A Brief History of Anachronism

Good-

We prance merrily in the courtyard. Well, no, but we understand the irony of that gesture should we chose it. One days, on days, on days we learn. Bright, talented people who are adequately compensated for their labor and know their subject areas taught us in our youth. They are accessible folk with life satisfactions and genuine concern for their students as human beings, both past and present.

Now, we of teenage years, we try things. We see adepts people do things that they want to do, and we help. There are not “majors”, per say, as anyone can always change their minds. But we that sing like larks are not forced to know theoretical algorithms to prove our worth. And architects , with sparks of creation towards the sky, understand the history of structural components, not of battle. In all, we are drawn to look at, to learn more, because it interests and engages us. We rediscover, not regurgitate. We speak many languages and make many things because it is choice, will. We drown and  we flourish as the adults do. We, teachers and students, are all people. We learn and we  retain and we give back.

Bad-

Those of years will now take another test. Students 6059-6082 may eat when they have filled out Scantron 10 for today. They need numbers. They must constantly prove that they are worthy. No one owes those cell clumps knowledge. No one promised them gratifying jobs. They exist to make the state look good. The highest aesthetic is the false aesthetic.

They learn best that learn least. And fast. Application is trivial. There is a clear and consistent formula for making a young human into an old, productive human. Those who speak foreign tongues, who don’t move fast enough, who are too good at one thing or too bad at another, are terminated. There is no time for inconsistency, for  abnormality in the fold. When they grow to just the right height, weight, IQ, we will  put them in offices and in offices they will stay. The state stands for all and the state does not change.

Interesting-

Things stay the same. Some go to good schools. Some go to bad. Some delight in what they do, some only learn to move forward in the system. There are good teachers and bad teachers, good students and bad students. School isn’t always safe, but it isn’t always dangerous either.

People who don’t know how education, how the mind works, keep controlling the money. Hedge fund managers and tyrannical mayors tell people who spend their lives learning how to teach how to teach.

It is strange and a little ass backwards, but some miss the cracks. Some succeed despite ineptitude. Some get teachers who actually want to teach, rather than using the educational system as a backup. And maybe those few who do really well will figure out something better. Or not.