When Control Takes A Toll – A Back To School Special

I briefly spoke to a High School teacher who explained, that when asked to enter their email address.

Some students need to be reminded, to enter their whole e-mail address.

After two days of searching, I finally came up with a name for it.

I will share with you the nice version: Obedience Sickness.

The high school teacher, who was kind, wise, but tired

Said that there are a lot of good ideas, that could engage the students.

But the school administration, won’t allow it, they don’t have funds for it.

I mentioned giving away MP3 players with audio books, and the lady squeaked like a mouse.

She was already, working her second job.

The teachers and administration need to get paid, there is no money for students, and no money for real education.

Especially while the students are pretending to learn, by cramming, under the threat of bad GPA.

This works out this way, in part because few students know what it is like to learn for real.

But largely, everyone is scared.

In school, of having their future ruined.

At home, of being kicked out for bad grades.

The worst thing about this, is that it is not real education.

Cramming to pass grades, learning a few formulas, is not education.

All this punishment and obedience, adds to nothing more than bullying.

Under this kind of contradictory thread, all a student can do is give up control.

Some will be pushed, to seek relief.

There is no good argument to be made for threatening students, but there sure are plenty of consequences.

I think we can all agree adults have failed, and standardized education is trash.

In the age of weak AI, we can switch to individualized instruction.

And education, that is driven by the students own curiosities.

All we have to do, is add one more fundamental subject.

To help children away from poverty, and that is programming.

Where the AI, will help them, setup small side projects and companies.

Many of these companies will build tools, that will aim to restore what standardized education destroyed.

Simulation, Visualization, and Interaction, of what standardized education was forcing children to pretend to learn.

Those of you who don't know what real education is, it is integrated education, an adventure.

It does not feel like learning, it just feels like exploring.

And it only approaches areas, that the students are curious about.

Given mandatory poverty, and draft and war, creepy and abusive religions, taught as reality,

It is time for adults to either try much-much harder, or take an honest look at themselves.

You should also understand, that young people, can recognize false leaders perfectly well.

Just like parent often tolerate and interpret lies, so can children tolerate mistakes.

But that tolerance is not infinite, don't be surprised when a day comes.

Where student refuse to believe fantasies, and refuse to memorize to pass tests.

You may remember from your own High School experience, how quickly news spreads.

I urge you, not to betray the teenagers, especially.

Because that is a lesson, that will drag, well into your stay at the retirement home.