The people who control this country frankly don't want people thinking critically. And that's the flipside of the coin that says we educate people to become productive members of the workforce.
But there have been exceptions, because not everyone in charge of schools takes such a cynical view of education. And this is where the Jesuits will always have my respect. If you could imagine a Shaolin Temple for the mind instead of the body - a school of thought where students take eachother apart with lively debate and rigorous discussion rather than with fists and feet - that is something of the image I've gotten of my stepfather's education under the Jesuits. And he shines because of it. He's brilliant on his own, but his mind is like quicksilver thanks to them. And he credits them entirely, and laments that very few people can get an education today like the one he got in St. Louis back in the day (he's 84).
Over the years I've been intrigued by a number of Jesuit-educated people, such as Patrick Fitzgerald, who possess not just knowledge but understanding of knowledge. These people have superb bullshit-meters, and anyone who attempts to convince them of something contrary to the facts will have their metaphorical ass handed to them promptly. More importantly, they tend to have a lifelong love of learning, with open and questing minds that require regular feeding. Having had only a mediocre education myself, and with a mind that is sometimes more closed than that of my stepfather, I guess I am somewhat in awe of them. As a "weak" agnostic, I couldn't deal with all the Jesus stuff, and I'm too lazy by half to satisfy Jesuit instructors for very long, but if I could go back to my college days knowing what I know now, I would at least consider the Jesuits.
The emphasis today in our public schools is primarily rote knowledge, as worthless a product as fast food. And children who are too smart for this system are either turned off by it or considered disruptive by all but the best teachers.
I believe that
many some of our elected representatives genuinely care about education, or think they do - but they must find it very difficult to actually accomplish anything positive. They allot money and then trust to the Dept. of Education (currently run by a political hack!) to actually implement effective strategies. As long as we keep putting losers like Margaret Spellings in charge, we will continue to have a system that hinders teachers more than it helps. (If we can't impeach Bush, can we at least get rid of her?) NCLB is a travesty, a blatant political ploy for superficial results which actually weakens teaching. It's a pox on our schools and our children.
There are plenty of dynamite teachers out there who know how to do their jobs and could turn this mess around, but the people who so often rise to the top of school boards and administrations are the mediocrities who have the connections and patronage and who can write abstruse 1,000-page research extracts to justify high salaries. Those with a passion for and committment to excellence are seemingly at a disadvantage when it comes to school board or university politics. A gross generalization, but true.
Gee, how'd that soapbox get under my feet? :blush:
Anyway, here's an interesting description by a blogger of his Jesuit education:
If {Patrick} Fitzgerald’s experience with Jesuit education was anything like mine, he found the Jesuits tough, just, and inspiring. Every teacher I had whether Jesuit or lay had a doctorate. Many had two. My English teacher and advisor (a Jesuit) had PhD’s in Theology and Comparative Literative. My Russian teacher (lay—extremely so) had PhD’s in Russian and Italian. Every student was expected to excel and academic excellence was a given. We were also expected to excel in athletics and other non-academic activities. My little high school of under 1,000 students routinely nailed down state championships in sports, debate, and dramatics.
Rigor was expected and a kind of ruthlessness. Victory alone was not sufficient: we usually went for the throat and strove to rout our opposition.
We took theology for four years. We attended Mass daily. We had annual Loyolan retreats. If you’ve never experienced a Loyolan retreat, it’s a cross between a primitive initiation rite, 17th century Spanish military training, and scientific brainwashing. The individual is stripped down to the bare essentials of his character and a new individual is built up. It’s grueling, horrifying, and rewarding.
http://www.theglitteringeye.com/?p=1458
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