Critics Sho
Need a quick headline in the
media? Attack public education.
Want to gripe about something
in government? Attack public
education. Have a business
venture that needs cash influx?
Attack public education. Attacking
public education is becoming a
hobby to some, and a profession
to several others.
I have been critical over the years
of many things in public education.
From lack of focus or poorly
defined goals to disagreement with
curriculum to self-serving unions.
However, I have always tried to do
what my mother advised, “If you are
going to criticize, offer a solution.”
Teddy Roosevelt made it blatantly
clear when he said, “It is not the
critic who counts,” but rather “the
man who is actually in the arena.”
Too many people want to simply
condemn
ideas,
people,
or
society and offer nothing realistic
in return. Let’s be clear: there
will never be a one size fits all
model for public education and
no single academic model can
work for everyone in a diversified
population in a state or nation. That is
why it is critical to have collaboration
among educators, parents, citizens, and
businesses to transform education at the
local level based on the needs of each
community. That is real local control.
Students will always need to learn basic skills
such as reading and writing, and education
stakeholders and policymakers must help
students understand the changing world
around them. That will mean many different
things from community to community and
from state to state. There is no debate that
evolving technology is changing how we
teach and learn.
No single method can accommodate all
student learning needs. Through technology,
we can enable educators to address the
unique needs of individual learners based