High School Valedictorian's speech indicts the system.

[sense]

An amazingly insightful and original speech by a star student. She understands just how unprepared the current public and private systems have left her and her peers to make their lives meaningful and to become full contributors to the world we live in.

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/212383-Valedictorian-Speaks-Out-Against-Schooling-in-Graduation-Speech

Erica Goldson says:

"To illustrate this idea, doesn't it perturb you to learn about the idea of "critical thinking." Is there really such a thing as "uncritically thinking?" To think is to process information in order to form an opinion. But if we are not critical when processing this information, are we really thinking? Or are we mindlessly accepting other opinions as truth?"


"John Taylor Gatto, a retired school teacher and activist critical of compulsory schooling, asserts, "We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness - curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight simply by being more flexible about time, texts, and tests, by introducing kids to truly competent adults, and by giving each student what autonomy he or she needs in order to take a risk every now and then. But we don't do that." Between these cinderblock walls, we are all expected to be the same. We are trained to ace every standardized test, and those who deviate and see light through a different lens are worthless to the scheme of public education, and therefore viewed with contempt."

[handmade34]

1. Well...

there is hope... at least one up and coming is thinking. Great speech!

[WinkyDink]

2. Summerhill was a failure. And the implication that teachers are NOT "truly competent adults"?

Let your parents introduce you to their competent friends. Buy your groceries from a competent clerk. Go get arrested by a competent cop. Join the competent military.

IOW: What's stopping her from attaining this lofty goal?

And being "truly competent" in America does not necessarily equate to "deep critical thinker."

[sense]

3. I sense some hostility...

I think she's saying that she put in an extraordinary effort, for which she's being honored, yet feels like her time could have been better spent. I'm not opposed to public school, I'm simply opposed to the approach that's been taken for at least the last 30 years and the enormous effort put in by the powers that be to dumb us all down to a manageable level. We all have different strengths and should not be constrained by the low standards currently set by our system. If we expect to be able to compete on a global scale we're going to have to look at what other countries are doing to engage and educate their students. Most developed countries understand the value of educating each of their citizens to the highest individual standards so that all of their citizens are available to ensure the advancement, success and survival of their countries and people.

Our country is run by greedy corporate interests who're not looking at the big picture. Under-educated, programmed slaves are cheap and easy to control. Unfortunately, what we really need are more people who're able to think critically and innovate if we expect to be able to survive beyond the next 50 years or so.

I'm not putting anyone or everyone in the same box, simply saying that the goals of our public system are not what we think they are and not what they should be. Expectations are important and ours are far to low.

http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/historytour/history1.htm

[Luminous Animal]

4. Are you taling about Summerhill School? It is still in operation.

As are many other democratic schools based on the Summerhill pedagogy.

[xchrom]

5. That's a great example of being (un)critical. Nt