Months having gone by since my last post, I am inclined to again blame a lack of inspiration. This however would be dishonest. The truth is that I spend too much effort trying to write about neutral topics. I try to stick to positive events in my life and keep things light. Unfortunately this is not working for me. I realize now that I am not cut out to write about what I did on my summer vacation. So let me draw my inspiration from the things that interest me.
In my last blog entry I expressed my appreciation to Norman W. Edmund for starting a business intended for people like me. I have since learned that Mr. Edmund advocates teaching the scientific method in our schools and believes our educational system has failed in this duty. I have a recollection that the scientific method was discussed in school at some point but I may have learned it on my own. In any event I agree that it is extremely important to teach students the scientific method and pound it into their tiny little minds over and over again every time they take a science course.
When I taught introductory chemistry in college I always spent one lecture talking about the scientific method and tried to show how it could be applied to familiar topics. By discussing the importance of verifiable facts and the power of experimentation I hoped that they would get some sense of how science works.
I am sorry to report that the experience was seldom rewarding though I did have a few students who exceeded my expectations. In general I suspect that Mr. Edmund is corrrect in his assessment of our educational system except that I think his indictment of the system is too narrow. I dream of a world where the ignorance is limited to the scientific method. If my experiences are representative of how prepared our students are when they enter college we are in big trouble. The word clueless comes to mind.
It really bothers me that our young people can’t do simple arithmetic, can’t find India or the Pacific Ocean on a globe, and have no idea who fought on either side during World War II. Worse yet, I get the impression that many students simply don’t care. This is troubling. Not knowing something is called ignorance. Being comfortable with that ignorance is called stupidity.
During a discussion once with some of my demented colleagues someone suggested a system guaranteed to motivate all students to work to their full potential. In any given class the student with the lowest year end grade is given a one year sentence at a Soviet style labor camp. What better reason is there for studying hard and acquiring knowledge than one’s freedom? Joseph Stalin could hardly improve on such a system.
Naturally we live in a country where this would be totally unacceptable. Still it makes you consider the role of motivation in today's schools. Those who constantly disrupt class could probably benefit from a short stint in a Stalinist gulag to appreciate the opportunities they are ignoring for themselves and ruining for others. If any of these people are reading this I know what they are probably thinking right now, “Who is Joseph Stalin?”
