Dept. of Our Collapsing Schools

I have already concluded that the reason our school systems are collapsing (or have collapsed, depending on just how far gone you feel they are) is due to the fact that it's far easier to lead a nation of ignorant people than a nation of intelligent, questioning, reasoning people. In fact, I found this quote at A Life of Freedom this morning that says it better than I can:

"Reason and Ignorance, the opposites of each other, influence the great bulk of mankind. If either of these can be rendered sufficiently extensive in a country, the machinery of Government goes easily on. Reason obeys itself; and Ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it." -- Thomas Paine

So here's another example of what our school system is doing to our children, allowed by our apathy, via Emuse:

Gently, gently, Mama began to probe with her 8-year-old the ramifications of grading a whole class based on the behavior of a few students (especially those identified since kindergarten as incapable of marshalling self-discipline, let alone of expressing learning skills). What, I asked, were individuals assessed upon?

That may seem a bit over-wrought --- unless you have children partaking of the current public education system. And, as I always hasten to add, ours is a very good public education system.

Unfortunately, more and more, "very good" is coming to mean: I'll teach your children to read, write and cipher in exchange for being allowed to indoctrinate them in socialist, entitlement, tolerance dogma. "Bad" is coming to mean: I'll indoctrinate them in the same, but won't bother to teach 'em to read, write and cipher.

That's it precisely. And it defines the difference between "collapsing" and "collapsed." Go read the whole post.

Nod to Acidman for the pointer.