Questionable Priorities!!

After 35 years in the classroom I have developed certain attitudes about what happens in the public school system on a daily basis. In some cases, my attitudes are very positive, while in others I am just thoroughly disenchanted.

A recent editorial in The Parkersburg News pointed out that West Virginia State Superintendent of Schools Steve Paine identified six "skill sets" that were vital to our youth. These included information and communication skills, civic literacy, thinking and problem solving, interpersonal and self-directional skills, global awareness and financial, economic and business literacy coupled with entrepreneurial skills.

That sounds wonderful. No, its not as easy as the old "reading, writing and arithmetic." But, the world is a much more complex and education has to adjust to those complications.

Honestly, there isn't much I disagree with on that list. But, the delivery and the intensity of what it entails might go past what I believe is necessary or right. Several years ago the school systems began requiring students to choose a major field of study. I laughed, went about my merry way, and told kids to choose their schedule and try to rearrange their majors to fit the schedule they wanted to take. And, I thought seriously to myself, "Surely they (the powers that be) don't think a 15-18 year old student knows what direction they want to head in their careers.

In fact, I consider that plan somewhat counter productive. A student winds up corralled in a field that they have declared as their high school major and then they have very little contact with other possibilities that might open up different doors to them as they mature.

But, what do I know? After all, how many people change their majors two or three times in their college career and change professions several times in the course of a lifetime. The number is staggering. Ask them if choosing a major in high school would have been meaningful to them. I am certain the majority would look at you with a bewildered expression on their face. Yes I know some people know from the get-go what they want to do (I am one of them). Still, I think high school education would be more meaningful if we allowed the student to explore the whole gamut of career possibilities instead of concentrating on just one.

As for Dr. Paine's list, I find very little to disagree with in general, but have some specifics that concern me. I have always been an advocate of civic literacy and was appalled that for a number of years government class was an elective, not a requirement. I taught government for years, registered voters, held mock elections in school and supported elected officials regardless of whether I voted for them or not. Additionally, I believe that one area where we have been negligent is in pushing economic literacy. However, I am not sure these two disciplines can be taught together and that is what the new Civics program is doing. I just do not see how a Civics teacher is going to successfully teach the nuances of our government and political system and do all that really needs to be done to help make students economically knowledgeable.

Case in point. I certainly believe that successfully handling a household economy can be a major task and many marriages fall victim to the inability to manage money. Checking accounts, certificates of deposit, mutual funds, stocks and bonds, interest rates, income tax--the list of economic pitfalls is monstrous. Still, we have lumped that learning skill in with civics. I just don't see how there is enough time to teach and practice economic skills and still learn the intricacies of our political system.

And, I haven't even begun to mention the one area not on the list that I think has been totally overlooked. Can you guess what it is? Here's a pretty blatant hint--The Arts. Oh well, that is another story sometime.