Across the country, students are failing. Schools are failing our students.
Third graders who can’t read; they don’t even recognize the letters. They don’t know the numbers. Seniors graduating who can’t read the cursive words on their diploma.
It’s not about the money. We invest more money in education than ever before. And some of the worst scores are from districts with the highest investment per student.
Several years ago we ranked No. 1 in the world. Now, at least 25 countries have jumped ahead of us. Other countries are doing a better job of educating students, while we are declining.
I come from a long line of teachers. And family members who are not teachers are strong supporters of education.
A hundred years ago schools taught the basic 3 R’s: “Readin’, Ritin’, and Rithmetic.” Students learned Geography, History, Music, Citizenship, Grammar and more. Many of those students were in a one-room school for grades 1 to 8. And they succeeded in life. (Have you seen a typical test required to “graduate” from 8th grade? If not, you’ll be amazed.)
It seems easy to argue that students today need different skills. Critical thinking instead of memorizing historical facts, geographic locations and the multiplication table. But, no! Facts are the foundation for critical thinking. A student needs to learn about WWI and WWII to think critically about Russia/Ukraine or Israel/Hamas. Is an 18-year-old voter going to understand our $36 Trillion national debt if they can’t make change for a $10 bill?
One essential skill we can all agree on is knowing how to read. Will Rogers said, “We learn by two things: one is reading, the other is associating with smarter people.” Will is also known for saying, “All I know is what I read in the newspaper.” (Of course, he learned from other sources, but not smart phones.) Will also wrote in 1924, “We are getting to be a nation that can’t read any more. If the [newspaper article] hasn’t got a picture of it, we are sunk.”
If Johnny (or Emma or Jamal or Liam) can’t read how can he learn math, science and history? How did grade school students learn to read 100 to 150 years ago? McGuffey’s Reader was a series for the first 6 grades. (Will Rogers joked that he spent 8 years in McGuffey’s Fourth Reader.)
Can you imagine the howl from the Department of Education in Washington if we suggested going back to McGuffey’s Readers? Of course, we would update some stories and change objectionable text. (One teacher with AI could finish that job in a week.)
For math, Ray’s Arithmetic and The Appleton Arithmetic are possible replacements for “new math,” whatever that is. Take those books (and others of that era for geography and science) and update numbers and facts. For example, if a math problem asks “if eggs are 5 cents a dozen how many eggs can you buy for 65 cents”, change the price. Add new countries. Update science books; the basics of chemistry and biology haven’t changed. The air we breathe is still Nitrogen, Oxygen, and a little Carbon Dioxide.
Ok, that’s my contribution to solving the education problem.
I’ll let you folks figure out the rest. How do we get parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and the whole community to support the schools and students? Why do kids skip school? How do we attract and reward more good teachers? Are private schools fair competition for public schools? Are trades (electrician, welder, plumber,…) promoted adequately? How can AI and other technology improve student learning?
The memorial service for Charlie Kirk was held today in Arizona. Regardless of whether you agreed with his views on faith, family, free speech, the Bible and the Constitution, you have to admit he has had a huge influence on young people, especially young men. Other men in their thirties, two I could name, have been murdered and their influence continued to grow exponentially.
The Jimmy Kimmel suspension (update, back on air after 6 days) continues to be debated. ABC says it was a business decision. Others blame Trump for “cancelling free speech.” In a nutshell, Jimmy said the killer of Charlie Kirk was MAGA (a supporter of Trump) when he and his whole team should have known the killer was the opposite of MAGA. And he refused to correct the error. Kimmel is paid $17 million to be funny, tell jokes and be entertaining. Here is Will Rogers’ explanation: “Every Gag I tell must be based on truth. No matter how much I may exaggerate it, it must have a certain amount of Truth.” (WA #65, March 9, 1924) and “I have always noticed that people will never laugh at anything that is not based on truth.” (WA #103, Nov. 30, 1924)