What a statement to come from an educator whose job it was to make these kids exceptional!
But he may have been right to the extent that our kids are being betrayed by the very educational system which has been provided "free" by the American public.I wrote a poem several years ago entitled "The Teacher" which puts the finger on what has happened to our educational system:
The Teacher
There she was, already old,
Standing there
At the crossroads
Stopping me with her
Cold blue eyes.
She terrified me
In those days
With her constant demands
Always turning my eyes
Outward on the world
Away from the abyss inside
Now I understand her fear.
Late some nights
You will find me there
At that same crossroads
On the chance that
One of mine
Should happen by.
The world is an exciting and wonderful place for children. There are all sorts of gadgets that invite "tinkering" to see how they work. But the teacher and the parent must join in the process of turning their young eyes "outward on the world away from the abyss inside." Modern educational philosophy has set about to validate the "abyss."
Our children are now taught that their "feelings" are good indicators of who they are and what their role in the world is. Children are taught to view themselves through the lens of the "synthetic" environment. They are taught that perceptions of appearance, popularity, sexuality, gender, and many other parameters which are defined by pop culture instruments such as facebook, TV shows, school textbooks, are in fact real.
But when a child is taught how to build a kite, catch a fish, build scooter, roller skate, fix a flat tire on his bike, cook a meal, and a host of other small projects, his eyes turn outward on the world and away from the hopelessness and depression of the social environment promoted by the poverty brokers who now dominate our educational system.
"Tinkering" has produced our most productive people. Not only the famous ones like Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Bill Gates, Mark Cuban and many others, but the millions of others who raise much of their own food, make their cars last 15 years, build all of the furniture in their homes (and others as well), keep their homes in tip-top condition, repair porch swings, keep a nice lawn, accumulate wealth through wise frugality, raise wonderful kids who do great things.
My point is, seekers, this may not be rocket science, but it produces rocket scientists instead of the poor lost kids who wind up at the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations complaining because they have nothing. One of the greatest gifts that you can give to your kids is the rock-solid understanding that they can be successful at whatever they do by thoughtful tinkering.
