OK. First I have to rant. With regard to education, of course. The complete ruination of our country was and is TELEVISION. Television started out all right, I guess, but it has now ruined this country. It has become everything--the entertainer, the educator, the baby sitter, now even the Internet connection (i.e., those things you can hook up to your TV instead of owning a real computer). I think television is a conspiracy (not really, but what the hell, it's a thought).

To education. Thank God for well-educated family members. In my case, my grandmother, whom I called Jessie (because that was her name and that's what she wanted me to call her). Anyway, Jessie started my education at an extremely young age--before I can remember. She spoke to me of many things: art, nature, her experiences growing up, love of books, family history--you get the picture.

Jessie was a career woman when women didn't have careers. She was educated at the turn of the century. She went to Michigan State, much against her mother's will. She received a doctorate in home economics (this was a man's field at that time--all to do with inventions and such), a master's degree in German (to read the prints, of course), a master's degree in English and a bachelor's in...I forget. All in a period of six years, with an A average. She was the second woman admitted to Michigan State; there were nine women when she finally completed her vast education. The point is, my grandmother had a THIRST for knowledge, and she passed this on to two of her three daughters, and to me.

Jessie waited a long time to use her education. She was old-fashioned in some ways--her husband, Walter, was the top banana in the house. Once he could no longer work, Jessie went out in the late '40s and early '50s and became an inventor for Norge, which was later bought out by Borg-Warner, and she went on to become the first woman (they called it "female") VP for them.

What Jessie taught me about education, and what I have figured out, is a lot of stuff. I think the system in this country stinks. I also think the system in Japan stinks (too much pressure). We need a balance of REAL LIFE and learning in the schools. We also should not be sending just any Joe to college--whether they can afford it or not. In this country ANYONE can go to college--which is NUTS.

OK, what do we need to do?

We need to teach kids:

• how to balance a checkbook
• about sex, all about sex, how it works, what it is, etc.
• morals--do unto others, etc.
• ethics--don't lie to get out of a jam
• basics on how to fix things
• economics and how not to buy into all of the stuff they're bombarded with in the advertising world (which used tobe my world)
• hygiene
• history
• religions of all peoples and why
• appreciation of music, from classical to jazz, folk, blues, etc., to now sciences
• philosophy--so they can "get" ideas of their own
• humanities
• geography
• and on and on...

But, not in the current textbook fashion. Teachers in primary schools should be required to be well-rounded individuals with knowledge of many, many things. At any early age kids should be taught to take care of themselves--basic stuff like managing money, picking up after themselves, solving minor problems by themselves, etc. Then, we can get on with learning stuff. Of course, reading is fundamental and ought to be taught to 5-year-olds, if not younger (both my brother and I were reading at 3 years old). I think it's important for little kids to develop a feeling of self-worth at the youngest possible age, and that's why I mentioned the above basics.

We should adopt a system in this country more like the English system, without all of that "O Level" nonsense, though. There should be some sort of test set up where we could determine if a child is qualified to go on to higher education--university--or is best suited for trades or some profession that doesn't require 10 grand to 100 grand a year in tuition.

What really seems to be lacking in our society today is values and morals--we have lost that stuff somewhere. And I don't mean that we should be focusing on the president's peccadilloes either. Kids are no longer polite, nor are they quiet when adults are speaking--they constantly interrupt. This is the fault of the parents, no doubt, but I think some of this can be taught to children outside the home. They have little or no sense of who or what they are these days, and that is sad.

Parents these days are sorely lacking. My generation has turned out a bunch of misfits who are now in the process of breeding more misfits. Television is a problem. Parents no longer read to their kids (little bedtime stories), they don't show their kids how to make things, do things, etc. They don't take them on field trips--which was a thing my folks and Jessie did for me. You can't learn anything if you go nowhere and do nothing except watch to tube. Even if they are watching the Discovery channel, they are still not seeing and experiencing things for themselves. People must have experiences to be well-rounded individuals.

My idea of the perfect education is to give kids a grandparent (bring elders into the school system), parents who talk with and listen to their children, and teachers who didn't become teachers "because they didn't know what else to do" (that was the reasoning behind one of my former classmate's "idea" to become a teacher!!!--just what we need in our primary schools, eh?).

Teach kids about life, about love, about music, about art, about the world--but do it from experience and personal involvement. School history books suck--they are so badly written. It is better to read historical novels to learn about the Civil War, etc. Surely there are actually books-- well, yes there are, I've read them!--of a nonfiction nature that won't put one to sleep.

As for the school year, it is ridiculous. Kids should be in school 12 months out of the year, with 2-3 weeks vacation--just like their folks--and all of the usual holidays. This would be better for the parents as well as the kids. Maybe nine months of book stuff and three months of "what life is all about" stuff. This would allow for all of the well-rounded stuff I keep ranting about, as well as the usual, and somewhat useful, science, math, history, English, languages, etc.

I wish I had learned a second language at a very young age. It has been proven that children who speak two languages fluently are better thinkers. That is a very good idea indeed.

I've rather rambled long enough. I shall give this some more thought and try for a more precise response in the future.

By the way, I am a soon to be 44-year-old woman, no children (by choice), educated at Northwestern University (160 hours, no degree), and earn an average income.

I love you guys and your show. It is intellectually stimulating and silly as well.

Back to Tommy's Education Forum Part II

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