re: 9 reasons why public educ fails

I don't agree with much of the video's points. A few of the points I have no opinion on.

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1. Bad Reading Methods

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I have no opinion or experience in this area, however, I recently read an article that argues the opposite of this point. The argument's premise is that teaching phonetics sets children up for failure because English letters often deviate from their expected sounds (i.e. "jumped" and "jumpt") why some kids can't spell and why spelling tests won't help

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2. Insane Math Instruction

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From experience working with my own child, I agree that all of these reformist-type math approaches (like Saxon math, et al) are for shite. Everything my child was learning in school (to disastrous results), my wife had to spend time undoing with traditional math at home. He immediately understood the traditional approach and, if it weren't for that, he would've failed math many times over.

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3. Content for Knowledge

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Probably one of my biggest disagreements. In the Internet Age, knowledge is cheap. When a Google search is just a second away from most students' smartphones, knowing basic facts isn't as important (except for cultural literacy, perhaps) as skills-based learning (utilizing those facts). Students and parents have a right to know why things need to be learned. If an educator can't adequately answer that question, then the relevancy of learning that objective should be reconsidered.

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4. Inefficient Teaching Methods

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Having students learn by doing is absolutely enlightened teaching. That doesn't mean a teacher doesn't provide direct instruction, but the majority of learning takes place when students are actively implemented knowledge and skills. Not sure I understand what the counter-argument would be: A teacher lecturing/directly instructing for the majority of class time?

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5. Busy Work is the Norm

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Disagree again. Cooperative learning teaches students how to work together--a common complaint among parents. I think a classroom should resemble a workshop in many ways. I would much rather students demonstrating knowledge and skills on real world projects than practicing how to take some standardized paper-and-pencil test.

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6. Contempt for Accuracy and Precision

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The video is all over the place here. I think there should be some room for students to deal with interpretation and ambiguity. Rarely are things black or white in this world. However, I see nothing wrong with a definite answer, either. As for cursive, I don't support its removal from the curriculum, but I'm not sure that a lack of penmanship will be detrimental to future generations.

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7. Obsession With Political Correctness and Social Engineering

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As the video stated, this has always been a practice of public schools. It wasn't as much of a deal when America represented a more unified society. Now the problem is schools are indoctrinating students with too many of the wrong messages. As a result, I agree that schools should now refrain from this. Unfortunately, the lack of parenting is a huge impediment to this.

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8. Parents Are Unable to Influence the Schools

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I agree with this point. But the local and state education departments have performed so poorly in recent history that it's hard to argue with the push to nationalize schools.

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9. Poor Preparation of Teachers

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I agree with this point but for different reasons. The education field no longer attracts (or retains) the best and brightest and, as a result, has dumbed down requirements for entry.