Someone said, "Children are not taught to learn or to think, they are taught to be a cog, to listen and perform to a acceptable standard."
This is dead on correct. What really opened my eyes is that being a "cog" was the orginal intention of the school system's founders. This was revealed to me in the research of John Taylor Gatto, specifically his huge Underground History of American Education. This former teacher of the year, his books, and video project can be found at http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/. My favorite little article is one we've posted, http://www.homelifeacademy.com/gatto.php