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.
This post is meant to replace an old misconception with a version framed around what people are currently stating. The old misconception can be found at the link below.
https://maritimeorca1.blogspot.com/2013/01/misconception-27-we-could-not-have.html
There's a very easy way to debunk the absurd belief that teaching creates all other professions. All you have to do is point out the fact that there are professions that predate teaching. That makes this belief one of many that can be debunked with nothing more than common sense. Is that really enough, or should I take this further?
The teaching profession is all about transferring material from the teacher to the student. How did the first person learn any of this? Everything taught in the schools had to be learned elsewhere first. This is why I keep repeating something. There is nothing that can be learned in school that can't be learned elsewhere. Although pathways for some professions would have to change, the only profession that wouldn't exist without teaching is teaching.
In some cases, this should be obvious. Does anyone honestly believe that artists couldn't exist without teachers? Schools actively destroy creativity. Yes, there are artists out there who took art classes in school, but there have been a lot of artists who have not been formally trained.
Some professions complicate this discussion. What about doctors? Actually, I believe doctors predate teaching. At the very least, they would exist without teachers. It is possible to learn how to practice medicine with teachers, but how well can you learn without them?
Nobody is going to become a great doctor by listening to lectures or reading textbooks. The best way to learn is by doing. The health care industry utilizes expensive equipment. There can also be benefits to learning with actual bodies. Do I want people who want to become doctors to go around stealing corpses from cemeteries? No.
Under the current model, it's impossible to properly develop medical skills outside of schools unless you have no morals. I couldn't trust a doctor like that, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Keep in mind, however, that I'm talking about how we currently handle things. That doesn't mean an alternative model couldn't exist.
What if there is someone out there who would make a great doctor but a lousy student? In all honesty, I wouldn't mind if we tried to establish an alternative approach. I'm not a fan of prohibiting people from pursuing an area of strength due to an unrelated area of weakness. I'm not going to take responsibility for developing a new model because I lack expertise in the field. Regardless, I am certainly open to doctors entering the profession who are offered a suitable pathway outside of formal schooling.
Imagine that you have a major surgery ahead of you. You can choose between two doctors, both of whom have access to the finest equipment. One has extensive schooling and doctorate degrees from a prestigious medical school but has never performed the operation that you need. The other doesn’t even have a high school diploma but has a hundred similar surgeries performed in his life without any problems. Who would you choose?
Even if you disagree with me, keep in mind what the initial argument was. Would doctors exist without teachers? Absolutely. The idea that teachers make the medical profession possible is an outright lie.
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