Weston Bass

English 102-024
Maya Alapin
November 23, 2014
A Manifesto on Education
Education is not recitation. Education is not memorization. Education is not learning to
conform.
Education is teaching PROBLEM SOLVING.
Take those facts you've cataloged away. Organize them in your mind to find connections, draw
conclusions and most importantly, solve problems.
Schools today are merely institutions designed to help students take tests faster. They are no
longer temples of knowledge; they are temples of standardized tests. They are rarely places that
teach you to think. Challenging students to find new ways to tackle everyday problems, to
question why things are done the way they are; that is what real education should be. Schools
today focus on answering What? while avoiding even asking Why? Asking why leads to real
discovery. Asking what leads to flash cards.
The trouble with our way of educating is that it does not give elasticity to the
mind. It casts the brain into a mold. It insists that the child must accept. It does not
encourage original thought or reasoning, and it lays more stress on memory than
observation.
-Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison was a problem solver. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. Thomas Edison
invented the phonograph. Thomas Edison invented the movie camera. Thomas Edison never took
a standardized test.
Of course we need to be taught the fundamentals of science, mathematics, reading and writing.
But we shouldnt stop there. Application is just as important as understanding. Too often we see
people at work, professionals with college degrees and years of experience, mindlessly following
prescribed patterns and well-worn trails; never stopping to ask themselves or others, "Could we

do this differently? Could we do this better?" Those two questions are what separate the world
changers from the cogs.
We should not want our children to be cogs.
Thus a list of proposals to improve the education in America:
1. Eliminate standardized testing as the sole measure of student performance.
2. Begin foreign language education in kindergarten.
3. Expand federally funded Pre-K programs to all 50 states.
4. Begin teaching the principles of science in kindergarten.
1. Eliminate standardized testing as the sole measure of student performance.
Standardized testing has completely taken over our schools. These tests are designed to measure
how much a student has learned, and allow teachers and schools to target their deficiencies. In
reality, these tests have turned schools into 8 hour a day test prep factories, where speedy
recitation of facts is the pinnacle of student achievement. Test preparation has replaced teaching.
Funding is held hostage by test results. Teachers and administrations have felt pressured to even
alter test scores to save their jobs. The unintended consequences of these tests has cripples the
ability of schools to adapt curriculum to suit the needs of students. Curriculum now suits the
needs of the tests. Our students are more valuable than their test scores.
2. Begin foreign language education in kindergarten.
Nowhere else in the world is foreign language education held back until high school age.
Language skills and development are most fertile during the early years of a childs education.
Learning a foreign language helps children better understand the universal mechanics and logic
of grammar and syntax. These skills lead to better writers, better communicators. Who wouldnt
want a generation that can better be understood and better understand one another?
3. Expand federally funded Pre-K programs to all 50 states.
The earlier a child begins structured education, the better. Pre-K programs also have the ancillary
benefit of helping stay-at-home parents return to the work force earlier, alleviating some causes
of poverty. Instilling the values of self-discipline and self-control at an early age will pay

dividends throughout the entire life of a child. These skills are crucial for success both in and
out of the classroom. The earlier students can be exposed to the social and disciplinary structure
of school, the sooner they can mature and proceed with applying those skills to educating
themselves.
4. Begin teaching the principles of science in kindergarten.
Much like foreign language skills, understanding the importance of the scientific method is
critical for long term academic success. Observing, hypothesizing, testing and revising are the
cornerstones of problem solving. In combination to the fundamentals of science, we can inspire
our children to not accept the status quo. Question everything, observe results, look for potential
improvements. These are the characteristics that will drive innovation, progress and solutions for
an increasingly complex world.
These four proposals will transform education from a mindless industry of recitation, repetition
and conformity into a tool to sharpen minds into problem solving free thinkers. The purpose of
education is to empower students to think for themselves and never accept impossibilities.
We will not let our children be cogs!