Valueless Education

An education without any values is of no value to our students, and today in public schools across the nation, students are being subjected to an education that is increasingly without values.

In one of my classes, the students are learning about ancient civilizations, and someone asked me how ancient civilizations passed down knowledge. I talked to them about stories around the campfire, stories that not only would convey the history of a people, but also would convey the values on which that society was based. Learning about the hero's and gods of the past would teach students of the future how to act and behave and how to live as a people.

After I was done explaining this, I asked the student if he remembered any good tales or stories from camping trips, fishing trips, or campfires that he had been to. He got a wistful look on his face and said 'no'- this boy had grown up to be a man without ever hearing any stories about the past or hearing any fables that convey values. And if he isn't hearing about the values of the past, there is no possibility that he is reading about them in his textbooks at school- the textbooks that are used in class around the nation are sucked dry of anything controversial, including any talk about values or meaning.

The books and lessons that students receive have no values to them and lack meaning. They are simply facts, dates, people, and events, separated from any larger context and severed from any sort of connection to reality. Great men are not examples to follow or avoid- they are simply dead people from the past. Turning points in history are not to be analyzed and judged, but rather studied and dissected like a bug. Inventions and discoveries are not to be marveled at and inspire, but rather to memorized and filed away. The education that students are receiving is devoid of inspiration, honor, horror, surprise, shock, sadness, love, bravery, marvel, courage, or other values- it is simply information.

A society with a valueless education system and a country raised on textbooks and lessons without meaning is not going to be a successful country in the future.