Over the years, I have been writing about misconceptions regarding the schooling process. The purpose of these posts is to explain why I disagree with various comments that I have heard people make about schooling. These are meant as personal thoughts rather than conclusive proof, and I will admit that I'm not always the best at explaining my thoughts. Regardless, I have decided that I should be willing to share these posts when I encounter someone online who makes an argument that I have already discussed.
Years ago, I posted about my frustrations with the "right way" mentality behind our schools. I have decided to address this again for the purpose of including this flawed concept with misconceptions regarding the schooling process.
A major goal of the schools is to train children the right way to perform a task. The problem with this goal is that there is rarely a single right way to perform any task. In most cases, the best way to do something is not consistent between individuals. Teaching a single correct approach can and frequently does inhibit students from finding what works best for them.
To further complicate things, teachers are not basing their approach off of what they see as the best approach possible. They can only look at the best approaches that they know. There can always be a better way to do things. The enforcement of an existing single right way discourages individuals for looking for something better. This absolutely should be viewed as a regressive mindset.
In many ways, it makes sense that teachers are making this mistake. Schools have maintained the same core teaching beliefs for centuries. The process is severely flawed, but the teaching profession is completely unwilling to deviate from what they consider to be the right way to teach. Does anyone honestly believe that teachers who embrace this regressive approach will ask the exact opposite from their students?
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