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OK, I have been going back and rereading a book from my philosophy class in college. I attended a liberal arts school and it was mandated that I take the class. It was a great eye-opening experience. To listen to Plato, Socrates, to John Locke, to Adam Smith, to even Karl Marx. I found it quite interesting in the fact that each of the gentlemen were trying to answer the question of why, to understand the idea of Universal Law, to what is soul, if there is even a soul?

I have stated all the above (because it sparked something in me) to ask this simple question about our educational system. Do you believe that we should go to the idea of a liberal arts education for our public schools in the Commonwealth of Kentucky?

Right now, we do not have this system. We have a system much like the automoble industry or what a computer programmer does to a computer. We give students a certain skill set to obtain, build upon that skill set, with another skill set, and continously do this. We assess the teachers and schools about how well the children have mastered a certain skill set. That is in a nut shell of what we do in this Commonwealth.

Is this what we want? Where do you draw the line between critical thinking and giving skill sets? Or do you?

Another poster will come on here and tell us about India/China and how well they program their best children and how they come over in the U.S. and take away jobs and so forth. Which does happen! But, what is not realized by many is that Kentucky as well as all of the U.S. educate all citizens. Our top citizens in education, well most of you work for them in some capacity, or the military takes them or they work for M.I.T, Silicon Valley.

I say that because this too must be addressed for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Do we educate everyone the same?


We also know in this Commonwealth and more important in our area, we have a brain drain. Many of you have children or grandchildren and you tell them to go and make something of themselves, because you want them to have a better quality of life then you do. But yet the point remains we tell or children to go (or at least where I live).

Another quick point, when I go to doctor (hopefully, for nothing serious) I want his or her full attention. I want him or her to know everything and to spend time looking at the problem, fixing it, and moving on. I do not want him bouncing room to room to room, seeing 60 patients at once. Do I feel the same way about my child and his teacher? Do you want a large class size or a small one, which is more efficitive?

I have brought up several issues, non of which has mentioned funding a educational system, I would like to not talk about funding, first find out what you think about our educational systems, then in another thread start one about funding your ideas. I can not wait to hear what you have to suggest.