It’s no secret: the education system isn’t perfect. Far from it. There are many negative things that can be said about it, but this article isn’t going to contain a list of complaints. Instead I want to point out how impossible it is to design a perfect school system – it’s incredibly difficult to design something for 50 million unique students! How can they possibly please everyone?
A more pressing issue is if your son or daughter is receiving a quality education. Ultimately this is a responsibility of the parents – in-school learning is just one aspect, but there are others like manners, hygiene, and more that parents recognize as their responsibility. If in-school learning doesn’t teach something the student needs, it falls to the parents to fill in the gap after-school.
Given large class sizes, resource limitations, and the requirement to track progress, there is a shortage of creativity in schools. There aren’t enough projects that allow students to bring their ideas to life and make real things. But it is extremely important to learn this type of thinking! These are the people that push the human race forward! It’s not a multiple-choice world!
A recent article presents the stark contrast between the standardized testing approach to education and the Maker Faire. At the Maker Faire kid and adult do-it-yourselfers share their projects they have been working on, learn from each other, and most importantly, inspire each other. This event is just one way you can take charge of this area of your child’s education.
Computer programming is an excellent way to creatively make – there are no shortage of things that can be made, no supply costs, and no chance of snagging a finger in a buzz-saw! If you’d like to find out how you can get started, please we’re here to help.