I see the advantages to standardizes testing, and yes of course I agree I would like my nurses and doctors and electricians to be qualified. I think I am talking more about compulsory school rather than university. Because university and college is optional. (Though some people don't realize it :P) The point is if you want to become a doctor than yes, you will have to go through lots of schooling. But if you want it then you CHOSE to do it. Nobody chooses high school, it is forced upon us. We think we have no choice, lest we become junkies and die on the street.
As for universities using the high school diploma, yes it is useful as a measuring tool. However I also feel it is so very easy to bullshit your way through high school. I recall reading a story about someone who was illiterate and still managed to graduate by playing the system. As well, marks are relative to many things, whether he teacher liked you, whether you deal well with tests, whether you had emotional problems at the time, not your intelligence. There are so many examples out there of brilliant kids having low grades. And to take that highschool diploma as the ONLY measure of your adequacy is ridiculous. Which I know most universtities have mature and homeschooled student applications, and that is fantastic. But for example, one university my unschooled friend Kalina wanted to apply to here in the UK refused anyone who didn't have a diploma, regardless of ability. Regardless of the fact that she could demonstrate in an essay or in person her abilities. And that I think is a prejudice against people who learn in alternative ways.
As for people only learning what interests them, I can see what you are saying there. But then when we are young we want to learn everything! Could it be that it is the institution that crushes this in us? And really, as adults we know that we cannot be good at everything, why do we expect this from our kids? Why put so much pressure on little Suzie to take calculus when all she really wants to do is buy a farm and grow things? I know that I push my comfort zone on a regular basis and I don't need a system to help me do that. I do it simply because I would like to learn about something and see if it interests me. Kids are prone to try new things, they are naturally curious.
I think the biggest thing we could do to improve schools would be to make them optional. Give kids more choice. Give them a base knowledge of how to read, write, and do basic math and then let them choose what THEY want to learn, what interests them.
As for universities using the high school diploma, yes it is useful as a measuring tool. However I also feel it is so very easy to bullshit your way through high school. I recall reading a story about someone who was illiterate and still managed to graduate by playing the system. As well, marks are relative to many things, whether he teacher liked you, whether you deal well with tests, whether you had emotional problems at the time, not your intelligence. There are so many examples out there of brilliant kids having low grades. And to take that highschool diploma as the ONLY measure of your adequacy is ridiculous. Which I know most universtities have mature and homeschooled student applications, and that is fantastic. But for example, one university my unschooled friend Kalina wanted to apply to here in the UK refused anyone who didn't have a diploma, regardless of ability. Regardless of the fact that she could demonstrate in an essay or in person her abilities. And that I think is a prejudice against people who learn in alternative ways.
As for people only learning what interests them, I can see what you are saying there. But then when we are young we want to learn everything! Could it be that it is the institution that crushes this in us? And really, as adults we know that we cannot be good at everything, why do we expect this from our kids? Why put so much pressure on little Suzie to take calculus when all she really wants to do is buy a farm and grow things? I know that I push my comfort zone on a regular basis and I don't need a system to help me do that. I do it simply because I would like to learn about something and see if it interests me. Kids are prone to try new things, they are naturally curious.
I think the biggest thing we could do to improve schools would be to make them optional. Give kids more choice. Give them a base knowledge of how to read, write, and do basic math and then let them choose what THEY want to learn, what interests them.
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