(NaturalNews) Those interested in alternative health will inevitably encounter reality: free thinking individuals are routinely ridiculed for thinking outside of the box and breaking from social normality. While this can be frustrating, it is even more disturbing that this suppression of free thinking begins in our public school system. In fact, it can even be considered part of the inner structure of the curriculum.
10 Ways Public School Destroys Free Thinking1. In school, children are taught to wait to be told what to think and do, rather than being encouraged to show initiative and pursue their own ideas.
2. School teaches children to never become too deeply involved. The bell will ring just when they're engulfed in learning about the solar system to tell them it is time to start learning how to dissect a sentence. A child learns that no subject is truly meaningful or interesting, and therefore learns not to be truly interested in anything meaningful.
3. The school system fosters conformity rather than curiosity, because curiosity leads to questioning ideas and free thinking. This is a volatile and dangerous path because it will inevitably lead to the destruction of a carefully calibrated system of control. Therefore, curiosity is not part of the curriculum.
4. In school, the practice of religion is not allowed because this would be heresy. For, school itself establishes its own set of rules and commandments that religious beliefs would inherently contradict.
5. Our modern
school system weighs down children with homework and endless projects, making it impossible for them to find time to learn from parents and community members outside of school. This denies children what they need to become whole people that can function as productive members of their own community and of society as a whole.
6. School children don`t have the privilege of deciding what they believe and what values are important to them. Instead, they are instructed to be close minded and accept whatever they are told.
7. In school, children learn how to take orders and remain complacently obedient. They aren`t given the opportunity to develop their own moral compass to help them decide what is right or wrong.
8. The school system uses grades and statistics to label children and produce formulaic adults. Children are taught that they need to be told what they are worth. Individualism is discouraged, as is viewing themselves and others outside of these labels.
9. School as we know it actually encourages a caste system that divides children (and eventually adults) into categories based on its system of labels. Free thinkers are often labeled as misfits and are told to conform so they can be useful citizens.
10. Children in school learn very early on that
free speech is a farce. Fundamental human rights do not exist in school unless they are granted by the school authorities. Children are taught that basic human rights are actually privileges that can be revoked at any time if they do not surrender to the chain of command.
It is clear that if we rely on public schools to educate our children, free
thinking individuals will become extinct. Free thinking is a foundational ingredient for success, invention, progress and culture. These things cannot be taught through a curriculum but through life itself.
Further Reading:
Gatto, John Taylor. (1992) Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling. Published by New Society Publishers.
http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/the-failure-of-american-publi...http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thomas-moore/redefining-education-cult_...About the author
Elizabeth Walling is a freelance writer specializing in health and family nutrition. She is a strong believer in natural living as a way to improve health and prevent modern disease. She enjoys thinking outside of the box and challenging common myths about health and wellness. You can visit her blog to learn more:
www.livingthenourishedlife.com/2009/10/welcome.html
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