Thursday, January 22, 2009

Edukashun

I sometimes pop over to Takis Magazine which has the feel of a proper magazine in many ways and certainly a broad range of articles.Taki himself, half of the famous " High Life/Low Life" duo that included Jeffrey Barnard, posts regularly and his writing always has some merit.
I was taken by this article by one Karen de Coster which finishes as follows:
"For many people, their job is their life because it is something they are “trained” to do. It’s all they have outside of kids, a lawn to cut, and golf on Sundays. For me, my formal education garnered me an established career—a satisfactory and oftentimes challenging occupation that both feeds and funds my passions. If I knew little about the world outside of my job, the one-dimensional life would crush me with boredom and leave me with the life of a trained monkey."
There are many houses I go to where there is no book, no newspaper, no intellectual engagement of any kind, and we as a nation have colluded in the target culture which excludes true understanding and knowledge.
Perhaps the most important part of a University education is the reading around a subject that is done. Today, we can, in many cases, cram or learn by rote what is needed for an A grade, but have neither common-sense nor real understanding.
The result is, I believe, largely to be laid at the door of the present government, which, since 1997, has promulgated the mantra " no one can fail."
Of course they can. And if they do, they should be helped to succeed.
Slightly off subject, the joy on the Little Chef workers' faces as they mastered new skills and saw the results they could achieve made one's heart glow. Jason in particular, who appeared the most unlikely candidate to be able to achieve, made it - and showed his sheer delight.
Surely we should try to do the same for readers, writers and 'rithmeticers.

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