Where is Education Headed Now?

We seldom consider the contents of our children’s curriculum when we enroll them in school for the first time. We trust in the system and the routine of sending them off to learn what every other kid learns in the hope it will lead to a prosperous career down the line. 

In recent years, many parent’s eyes have been opened regarding the content taught in classrooms and they are aghast to discover how far it veered from what we learned growing up. It is no longer just math, science, foreign language, English, music, and social studies; today the kids are being taught a set of morals and politics that may be completely different than our own.

Young kids are at a vulnerable age when their neural networks are forming and the programming they are exposed to shapes their minds and outlooks on life. They become byproducts of what they are exposed to throughout the day – the classroom, television shows and social media. When parents are too busy with their own hectic schedules, getting kids ready for school and rushing off to work, it’s no wonder they’ve had little time to take notice of the current state of the classroom environment.

Traditionally, parents have had the responsibility of teaching right and wrong, religion, and setting good examples for their children to follow. We never imagined that in school they could be shamed about the color of their skin, nor told how to feel about one particular group of people or another. This is not the official role of the education system, yet the problem is prevalent throughout the United States.

The education system follows a curriculum set forth by the federal government, so that is where one must look to uncover the root of the problem. If kids are graduating without the skills to survive and thrive, they are missing out on important information for success in later years.

No doubt, some serious revisions are needed but it will take some serious action from the parents to enact these changes. As long as children show up to school each day, their schools are eligible to collect tax money for each student that attends. If our children do not attend and instead go to school elsewhere, the school loses that money. Could a decline in enrollment be sufficient to change a school? Perhaps. But as long as the problem comes from the federal government, change can only come from a vote or changing elected officials. If they all have the same agenda, we will get the same results.

The future of education relies on what we do as parents to take a stand for a better curriculum. It may mean spending money to educate our children another way, but that leaves many parents out in the cold who cannot afford the expense. When parents are working nine to five just to cover their monthly bills, they are left accepting the circumstances and many do not have the means to do anything about the problem.