I am standing my ground that students do not go to school merely to contribute to big business. That leaves with only one other conceivable option: to give them the tools to think for themselves.
I see many advantages in allowing students to think for themselves. Upon finishing school, these young adults can make better decisions for themselves, leading to fewer cases of pressure, stupidity, and an all-around awareness of how the society is functioning, how society is wrong, and what they can do to change it. Some people might argue that intellectualism is a danger to society, but if this is the case, then I cannot conceive of any other purpose of education.
So, why do kids even go to school after learning to read and write? Would society be better if we didn't even teach them to read and write?
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I shudder at the thought that education is preparing a "consumer society." This is precisely against one of the reasons why I entered the profession. I agree with you that students must be challenged to think for themselves and to critique the consumer culture that is around them. If you don't understand the advertising moguls and their schemes, then you will fall for their gimmicks every time. Proponents of consumer culture are hoping the people exposed to their ads do NOT think independently. Their message is "you need this--don't give it a second thought--go out and get it NOW!"
ReplyDeleteOne of the best things we can do for our students now and in the future is to educate them to be smart consumers--and this involves the skills that promote independent and properly reasoned thinking.