Posted by Holly Ordway in Culture | 2 Comments
Miscellany 39: Education, Propaganda, and Books
Thinking about education this week.
Are schools failing to challenge students? Is school too easy? A recent study suggest that is indeed the case. A key quote: “But when you see most students say math work is too easy but are not doing math at grade level, that seems quite troubling.” That seems paradoxical, but speaking from having worked a number of years in the trenches of teaching writing, I can assure you it’s not the case. In order to have high standards, and genuinely challenge students, it is necessary that students fail if their work does not meet the standard. However, there is very little tolerance for failure in the current American educational system. So: if you are getting pressured to have students pass, then the natural end result (usually occurring in slow stages) is that expectations get lowered; the work gets easier and easier, so that every student who shows up and does minimal work can pass.
However, there are a couple of problems with this: one is that lowering expectations reduces student motivation; bored students who know they’re going to pass pretty much no matter what, are students who don’t work very hard (and I don’t blame them). The other is that there’s a limit to how much the presentation of the material can be tailored to make it easier; at a certain point, the way to make a subject easier is to cut back on the number of concepts taught and reduce the depth of the engagement with the material. The result? Students recognize that their classes are too easy… and yet they still perform below expectations on tests.
Here is an article on “Vintage Propaganda Posters for Books.” The colorful posters, obviously intended for schools and libraries, instruct students to, for instance, use bookmarks instead of placing a book face-down, not to dog-ear pages, and not to leave books out in the rain.
What interests me is the article’s tone: these posters are “propagandistic” and “peculiar.” The implication is that somehow the Establishment is oppressing young people, brainwashing them to… to… treat books (especially library books, which are shared) with care so that they will last and be able to be re-read. Hm. Where did we go wrong, that teaching good stewardship and good manners is propagandistic?
Here’s a good piece on why Christians should read fiction.
And just for fun: have you ever wondered why old books smell so good? Here’s why.
I love the link to the interview with Russell Moore! Thanks for providing us with that information. He makes some wonderful points about the value of literature written by people who do not see themselves as Christian. I think many people who are not Christian can write wonderful fiction (and I know you would agree with me). I also do not have an issue with sex in the plot of a story as long as it furthers the story and is not gratuitous (and I will add here that I think the Fifty Shades of Grey books are complete and utter garbage!). Russell provides some excellent suggestions of what to read in terms of fiction, and I put some of his books on my wish list. (I have been looking for some books that will be enjoyable and edifying, but that are not classic Victorian or eighteenth century fiction per se, and he gives some great ideas.) I will have to check out his blog on a frequent basis now!
I teach senior English at a local high school and recognize the frustration of teachers and students as it relates to lowered expectations. Worse, our graduation rate is factored into our school grade for the state, which in turn determines the amount of money the school gets. There is an underlying pressure to pass students with an unfortunate monetary motivation. The students recognize this as well; they are not blind to the system. Therefore, I tailor my class with an approach of readying them for the college.