When I went to school, the study material was laid out. There were math, history, biology, and English books. In its wisdom, the state said it knew what we needed to study and learn. If we were to pass the standardized tests, we all had to be standardized. So, I learned very early that there was only one answer to the questions in class and on the tests. We were not allowed to go outside the presented material. I once asked a teacher if I could come in after class and continue a science experiment. The teacher said he didn't have time for that. That was the end of that.
I have since learned that to "educate" means to draw out, to pull out of the individual what exists inside, within the soul. What is it that this individual has to offer to all of us? What do they bring to each of us? My education, however, was what I called bulimic education. For years I would suck in the information and puke it out on the tests to show the teachers how much I had taken in. If I puked up enough, I could pass the tests.
My grandparents used to know what plants helped cure some problems. If you have a bee sting or a cut that won't heal, put some plantain on it, and it will do wonders. If you have a cold or catch the flu, elderberries will cut down if they do not prevent the flu. This, too, was education. But we no longer need to think for ourselves. We have professionals who know what is best. Best practices, you know, are the cure for what ails us, even though we are individuals, but don't tell anyone it could disrupt the flow of things.
So, I have become standardized through the years, just like everyone else. This way, IBM, 3M, ATT, and others will know exactly what kind of work they will receive upon graduation from the education experience. They want someone who knows reading, writing, and arithmetic. They want someone who will take orders and fit into the cog appropriately. Creativity is stifled, new ideas are frowned upon, and free thinking is often seen as a threat. This isn't education. It is more brainwashing to ensure that nobody gets out of hand.
It is sad, isn't it, that the more educated we become, the more we look alike and doom ourselves due to a lack of creativity and possible new thoughts. And the darkness rolls on, one grade at a time.
