Posted on 01/28/2018 12:58:03 AM PST by iowamark
A Latin proverb informs us: Discimus docendo (We learn by teaching). What have I learned these past five semesters while teaching at a local community college? That the teachers’ unions have gotten away with academic murder.
In the interests of full disclosure, I should note at the outset that from the age of four, I have sat on one side or the other of a desk in a Catholic school (sometimes on both sides at the same time). I have often lamented the lowering of academic standards in our Catholic schools, comparing present benchmarks to those I faced (which had already been lowered from their heyday). My undergraduate teaching has all been in Catholic institutions, with the majority of the students coming from Catholic high schools and, yes, I have often been disappointed with the lack of knowledge or even desire for knowledge.
Recently, however, I have been teaching some courses in philosophy, world religions and Latin at a local community college. My students now are almost all graduates of the so-called “public” schools (I generally resist using that adjective, preferring “government” or “state” schools, which is a more accurate descriptor); indeed, in five semesters, I have had only four graduates of Catholic high schools since, presumably, Catholic school students usually go on to four-year colleges immediately; I am happy to say that all four of them had strong backgrounds, comparatively speaking. Having thought the level of learning was low for Catholic school alumni, I was totally unprepared for the abysmal situation with alumni of the government schools. I should note that these young people have attended upper-middle class, suburban schools, what people are wont to describe as “good” schools.
What is said here should not be seen as a negative reflection on community colleges or even of four-year colleges; it is a narrative of what higher education is receiving as clientele from the elementary and secondary schools paid for from tax dollars.
On the first day of class, I tell my students that when I shall be identifying their mistakes, they should not be offended since most of their educational “gaps” are not their fault; they have been cheated. I go on to observe that, in all likelihood, their experience of school to this point has been one of no discipline, no standards, grade inflation, uninterested and lackluster teachers. This litany caused one boy to exclaim: “You must have been to my high school!” I also inform them that I view my role as that of helping students who are interested in playing “catch-up ball.”
I then present them with some rules and policies.
Rule 1: Some banned words – “feel” (“think” is the word for the life of the mind); “basically” (it’s a filler); “like” (no, something “is” and has a definite character and definition); “awesome” and “amazing” (hyperbole, usually void of meaning, signifying someone who is “nice”).
Rule 2: Since feeling and opinion don’t matter in this class, you must express your point of view with supporting facts. And then, an important fact: It takes the same energy from me to form the letter “A” as it does to form the letter “F”; therefore, whichever you earn is what you will get. Just as it wouldn’t faze me to give everyone in the class an A (if deserved), it would not faze me to give everyone an F (if deserved).
Now, onto a distressing laundry list of educational lacunae:
1. A student who thought “whom” was a misspelled word.
2. An entire class that had never heard of the “parts of speech”; when explained, they could only name nouns and verbs.
3. Most students have never learned cursive writing.
4. Most have never learned the multiplication tables.
5. Not a single person in one class had ever heard of Winston Churchill.
6. When asked to identify the medieval philosopher who made Aristotle acceptable in a Christian culture, one scholar blurted out, “Socrates!”
7. When asked who were the four evangelists, one proffered: “A new rock group?”
8. As I painstakingly went through the catalogue of errors I found on their first written paper, one individual cried out, “Is this a philosophy class or an English class?” My reply: “It’s called ‘education’!”
9. Almost no one can pick out the main point of a passage; all things are of equal value.
10. A nearly universal habit of “group-think” and “group-speak”: If it is said often enough by enough people, it must be true.
What are my students expected to do during the course of the semester? Submit ten outlines summarizing the material of each chapter; be prepared to take ten pop quizzes; produce two reaction papers; give an oral reflection every other week on some current event. How does all this fly with the students? A couple have complained to those higher up the food chain (of course, never to me personally). Not a few drop the course after a while. What about those who stay? At the end of the term, I ask them for their feedback. Two questions elicit rather interesting, telling responses.
“What did you learn of most value?”
• Correct grammar.
• To accept others’ thoughts and reasoning, even if I do not agree with it.
• More than memorizing material, I learned now to participate as a member of our class.
• How to write a paper.
• Everything in life has a philosophical element.
• Philosophy plays a huge role in our everyday lives.
• To just stop and think before I speak
• I got a better understanding of free will and was especially intrigued by how I could live up to it in my life.
• The concept of really thinking about things that are taken for granted, as opposed to accepting them without “filtering”.
• Be prepared.
• The importance of grammar.
• How to think critically.
• Don’t split infinitives.
• To agree or disagree with others’ points of view was the highlight of the class.
• To think outside the box.
• How to debate and talk about situations in a mature, professional way.
• It’s not “like” something. It is, or it isn’t!
• Always read the text and take diligent notes.
• Learning about other religions gave me new perspectives.
• I have learned to be more open-minded, not just about religions, but in life as well.
• How to stay on top of studying.
• I found faith.
• How to produce a proper outline.
“How would you describe your experience of this course to a friend?”
• Study, and you will do well.
• Extremely beneficial.
• Worth taking.
• Hard, but interesting and worth it.
• Interesting but tough.
• The professor knows exactly how he wants things done.
• Stimulating, but not for someone looking for an easy grade.
• I really enjoyed this course. This course could benefit the average person more than 90% of the other courses here.
• You must be determined and to get an A, you need to put in 100% effort and can’t be half-asleep.
• Hard class, but I learned a lot.
• Beneficial and fun.
• Interesting subject. Teacher very funny and knowledgeable.
• The class opens the door to a new topic that changes the way you think.
• There’s a lot of work but if you do the work, you’ll be fine.
• It was fun to take what we’ve learned in class and apply it to outside work.
• A very in-depth class.
• Professor isn’t bad. Smart guy. Read the book.
• I enjoyed it and learned a wealth of knowledge. I found that I am more interested in philosophy than I thought and will pursue it extracurricularly.
• Father Stravinskas is very knowledgeable and has a good sense of humor. He helps us think critically by asking plenty of questions. I would suggest this class to my friends.
• Follow along; don’t slack.
• Professor has a lot of interesting stories relevant to the discussion.
• The class requires you to be there to do well; it is also rewarding when you do well.
• A great experience.
• The class expands your horizons and widens your gaze on life and principles.
• It got your mind to think of new things.
• The professor really wanted us to learn.
• This was my favorite class because the professor was willing to help and answer questions.
• One of my more important courses and the most challenging, but I like knowing that I worked and earned my grade.
• This class is more personal. The teacher knows everyone and is friendlier than other teachers.
• Great teacher, great class; take a shot and take philosophy.
• Tough but informative.
• Pay attention.
• I’m really going to miss this class even though I didn’t get the best grade. It was my most enjoyable class.
• The only class where I actually learned something.
• Good course, but you had better study.
• It’s an awesome class (!!), and Father Peter is very helpful; just make sure you study.
• This was my favorite class. I had mixed emotions at first, but it has renewed my desire to go into religious studies.
• The professor is very fair and helpful. He seems to want us to do well and understand the material.
• If you don’t do well on pop quizzes, don’t take this course.
• This course has pushed me more than other classes.
• I very much enjoyed the course; I hope nothing changes.
• It’s a good class with a good teacher, but the pop quizzes are tricky.
• The professor gets me to want to learn more.
• If you want to learn, take this class.
• Decent amount of work needs to be done, but it’s a very informative class and the professor is one of the better ones I have had.
• A class every student must take.
• He is a great professor and has much wisdom to offer. The class was very structured; the grading and everything was very good.
• Certainly a tougher course but, if you do the work, you’ll be fine.
The feedback sheet also asks the students to suggest the grade they think they deserve and to do the same for the professor. Their honesty is refreshing. Not only do they usually assign themselves the grade they have truly earned, with fascinating regularity a student who claims a C or D for himself suggests an A or B for the professor!
So, what has been the point of this whole discussion? First, we must realize with Pope Benedict XVI that we are in the depths of “an educational emergency.” However, one must not presume that this has occurred overnight or that it has emerged full-blown from the brow of Zeus. Way back in 1943, the eminent French philosopher Jacques Maritain delivered a series of lectures at Yale University, in which he leveled a scathing critique of what was passing for education in America then. The New York Times and other commentators accused him of issuing an undeserved attack on the nation’s “public” schools. That lecture series is collected in book form as Education at the Crossroads – which should be required reading for every educator.
In 1987, Allan Bloom, in his blockbuster, The Closing of the American Mind, documented the demise with painful detail and accuracy. He, too, was castigated for his negativity. Truth be told, though, the very relativism he found objectionable in the students he was getting in college, he exhibited himself.
More recently, Mark Bauerlein upset the bureaucracy with The Dumbest Generation. The road from Maritain in 1943 to Bauerlein in 2008 has not been a long and winding road; it has been a direct and inexorable decline because the nation’s educational establishment have been hell-bent on repeating their mistakes, all the while clamoring for yet more money to support the failed experiment. Need we recall the classic definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results?.
A Latin proverb informs us: Discimus docendo (We learn by teaching). What have I learned these past five semesters? That the teachers’ unions have gotten away with academic murder in their refusal to accept responsibility for the massive ignorance of at least two generations. That Catholic elementary and secondary schools are, for the most part, the only game in town at present, requiring them not only to hold the line but to up the ante. That most students don’t want to remain “dumb” (to fall back on Professor Bauerlein’s adjective) and that they are willing to respond to the challenge when it is presented.
A well written essay, provoking some serious thought. Seeing what I do of the kids in my area, I fear for our society’s future if this “education” system continues on the path it is on.
I’ve heard that a college education is the new high school diploma.
Good teacher. Keep it up dude! That was like...awesome.
I've heard that a college education actually harms the intellect... Other than STEM courses. And ALL college courses can be taken at YouTubeU, taught be the best professors. I sincerely think sending a child to government schools is child abuse, causing a blossoming mind to wilt.
Indeed, and some of his students are at the top levels of government and academe today.
There seems to be lots of small colleges which emphasize learning and thinking and concrete goals rather than a very broad but unfocused large state institution with their semipro sport teams.
Sadly the nuns who taught him are either deceased or have left.
I did some community college after the Marine Corps. STEM was the only thing that was worth my while, the rest of it was about shaping opinions. I got literally shouted down after respectfully delivering a dissenting opinion in a classroom full of lefty youngsters once.
I realized that the system was nothing more than an indoctrination mill. Not just that one class, but any at all where critical thinking and interpretation was open and in play. Any opinion that doesn't march in lockstep with the lefty narrative threatens your grades and I wouldn't accept anything less than an A.
I took science courses sometimes that I didn't need, just for the sanity of being in an environment that in those days, the left hadn't learned how to corrupt; where things were empirically provable. I aced them. The PC crap- not so much.
government schools is precisely the correct way to describe those institutions
Kids don’t even learn the basics today. And the vast majority of them cannot tell the difference between S**t and Shinola. That applies both to public discourse as well as science.
Undergrad college is the new high school diploma. Graduate school is where you will get ahead of the crowd.
I knew we were in trouble when I learned that a friend’s grandson had been given a Hardy Boys book as a get-high skool English class reading assignment.
Like a child who is given an award for breathing at sporting events win or lose, the student from kindergarten thru high school is in a socially engineered experiment. sex ed, climate change, equality, civil rights black agenda, gay agenda, immigration and refugee indoctrination anything and everything that does not belong in the day to day education of a child is put in place. The result is what we see in the snow flake generation today
“... the medieval philosopher who made Aristotle acceptable in a Christian culture ...”
Thomas Aquinas?
I mentioned that at a school board meeting about a year ago, that there was no longer a need for teachers in a brick and mortar building .... you can all go home now and teach YOUR OWN kids what you teach ours ..... we have youtube.
He didn’t touch on plagiarism which is rampant. I returned to college after a 40 year absence to finish a degree. I was thrust into a room full of 18-20 year olds at a small Catholic University. We were required to do “group” projects and papers. (I hated that)
Because our papers had to be produced in a particular format (APH) and nobody, but I, seemed to want to learn the system, I always volunteered to type and print the final product. I remember when one person turned in her chapter and it seemed very familiar. As I’m typing, I realized that she had copied the entire first chapter of our text book. When I questioned her, she claimed that it was a “block quote”. I told her that she couldn’t quote a whole chapter of the text book and offered to rewrite it, which I did. I don’t think she ever read the final offering, but we got our “group A”. Shheeeeeesh!
My daughter is a high school teacher and she encounters this all the time — students copying directly from Wikipedia, etc. They think nothing of it, and neither do their parents.
I don’t know. I thought that was a bit harsh on his part, unless he was being critical about placing Socrates in the Medieval Era. I also don’t get the obsession with cursive writing, I’m a military brat and I was always changing schools so I never had a penmanship class. To this day I only sign my name in cursive. Printing or typing only for me.
Great article.
Unfortunately, this isn’t limited to public schools. I have one in a $$$$/highly regarded private (Christian) high school and what passes for education is very, very sad. And as the “average” student has a 4.0 GPA, grade inflation is alive and well. I homeschool my 7th grader and the differences in what they know and can do are absolutely astounding.
In the list of what the author terms "a distressing laundry list of educational lacunae," I find that I must quibble with a few points. For instance, in this age of computers, is it necessary for people to know cursive? I would argue that unless people are extremely conscientious, cursive can be nearly impossible to read. Whereas when people print, their writing is usually legible without much effort. Furthermore, most written communication takes place through computers (including handheld devices); thus, a good grounding in typing skills is far more important. I have been appalled on some occasions to encounter people who cannot type, because it is such an important skill these days!
6. When asked to identify the medieval philosopher who made Aristotle acceptable in a Christian culture, one scholar blurted out, “Socrates!”
7. When asked who were the four evangelists, one proffered: “A new rock group?”
I would argue that these are trivia, and that whether a student does or does not know them is irrelevant to the student's level of education. It would be far more illustrative, IMO, to ask the students how well they understand the culture and events that led to the writing of the constitution, how well they understand Marxism and Marxist methodology in all of their permutations, because these topics are so very relevant to understanding who we are as a people and the profound existential threat that we now face from leftist indoctrination. And so on.
I do not argue that the author's overall premise is wrong. Public schools are horrible institutions, which fail to teach children to think, and which subject children to an environment of bullying, ostracism, and other mistreatment that future employers must work hard to eradicate from the workplace.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.