Does The Present System of Education Encourage Us To Admit Our Lack of Knowledge? Or Is There Too Much Pressure To Demonstrate The Acquisition of Knowledge?

Lesson 33

Today’s essay topic is whether the present system of education encourages us to admit our lack of knowledge, or whether there is too much pressure to demonstrate the acquisition of knowledge.

As I post this essay, the Covid19 ‘pandemic’ is happening and most of the schools are closed. So I will be typing about what it was like before the schools closed.

Now, I noticed that the question did not specify which educational system, so this gives me quite a wide range. This is because schooling can be broken up into two main categories, homeschooling and schooling preformed with the help of a school building, board, and teachers. However, even these categories can be broken up into various forms of schooling. For schooling with the help of a school board, this would include public schools, as well as private schools. But, homeschooling is very broad, with many different curricula, ideas, and such. Therefore, I will address these two different types of homeschooling separately.

Let’s start with the category of schooling with the help of a school building. First, let’s focus on public schooling.

Due to the fact that public schooling deals with lots of children at the same time, there is not the ability to focus on each individual child. Instead, the child is forced to keep up with the smarter children. This system of education does not encourage people to admit with which things they are struggling.  In addition, private schools do not seem to encourage us to admit our lack of knowledge. Part of this could also be due to peer-pressure.

However, I will admit that I have never been part of a public or private school for long term schooling purposes. I have had the privilege of being home schooled ever since I was a small child.

This leads us into homeschooling. Even in homeschooling, depending on the person, there can be peer-pressure. This is especially true if a student is part of a CO-OP or other such curricula.

Just to clarify, what I mean by peer-pressure in this case is the pressure to be the smartest, quickest, most intelligent mind in the class…even when they don’t understand the concepts presented to them.

This can be prevented if the teacher or administer of the information watches carefully to see whether their students understand the principles which they are teaching. It can also be prevented by creating an environment for which children to not feel as though they are competing with each other.

However, some homeschooling curricula are less competitive and can help children focus on actually learning the information presented to them.

So in summary, my answer to the essay question is that I think that public and private schooling as well as some homeschooling curricula can be incubators of peer-pressure, therefore, causing an environment that does not encourage us to admit our lack of knowledge. This may also prohibit us from seeking help to understand concepts for which we lack the knowledge. Also, though some homeschooling curricula may not be so sensitive to make sure that they encourage the admitting of our lack of knowledge, others are. It is these curricula that can help children, pupils, and students to thrive.

~SonofYHWH