It seems that our current educational system (and our beliefs about intelligence) seem to be one-way. You work to get a degree, become an expert in a field. However, the first 12 years of schooling encourage a narrow idea of what's considered intelligent, valuable information. It's arguable that the idea of college education is now a BUSINESS, it's competitive, and it's grossly unaffordable by LOTS of people.
Ok, I love talking about education, so i'll bite. The first 12 years of schooling are meant to give people a GENERAL education. This is because public eduaction is basically free. If everyone was super educated coming out of high school, why would people go to college? Contrary to what you believe, I believe high schools actually provide a BROAD idea of education, introducing students to every aspect of education, and letting them choose which fields interest them, and if they are interested in a certain topic, encouraging them to continue their education after graduation in order to become experts in the field of their choice. Those who believe a high school degree will help them if they don't go to college are drastically mistaken. A high school degree is not a big accomplishment, it's the norm.
College education has always been a business. Not everyone can go to college, if they did our economy would collapse because there would be millions of jobs that require unskilled workers that would go unfilled. Of course college is competetive...i woulnd't be going if it was just a walk through the park.
(Shut the fuck up about loans and grants, those are TRAPS, and they're traps that aren't available to everyone, so somebody's getting left by the wayside. The ones I know who do/did get loans are living paycheck to paycheck, barely getting by trying to pay Sally back).
At this point in time, I'll agree, it is very difficult for a lot of people to get student loans because of new stringent policies (we can thank the banks for that one). If you have bad credit, you're basically fucked. It's the only way banks can tell if you're responsible enough to pay back your loans though. I wouldn't call loans and grants traps though, maybe traps for those who can't stick to a budget, but for everyone else who is responsible, it's a matter of working your ass off and paying your bills on time, or getting a loan that you won't have to start paying off until you graduate. (my mother put herself through 4 years of general college and 3 years of law school with loans and paid them all off, so it can be done if you're responsible, responsibilty is key here)...
Anywho, Jillian Lynn (sp?), who choreographed Cats and Phantom of the Opera, had problems in school. In the 30's, when she was in school, officials suggested that she might have a learning disorder, ADD wasn't "conceived" yet. She was fidgety, disturbing people, late homework, etc...
She was taken to a specialist who left her in the room alone, and took her mother outside. He turned the radio on before he left and she almost immediately stood up and started moving around.
This woman went on to become a world-renowned choreographer, but if she was in the educational system in the 90's or 2000's, she would've been given a prescription for Ridelin and told to sit down and behave.:frown1:
This should prove to you that you don't have to go to college to be successful. The most successful person I know didn't even graduate from high school, but he's worked his ass off since he was 14, and now owns 2 airplanes and one of the biggest houses in my city...the choice of a child going on Ritalin or Adderall ultimately falls onto the parents, not the school. That stuff IS horrible for kids, I'll agree with you there, altough I can't say if it stifles creativity or not because to be honest with you, I have a prescription for adderall, and I am extremely creative. I'm not on it because I'm ADD and I don't take it very often, but it's definately the cure for college teachers who don't seem to realize i'm taking 4 other classes besides theirs...I'd say 1 out of every 4 students currently in college have taken adderall to study, now what does that tell you...
Are we trying to create mindless drones? Are we discouraging creativity? Why are the arts down at the bottom of the well? Where does that put people who's talents lie IN the arts? There are LOTS of people who make decent, moderate living in the arts, so why do we treat them as if they're a dead-end?
I wish i could be a rockstar, i really do. There are millions of unrecognized musicians who are better than most of the popular musicians are, it's irritating. Unfortunately, it's next to impossible to become rich or even have a stable life being purely a musician. But going into the arts is very risky these days, which is why a lot of people are discouraged by it. I don't think anyone is discouraging the arts except for record companies. Plenty of high schools have band and drama, plenty of colleges give scholarships for playing an instrument, acting, and all kinds of arsty stuff, you just have to be good. The blame lies on radio, pop music, and money, not education. Sadly I'm beginning to see the arts as more of a hobby than a means of life anymore...
This reminds me of a quote from John Adams...
"The science of government it is my duty to study, more than all other sciences; the arts of legislation and administration and negotiation ought to take the place of, indeed exclude, in a manner, all other arts. I must study politics and war, that our sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. Our sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain."
I'd say we've reached the point where we can freely study the arts if we choose, it's just that there isn't all that much money in it, and it is by far one of the more competitive fields to enter if you really want to make it. My entire life I've been hearing from people "you should go to college for music, you have tons a talent," and in all honesty, money and stablitly are the SOLE reasons I'm not majoring in music. I love making music, but I just don't think I'll have enough stability to provide for my family the way I want to by being a musician.
Every child isn't meant to be a college professor or CEO.