BABBIT'S BABBLE: Thoughts on education and acquiescence Zie Authorities Already Understand All of zie Important Fucts. Yargh role iz shut up 'n listen: we'll tell yah how tah think 'n act. In zis klass you needn't use yer brains err stretch yargh imagination far. Just memorize what'z required ah youz 'n dun't set things a jar. We guarantee yah a bright future If yah follow rules respectfully: Don't make us impose unpleasant consequences: Obey Leaders Dutifully. Melissa: Don't most educational systems involve various degrees of coercion? Satoru: Yeah. If we have to coerce others to learn, perhaps something is wrong with our teaching. Melissa: (nodding) Learning should be naturally fun and engaging. Tim: Perhaps so, but the fact is many students aren't in learning mode. It seems some people need to be prodded. Isn't it naive to assert that education can be always pleasant or engaging? Satoru: (shaking his head) I'm not sure. There's a good reason to resist what's often called 'learning.' A lot of so-called 'education' is like teaching cows how to become hamburgers. Why should anyone tolerate that? Liao: Learning things doesn't necessarily mean believing in them. Can't we learn while critically questioning things, and promote change actively? To really change a system, we must first understand it. ===================================================================================== from _Crassroom Voices - Poetry, Art, & Dialogs about Education_ by T Newfields SUMMARY: Reflections on educational control and brain washing KEYWORDS: educational control, classroom conformity, educational policies, Sinclair Lewis Author: T Newfields [Nitta Hirou / Huáng Yuèwǔ] (b. 1955) Begun: 1999 in Táiběi, Táiwān / Finished: 2023 in Yokohama, Japan Creative Commons License: Attribution. {{CC-BY-4.0}} Granted < LAST https://www.tnewfields.info/CrassroomVoices/textsyn.htm TOC https://www.tnewfields.info/CrassroomVoices/index.html NEXT > https://www.tnewfields.info/CrassroomVoices/better.htm