How Should We Educate Our Children?

How Should We Educate Our Children?

Mark Twain said, and I quote, “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education”. Twain implies there is a difference between school and education. I would have to agree with Twain with regards to most public school systems in America today. State monopolized schools with mandated curricula and standardized testing are clearly not the way to best educate children. It seems the most important goal of schools is high scores on standardized tests, not the education of each child equally. Education is in crisis in America and the need for reformation is clearly evident, but the question is what route should we take? The use of personalized learning, parental involvement, and the freedom of creativity and thought are essential to the education of a child.

Not all students are able to learn the same thing, at the same time, in the same way, in the same environment, or even at the same age. One of the problems with public school systems is the “one size fits all” attitude, in other words, that all children of the same age should be able to learn the same things at basically the same pace and using the same methods. Numerous studies have reported that people learn in different ways. Some are visual learners, some learn by hearing, some kinesthetically, or a combination of these and other methods. In my first semester here at Community College as an assignment in Information Technology Ethics class we had to go online and complete a survey which helped us to recognize the way we learned best. This would allow us to choose instructors who taught using the methods we needed to learn the best. This is where the personalized learning approach is important. Each child’s curriculum is developed to their unique learning style. They are also allowed to work at their own pace and do not move to the next level until they are proficient at the first one. Homeschooling can be compared to this type of learning, where the...