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Path: utzoo!watmath!watnot!watdcsu!dmcanzi
From: dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: "Secular Humanism" banned in the US Schools.
Message-ID: <1681@watdcsu.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 18-Sep-85 18:35:23 EDT
Article-I.D.: watdcsu.1681
Posted: Wed Sep 18 18:35:23 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 19-Sep-85 04:46:39 EDT
References: <11384@rochester.UUCP> <615@hou2g.UUCP> <5867@cbscc.UUCP> <110@l5.uucp>
Reply-To: dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi)
Organization: University of Woolamaloo
Lines: 37
Summary: 

In article <110@l5.uucp> laura@l5.UUCP (Laura Creighton) writes:
>
>At some point it would be nice to figure out what we really want our schools to
>be doing. To some extent they are just a ``holding pen/baby-sitting service''
>for children until tehy become adults. I don't think that 12 years of school
>is actually essential -- and I do think that high school students should get
>to persue a lot of non-essential knowledge simply because they are interested
>in it.
>
>How much of what you were taught was junk? How much of it were you taught
>five times in successive years? How many interesting thigns were you told
>you couldn't learn yet? There is a lot of waste going on here.

In Ontario the school system tries to hold onto you for 14 years
(that's kindergarten, and grades 1-13).  I was fortunate enough to
escape after only 12 years.  I think it's more than a holding pen, it's
also an obedience training facility.  "Walk single file in the
hallways, no talking in the classroom, you will believe what we tell
you or else."  Blecch, especially to that last one.

Here's one personal item of further evidence for the belief that
schools are largely for obedience training.  I had an abnormally high
score on an IQ test once, but never did very well academically.  Every
year, my report cards said "David is not living up to his potential."
It took me many years to realize what those words *really* mean.

I have the potential to be a mathematician, a philosopher, a pilot, a
computer programmer, a heart surgeon, a politician, a reporter, ...
but I can't be more than 1 or 2 of these at once.  When the teachers
said "David is not living up to his potential", what they really meant
was "David is not developing the potentials that *we* want him to
develop."
-- 
David Canzi

ACCUSE, v. t. To affirm another's guilt or unworth; most commonly as a
justification of ourselves for having wronged him.  (Ambrose Bierce)


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