Education Today: Turning Mirrors into Windows

Utopia describes an environment where everything is perfect, or, as Sir Thomas More wrote during the 15th century, the pursuit of that state of idealism we all seek. It was seen as the perfect world, the flawless environment, where the implausible becomes not only genuine, but achievable and real. One quote from More that has always resonated with me is that, “One of the greatest problems of our time is that many are schooled but few are educated.” This is indeed foresight, as written all those 500 years ago when very few actually received any form of education; it demonstrates an awareness of the human condition, and the arrogance of those who falsely revel in the thinking that there is little that they need from education, teachers, schools or classrooms. Teachers all around the world report increasing resistance to classroom learning, across the education sector with a number of scenarios identified as detrimental to mainstream educational achievement, and the ‘dumbing down,’ or easing of academic assessment criteria, in order that pupils and students will continue to progress, or achieve academic objectives, has become a bitter wrangle across all but the most elite of scholarly institutions. There appear to be three key significant forces at work that are affecting global educational objectives: First, it’s clear that education is not supported, or ‘scaffolded,’ to use an educational term, within the family and home environments, to the extent it should be. Are the days of Dad reading a bedtime story gone? It seems they are, yet we who have experienced it, understand it was the outset of our curiosity, and our desire to know more, and learn more. Also, do parents take an interest in their kid’s homework? If not, they should! I personally think it is a dereliction of parental responsibility not to share your child’s educational experience, and by taking an interest, you are creating a level of responsibility within your kid’s educational objectives, and reinforcing their accountability to their teacher and schooling. Second, in this age of ‘influencers,’ and social media, too many easier pathways to prosperity have emerged. Too many kids, and students, are seduced by the so-called ‘easier options,’ they see and embrace from their simplistic view of the world through the magic of the ‘net.’ Influencers don’t need an education, just looks and confidence, “I can do that!” “I want to be a dancer!” “I want to be a singer/ footballer/racing-driver/whatever….. with all the reality show opportunities today, they think they won’t have to work, just get lucky! And by the time they wake up, real life has passed them by. Thirdly, educational authorities are not creative enough at an early age, when the pupils are like sponges, receptive to learning in nature, before their own social and academic identities are established. Contrary to the egotistical beliefs of many academics, they are not the ‘be all and end all,’ of teaching and learning. No, the greatest impact upon a child’s ability to function effectively in education is set in their formative, primary, basic and early educational experiences. These sponges soak up knowledge, skills, understanding and experiences because it’s their nature! So, early education should have the best, most innovative, most engaging teachers, and young kids should be scholastically treasured, not tolerated, both at home and school. They should be our greatest love, after all they are us, a generation on, and we must sacrifice whatever we need to, to give of our time at home, not the maid’s time, and not siblings time, but Mum’s, and even more pointedly, Dad’s time. Parent effectively; taking some responsibility for your kid’s development, give time, offer attention, and help them learn there is no gain without pain, thus ensuring their mirrors become windows, to the world they will one day inherit.