Join me as we discuss:

The failure of modern education, where is stems from, and why I am vehemently disappointed in our system, teachers, and parents.

Why do kids think that school sucks: because it does. 

How to we un-suck school for our kids?

SHOW NOTES

When I was looking for an image for the show today I searched the Creative Commons pictures for “school sucks” and returned a myriad of pictures, mostly of kids that were doing something with the likes of “skipping school and at (fill in the blank).  SCHOOL SUCKS!”  

Why do kids think school sucks so much?  Well, frankly……because it does. 

I’m reading a book by Seth Godin called Tribes where he discusses the mentality of the factory worker.  The worker that comes to work and rests assuredly that his job will be there tomorrow.  He has a job and a boss that tells him what to do and how to do it.  No questions asked, they are the authority.  

Sound familiar?  Just like a factory I think we have designed our schools to engender the factory worker mentality in our kids.  “You will conform to what I say, agree that it is right and do it the way I tell you.”  If you cannot conform to that you are a trouble maker, a delinquent, ADHD, etc.  We take our kids and shove them into tight little boxes that are stamped “Good Student”. 

When a kid refuses to conform or simply cannot, they are branded as annoying, disrespectful, belligerence  or a host of other labels/diagnoses rather than seen for what they are.  Individuals.  Unique.  And all very different in how they learn and what they are stimulated by.  

Holding Back the Gifted Kids – article referenced on air.