Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Learning to Think Clearly
When I was growing up in southern Illinois in the 1950s and 60s the United States of America was undergoing some major changes. The boom years following the end of World War II brought economic expansion to many parts of this country in a big way, including my very being. I am a baby boomer. I benefited in many ways by this expansion which eventually led my parents and myself to a better life in northern Illinois. The suburbs of Chicago benefited much more than the coal mines of southern Illinois and I matured quicker because of this move.
I had to do some catch up in my education because Aurora schools were teaching a bit faster than Percy schools but that was OK, I managed quite well. But what I notice now as I look back at the two school systems are some similar qualities that each possessed that seem to be non-existent in today's schools. They each taught me how to think clearly! I don't remember ever having a teacher try to push his or her views upon me until I was in college. They always encouraged me to think things out for myself and to form my own conclusions and not to simply accept what someone tells me as the truth without looking into it myself first. Try to get that out of today's public school education. They are much more concerned with teaching students how to think like the educators think than to teach us how to think for ourselves.
Just look at the Zero Tolerance policy in effect at many public schools today. Bring something as innocent as a butter knife in your car in the parking lot and risk being expelled from school forever. Zero Tolerance takes all the "thinking" out of a decision. One can simply state that it is our policy to expel the student rather than attempt to put any rational thought into the situation and judge it upon its' own merits. In other word, the policy enforcers don't have to think at all, they just have to mimic the policy. This is NOT how I was taught to solve problems and handle situations.
Now to give the policy makers/enforcers a little bit of slack, I will admit that much of this behavior stems from our litigious society. The enforcers would like to avoid lawsuits at all cost and there are enough stupid people out there willing to file idiotic lawsuits at the drop of a hat. But we cannot allow avoidance of a situation to dictate a solution.(We really need a "loser pays" system but then, I have already discussed that in a previous blog) We must think clearly and make a decision based upon the facts at hand and any extenuating circumsatances that may be involved. We cannot respond blindly with a standard reaction to every event. We owe it to everyone involved to use our God-given brains as they were intended and to think clearly.
I believe I think very clearly and I owe some of that to my teachers in both southern and northern Illinois. I was encouraged to think for myself, to think out of the box before anyone knew what that meant. My little mind was never filled with propaganda nudging me to think about certain issues in a certain way. I had to make up my own mind about virtually everything. It was a daunting task and one that I still haven't finished.
There are many, many things that I don't have a definitive opinion about. I take them all one at a time and try to decide based upon my core beliefs which way I feel. I don't have a problem saying "I don't know. I can see both sides." In fact, often times, I can see more than two sides, and that makes it harder to come down on an issue. So I won't. Doesn't matter to me. I don't have to have an opinion on everything. But the things where I do have an opinion, I have thought long and hard about and have not come lightly to that opinion. I know how to think clearly.
Do people these days really think about current issues? Does the common person really have the ability and means to think about issues anymore. From my point of view, it seems that more people are simply stating the "party line" opinions about a topic instead of speaking their own mind. Thinking clearly is a hard task. It requires effort and it requires time and it requires researching the facts. Most people cannot commit themselves to anything like this. Most people are looking to escape their everyday lives rather than immerse themselves in it. More people want to discuss the latest American Idol or Survivor or what the hell Tom Cruise, the Scientologist yet, is doing with cute little Katie Holmes than want to spend time thinking about the benefits and downfalls of restructuring Social Security. I must admit, sometimes I think about cute little Katie Holmes, too, but I think about her clearly.
So Florida instituted the FCAT tests a few years ago as a way to grade the public schools, a way to identify which schools are succeeding and which are not. Kind of sounds like a good idea on the surface. But what happens is actually fairly predictable, if you can think clearly, that is. Schools don't want to receive an "F" grade. They want to achieve that A or B or C grade to show that they are one of the good schools. How to achieve that result? Teach students relevant subject matter and encourage them to think for themselves, to love to learn, to thirst for knowledge and to seek out answers on their own? No way! Teach them the test. Don't hazard your school getting a below average grade, make sure they know the answers to the questions they will be tested upon before they take the test. Kind of selfish thinking, if you ask me.
Have you ever explained something to someone who just didn't understand what you were saying? You can tell them in various ways and cite examples and show them something and they just can't seem to grasp the concept of what you're telling them. Then finally it's like a light bulb goes on over their head. "I get it now", they exclaim. "I understand what you've been saying and it makes sense." What a nice feeling that is for both of you. You have just taught someone how to fish.
That is what our school system is supposed to be doing, teaching people how to fish. Mostly what they do is let some people learn on their own how to fish and just give everybody else a fish to eat later. And this pleases the majority. Since calculators are so common place, forget about learning how to add, subtract, multiply and divide. A machine can do that for you. Don't bother to learn that. Here's your fish, go eat it and keep quiet. Don't need to think for yourself, someone else has already made that decision and you shouldn't be second-guessing those in authority. After all, they surely know better than you do anyway.
Well, I've rambled on and on and perhaps I've strayed somewhat from the subject but you know what? I don't care. It's my blog and I'm still thinking clearly so I'll just let my ramble stand on its' own. Challenge yourself to think clearly. Hell, challenge yourself to think. Your thoughts will clear up on their own if you simply let them.
Clearly I think I am therefore,
OH
I had to do some catch up in my education because Aurora schools were teaching a bit faster than Percy schools but that was OK, I managed quite well. But what I notice now as I look back at the two school systems are some similar qualities that each possessed that seem to be non-existent in today's schools. They each taught me how to think clearly! I don't remember ever having a teacher try to push his or her views upon me until I was in college. They always encouraged me to think things out for myself and to form my own conclusions and not to simply accept what someone tells me as the truth without looking into it myself first. Try to get that out of today's public school education. They are much more concerned with teaching students how to think like the educators think than to teach us how to think for ourselves.
Just look at the Zero Tolerance policy in effect at many public schools today. Bring something as innocent as a butter knife in your car in the parking lot and risk being expelled from school forever. Zero Tolerance takes all the "thinking" out of a decision. One can simply state that it is our policy to expel the student rather than attempt to put any rational thought into the situation and judge it upon its' own merits. In other word, the policy enforcers don't have to think at all, they just have to mimic the policy. This is NOT how I was taught to solve problems and handle situations.
Now to give the policy makers/enforcers a little bit of slack, I will admit that much of this behavior stems from our litigious society. The enforcers would like to avoid lawsuits at all cost and there are enough stupid people out there willing to file idiotic lawsuits at the drop of a hat. But we cannot allow avoidance of a situation to dictate a solution.(We really need a "loser pays" system but then, I have already discussed that in a previous blog) We must think clearly and make a decision based upon the facts at hand and any extenuating circumsatances that may be involved. We cannot respond blindly with a standard reaction to every event. We owe it to everyone involved to use our God-given brains as they were intended and to think clearly.
I believe I think very clearly and I owe some of that to my teachers in both southern and northern Illinois. I was encouraged to think for myself, to think out of the box before anyone knew what that meant. My little mind was never filled with propaganda nudging me to think about certain issues in a certain way. I had to make up my own mind about virtually everything. It was a daunting task and one that I still haven't finished.
There are many, many things that I don't have a definitive opinion about. I take them all one at a time and try to decide based upon my core beliefs which way I feel. I don't have a problem saying "I don't know. I can see both sides." In fact, often times, I can see more than two sides, and that makes it harder to come down on an issue. So I won't. Doesn't matter to me. I don't have to have an opinion on everything. But the things where I do have an opinion, I have thought long and hard about and have not come lightly to that opinion. I know how to think clearly.
Do people these days really think about current issues? Does the common person really have the ability and means to think about issues anymore. From my point of view, it seems that more people are simply stating the "party line" opinions about a topic instead of speaking their own mind. Thinking clearly is a hard task. It requires effort and it requires time and it requires researching the facts. Most people cannot commit themselves to anything like this. Most people are looking to escape their everyday lives rather than immerse themselves in it. More people want to discuss the latest American Idol or Survivor or what the hell Tom Cruise, the Scientologist yet, is doing with cute little Katie Holmes than want to spend time thinking about the benefits and downfalls of restructuring Social Security. I must admit, sometimes I think about cute little Katie Holmes, too, but I think about her clearly.
So Florida instituted the FCAT tests a few years ago as a way to grade the public schools, a way to identify which schools are succeeding and which are not. Kind of sounds like a good idea on the surface. But what happens is actually fairly predictable, if you can think clearly, that is. Schools don't want to receive an "F" grade. They want to achieve that A or B or C grade to show that they are one of the good schools. How to achieve that result? Teach students relevant subject matter and encourage them to think for themselves, to love to learn, to thirst for knowledge and to seek out answers on their own? No way! Teach them the test. Don't hazard your school getting a below average grade, make sure they know the answers to the questions they will be tested upon before they take the test. Kind of selfish thinking, if you ask me.
Have you ever explained something to someone who just didn't understand what you were saying? You can tell them in various ways and cite examples and show them something and they just can't seem to grasp the concept of what you're telling them. Then finally it's like a light bulb goes on over their head. "I get it now", they exclaim. "I understand what you've been saying and it makes sense." What a nice feeling that is for both of you. You have just taught someone how to fish.
That is what our school system is supposed to be doing, teaching people how to fish. Mostly what they do is let some people learn on their own how to fish and just give everybody else a fish to eat later. And this pleases the majority. Since calculators are so common place, forget about learning how to add, subtract, multiply and divide. A machine can do that for you. Don't bother to learn that. Here's your fish, go eat it and keep quiet. Don't need to think for yourself, someone else has already made that decision and you shouldn't be second-guessing those in authority. After all, they surely know better than you do anyway.
Well, I've rambled on and on and perhaps I've strayed somewhat from the subject but you know what? I don't care. It's my blog and I'm still thinking clearly so I'll just let my ramble stand on its' own. Challenge yourself to think clearly. Hell, challenge yourself to think. Your thoughts will clear up on their own if you simply let them.
Clearly I think I am therefore,
OH
# posted by OH @ 6:39 AM 
