Is education the answer?

[intrepidity]

The question being: how tf do we crawl out of this hellhole that US society has descended into?

Is our only hope a sort of reboot, where we just try to ensure that the next generation is better equipped to critically-think their way through the world?

And if education is the answer, how do we go about implementation?

What do all you educators think?

[CrispyQ]

1. I don't think there is one thing that will fix this mess.

Education would certainly help but we need an economy for everyone, not just the 1%. That's where a lot of dissatisfaction comes from - loss of the American dream. Loss of the idea that your kids will do better than you did.

We also need a news media with real journalists, not just well paid news readers who parrot the corporate line.

Finally, Trump showed just how much of our current system depends on precedent & tradition, & the honor of those who hold key positions. We need to codify some of this shit, like McConnell's holding up judicial appointments, or the emoluments clause, which apparently has no teeth whatsoever, at least is you're a republican.

We'll need big majorities to do any of this.

[Genki Hikari]

2. Education doesn't work on willfully stupid people.

It just doesn't.

Think of all the classmates you had who were fine with being on the left side of the bell curve. You know, the ones who had zero interest in learning anything, because they thought learning school stuff was for losers.

Those are the MAGA of today.

[BigmanPigman]

3. "You can lead a horse to water

but you can't make him think". My fellow teachers used to say that as well as "The nut doesn't fall from the tree".

Teachers can only do so much. Our hands are tied by administrators and districts whose first priority is $$$$$.

[OldBaldy1701E]

4. But that is the issue... we do not teach critical thinking anymore.

We indoctrinate. We make sure that criteria conceived by non-educators is met while we forget that the idea was to teach kids to think so that they could figure out things for themselves without being led by the nose. The rethugs have done an amazing job of corrupting our education model and we are still allowing it to go on. You want to help correct the course of this country? Stop indoctrinating and start teaching how to think, not how to regurgitate a bunch of useless facts.

[Stargazer99]

5. YOU ARE CORRECT-anyone listening?

What would those rich and well to do if they couldn't gas light the population?

[OldBaldy1701E]

6. Not be rich for one thing. LOL.

I see Hanukkah is approaching. I hope you are planning a great one!