, some PhD in Washington decided that we needed to aim everything toward teaching kids how to take a test and get the answers right.  That's not learning...by a long shot.

First, that encourages cheating (and I'm not justifying that by any means).  If you are evaluated by the answers then you do whatever it takes to get the right answers.  That may include using your iphone or ipod or other electronic device to store the answers.  It may mean the administrators of the tests will need to go back over the scores and change some of the answers as they are accused of doing in the DC school district.

That is not learning.  Let me say it now.  The greatest tragedy of our current education system is that we aren't teaching kids the joy of learning.  It takes a motivated, inspired, enthusiastic teacher to motivate children to learn.  They need to see the personal application to the subject matter they are being exposed to.  What is the joy of learning?  It is the thrill of grasping new information and concepts that impact your life today.

I first learned that when I was 34 in a seminary class on Church History taught by Gerald Brunk.  He showed how when Constantine marched his troops through the river to "baptize" them all to being Christians it transfers to experiences of person today who think that getting baptized is all there is to Christianity.  It might be all there is to Christianity but it isn't all there is to being a follower of Christ.  Ah, but I am chasing a rabbit.

I am thankful that over the years I have been inspired by many to the joys of learning.  They included teachers, others who ate, slept and lived their fields of study and parents.  Let's talk about them.  Parents.  So Mark Zuckeburg gave $100M to the Newark city schools of which $99M still sits in the bank while they argue how to spend it!  That $100M will not touch the parents of those kids who need to be supporting the learning process.

If parents aren't as excited about the process of learning they aren't going to be able to help their children focus on the facts while Facebook and Twitter call them.  I'm reminded of how Ben Carson's mom restricted his TV time so that he would be inspired to learn and not just vegetate in front of the boob tube.  He became the premier child neurological surgeon of our time.

I was reminded of the movie Finding Forrester about the young man who was inspired to learn by one of the neighbors in his inner city community and the movie I can't remember the name of right now where the teacher inspired her kids to write.  They were "low achievers" who were inspired to learn by a motivated teacher.

So we need capable teachers, interested parents and finally, an involved community.  I'm not touched directly by the school system in my area.  I don't have kids attending any more but my grandkids and the future young men and women who are being "educated" there are going to run the world I'll retire in.  So I better get involved or I will taste the fruits of my disengagement.

On a closing note, Pat and I were talking the other day about how she has finally gotten inspired to read books.  I have enjoyed reading for many years but she didn't have the encouragement to discover the joys of reading.  She had to wait until she was 55 or so before she discovered the fun of learning from books.  That seems like a tragedy to wait that long to discover the joy of learning.  But we're educating another generation with that same lack as we speak. 

What are we going to do about it?