August 24, 2004
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Topic: A book that had to be written
I spoke to my friend Drew today. He just graduated from Wash U., with a major in music. He had more than his share of words to say about the school. He transferred from GW to Wash U because of what everyone had told him. “It’s a good school.” Turns out, it wasn’t a good school for him. The music program there required him to do so many things that he wasn’t interested in doing, and in the end, they ended up not accepting his masters because the music he wrote didn’t fit into the type of music they want him to write. He was being penalized for his expression, his creativity, his decision to not write music that fits in a little box.
The educational culture there is not one he was fond of. It was not one I was fond of. It’s a school, not a politician, and it’s shocking to hear so much negative criticism. Everywhere I turn, I’m hearing similar comments.
I also met up with my wrestling coach today from high school. He agreed with me, that students are being forced by high schools to go directly to college. Students are taking less of the useful classes like woodshop, auto repair, and even business classes that could receive college credit, and instead are being forced into advanced classes. Everyone is being pushed into advanced classes, he says, because it makes the school look good, which in turn raises property value. The focus of the school isn’t on developing kids, it’s getting them to pass. The one highlight for him is project adventure, a program he is a part of that includes team building activities and ropes course work. “It gets people together that normally wouldn’t be.”
People know how things should be. The problem is, those in charge, those with power and influence over schools, don’t view their work as a job. My coach described it best, the principal isn’t an educator, she’s a PR person. Her job is to make the school look good to those on the outside, at the expense of making it good on the inside. From the outside, Wash U. is a wonderful school. Talk to anyone who hasn’t been a student there and they’ll tell you how wonderful Wash U. is. I’m here to tell you, it’s as ugly on the inside as it is pretty on the outside. I’m sure many of you know what i mean.
-dan
Comments (2)
Every “accountability” law f***s kids by taking away legitimate choices. High Schools need far more options, both vocational and college prep, not more achievement tests. Frankly, no one ever learned anything from a test. But every day under NCLB choices vanish as, yes, the push is on to the minimum education and the maximum test preparation. An idiot nation on the way to being much dumber, and kids being abused daily by grandstanding politicians.
“Yep” to you, “yep” to thenarrator.