Comments on: The Public School System Is Doing Serious Damage to Our Children and Our Society

By: philani

philani — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 17:29:03 +0000

I am a teacher at a primary school in Soweto( South Africa). As a teacher I am really sadenned by our current Education system in South Africa. Everything that is said I seem to agree with, especially on the side of those who feel that most education system detroy creativity in our children.

With my friends across the color line, we have decided to try and change things in the primary school I am working in. You can expect some difficulties because it is a public school because of the policies that are put in place to stifle creativity and innovativeness not only in children, but also teachers and all those who are willing to make a difference.

We are currently doing research on community involvement in schools. We are working with Khulisa Social Solutions which is an NGO that believes that solutions to community’s problems come from the communities themselves. We are creating a common vision between the school and the community. This has given all stakeholders involved in the school to come up with solutions to problems we are facing currently as a school. The main aim is to create a school that gives children an opportunity to follow their hearts in terms of academics, sport and business. Although this can be narrow on its own, it is far better than what is currently happening. We are trying to create a model that make a schools the centre of community development. This will bring in more community members with skills and knowledge in different fields to interact with our young children further giving them opportunities develop interests in apsects of life.

We are inviting anybody with interest to contribute in what we are trying to do. We want to change the perceptions most people have about public schools and education offered there. Contribution in this case refers to ideas, questiions, referrals to people who can help us etc. We are open to ideas also we are happy if people want to come and see what we try to achieve.

The name of the school is J S Mpanza Primary. It is under the Gauteng Education Department. It is 10 minutes from Johannesburg.

Thanks Jonathan

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sat, 14 May 2011 02:06:58 +0000

Well enslavement of the public is the goal of capitalism.

Not to say that capitalism isn’t the best choice we have, but it is not without its dark side.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sat, 14 May 2011 02:03:37 +0000

Well in my experience, when people think you are crazy, it often means you are on the right track. :)

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Fri, 13 May 2011 23:59:19 +0000

I agree that learning begins at home, but to say the rest is supplemental is not quite right IMO.

Real learning begins when you begin to experience the world around you.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Fri, 13 May 2011 23:57:02 +0000

I think the main thing is to be aware of the potential problems, and be prepared to address them as they come up.

As bad as it can be, it is the only viable option most of us have.

Also, many private schools that follow the public school style of one size fits all teaching, are just as bad.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Fri, 13 May 2011 23:54:14 +0000

It should, because the consequences to our society go way beyond what is visible on the surface.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 21:02:15 +0000

Thank you, Michael. May I ask how you were introduced to my blog?

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 20:27:59 +0000

Until last year I was a high school language (Mandarin) teacher. For what it is worth, I believe that most responsible parents, even “uneducated” responsible parents, would be far more effective than my school system is at developing our students.
I feel like I did a good job, I truly cared about my students. I think most teachers did (and do). But we are working against a system that seems too big to work with.
Humans, especially children, ARE naturally curios. They will learn so much faster when they are studying what they enjoy.
Having said all of that, homeschool is not always easy. I don’t know what the best solution is, but it is clear that improvement is necessary, and if nothing else we can all start with our own children.
I was just introduced to your blog last night, Jonathan, I’ve spent several hours reading your different posts (unusual for me), and I think you have a lot of good things to say. Keep up the good work!

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 04:33:53 +0000

Hello again, Perfect Dad.

This article is not a slam against teachers, but rather the foundations of the system in which they teach.

I am certain there are many, many teachers who would understand all too well what I speak about.

By: Perfect Dad

Perfect Dad — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 18:23:13 +0000

Hmm. My wife is a high school math-science teacher, and she does homeschooling tutorials. My question is this: Who would teach the kids?

Yes, the well-educated readers of this blog might do a good job, but they are probably high earners who have a few brain cells in their heads and enrich their kids so the kids are better than average. What about the other 50% of kids who are average or below? Some huge percentage of parents are not be capable of teaching kids. Search youtube for “Who Wants to be a Millionnaire” or “Smarter than a 5th grader” to see a few examples.

Yes, public school is like every public institution and not made for the top tier. But it’s needed, and it’s better in some places than others, and the teachers are different. I live in Quebec now, but lived in 4 provinces. Quebec has a bad public education system but places like Alberta have it a lot better from my experience.

I found a good angry poet advocating for teachers, posted on my blog. You probably won’t like it, but maybe :).

Slammin on what Teachers Make