[tvtimeout]

I do teach elementary students. I have a masters degree and something called a Rank I, (basically 30 hrs over a masters). All of that is for full disclosure. The one thing that I wish we taught more of is critical thinking. I think we have missed the boat. We want students to be able to memorize a set of facts. Well, why, nine times out of ten I have a machine that can do it. Maybe that is what we want to create though...

I believe that the gov't would have this done. It is easier to control a population to have mindless robots, good citizens (by their definition) working for someone else, balance a check book, have a few kids, pay taxes, and die. (Someone said earlier parents are to ingrossed with their own lives that is because of what they were taught, just an opinion).

Every time a person is able to think for him or herself, they are no longer easy to control. They ask questions, which can irritate the bosses or gov't. They can spark the ideas that cause revolution John Locke (idea of liberty our ForeFathers believed in this guy alot). Karl Marx (USSR), Adam Smith (Capitalism what many today hold ideal to) Newton (gravity) the church hated him, Pythogroes (mathematics) had on sect that said the world was nothing but numbers.

They debated these ideas openly, kinda of like we do on this forum. Schools do not foster these types of environments. Therefore, I don't know if education is really taking place, maybe just programming. Now, I don't know if you need to strike a balance though, because facts are important, easy to control. But maybe our schools need to strike this balance, free thinking, creativity, questioning, along with facts.

I hate to say that I care less if a Chinesse person can add quicker than I can as long as I know why adding is important, why medicine works, well as long as I know why... I think facts will then make more sense, and puts into perspective.

This to me is what education is about to nurture a mind, yes to fill it with facts, but to also teach it to think... What do you think?