21

(Thanks to all those who have sent me emails, comments and articles. I will be replying to those as the numbered rant concludes.)

Our education system is producing an entire generation of children that can barely think for themselves. Interactive environments where negotiation and social skills were enriched and enabled are dashed away in the vain hope that a full calendar of activities will ensure that little Jane or Johnny will get into the right school and earns lots of money. I was reminded of this recently when I chaperoned a group of 12 year old boys on a trip to Disneyland. Each boy was assertive to the point of being obnoxious and taxing, completely assured of their own self-worth and the value of their opinions. Every move I made resulted in a direct confrontation that questioned my ability to chaperon such a vaunted set of prodigies. Finally, on the second day, I pulled the boys together and said “You all seem very sure that each of you can have more fun if you are in control of where we go next. Yesterday we got on 15 rides due to my scheduling and mapping the appropriate routes. But since you are all very sure that you can do it better, today I will simply ensure your safety and let you determine where we should go, when.” The kids all gave a smug smirk and said “Finally!” Two hours later we were still sitting in the same exact spot, not having gone a single ride. That day we ended up going on three rides, and all of those were in the last hour before the park closed as the kids madly dashed to whatever was closest. It seems that all the children were extraordinarily adept at having their own opinions and questioning what everyone else did, but when presented with the opportunity to work as a group to guide their own destiny, they completely broke down and failed by any meaningful measure, especially by the measure of their own fulfillment and happiness. This is the result of the combination of upper-middle class value systems and the modern education system: narcissistic braggarts who can’t solve a problem on their own no matter how much incentive exists. Most of the children were straight-A students and were destined for the Ivy League. And still, I wouldn’t hire one of them if my life depended on it.

Comments

[John Sumser]

Jeff, Jeff, Jeff.

I have to question any educational system that produced a grown adult who would voluntarily take a group of 12 year olds to Disneyland and then expect them to like rigorous scheduling. That's two very dumb moves.

The education system can not change the fact that they are 12. That, my very good friend, is not the fault of the schools. Most kids accomplish it in about 12 years. Kids who live to that ripe age are very good reasons for boarding schools.

[laurence haughton]

Were those kids ever involved in team sports? It appears to me that they would have a very hard time being coached to win at anything.

[Jason Davis]

Jeff, You should be on the recruiting animal show. what is the holdup?

[Peggy McKee]

Jeff -
Your Disneyland experience is weeknights with my 9 year old son going over his math homework! I do think that his demonstrated creativity when it comes to math solutions will put him in the category of talented and creative workers of the future. Do you think this could be an early indicator?