A lot of the bullsh!t and anxiety about education in the U.S. disappears once you realize that education in this country is an industry, not an end to itself. Every time you hear some @sshole like Barack Obama standing up there talking about how important it is to incorporate advanced technology in our classrooms to improve our competitive position in the world, you can be sure that millions of dollars are pouring into political campaigns from companies like Dell, Apple, Microsoft, etc. And for every jackass politician who calls for increased spending on education, you can be sure there is a teacher's union, book publishers, technology companies, etc. who all have a major financial stake in that spending and don't really give a sh!t about educating anyone.
education in this country is an industry
Our top universities are part of it. The latest from one I know (too) well ($45,000 per year tuition for a school you have heard of, but don’t think of as elite) is the offering of Vitamin Water from the beverage dispensers in the dorm.
That encapsulates what is wrong. Offering pointless luxury benefits having nothing to do with education, in order to be “competitive” with the other high-priced institution that are paid for with other people’s (borrowed) money.
Educationally, there are good reasons to have students copy problems from a textbook and solve them pen or pencil to paper. It's an active involvement by the child from start to finish, and more sensory. It allows the child to adapt the writing and spacing for what works best for their eyes and brains. The physical writing of the problem keeps the child (or adult) involved. Turn off the flourescent lights and bright technology screens and let natural sunlight into the room and students will be in a better mental state. Stop the noise and distractions so children can focus.
The modern US classroom is getting just about everything wrong. There still are situations that are doing the educating well, but usually not in environments where parents, teachers, administrators, and students expect all that they can have handed to them.
Amen! Alberta’s Child