#72 The Way We Learn Now

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So, why was I in Barnes and Nobel at 9:55 p.m. frantically searching for a copy of The Crucible by Arthur Miller (the special Dover edition with the deleted scene)? If you don’t know the answer, you’re obviously not a parent.

My sixteen-year-old son is a tragic victim of the Educational-Industrial Complex. Without regard for his personal feelings, his instructors expect him to learn. In his Humanities and English classes this involves telling him to acquire and assimilate certain great works of literature; The Crucible, Atlas Shrugged, and Dick and Jane Austen. In order to give him time to appreciate the subtleties of these great works, the instructors assign them weeks before he has to read them. Sadly his busy schedule of vital activities like texting, video games, television, and internet surfing makes it impossible for him to remember that he needs the book until the night before it’s due.

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NOTES:

1. Let me thank my son for allowing me to poke fun at him in this essay. Let me say for the record that both of my sons are good students and I’m proud of them. 
2. One of the joys of producing a podcast is that you can use it to poke fun at friends, so I’m dedicating this particular episode to James Sawtelle … my friend from Louisana and a dedicated and talented education professional. Thanks for letting me take your name in vain, Jimmy!

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