too busy banning books that make them smarter
this post was submitted on 21 Jun 2023
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Anti-intellectualism is extremely popular in the US.
I'm terrified of the downstream effects because these kids will have to care for themselves (and me!) - but will be wholly reliant on someone/something else for the most basic knowledge, and skills to do so.
On top of poor test scores for math and reading which may/may not be mostly attributed to the quality of education during pandemic lockdowns.
The percentage of 13-year-olds who reported reading for fun has also declined. Last fall, 31 percent said they “never or hardly ever” read for fun, compared to 22 percent in 2012.
This is tragic, and terrifying.
Anecdotally, I see this in my own kids, but an actively encouraging against these tendencies.
There's a social component that was lost due to the isolation from lockdowns which seems to contribute to a lack of interest in "meatspace," in general that I can't seem to ignore.
This is the generation that has been raised in the “attention economy” of social media companies trying their absolute hardest to keep them engaged on their screen.
Sitting down and reading a book requires attention and focus that many of todays youth find very difficult to do.
Can't say I blame them. I was an avid reader for pleasure right into college but that all slowed down as the internet took hold and the massive font of media now was its death knell. Does not help that my eyesite is horrible [likely from all those years reading in bad light :) ]. The last thing I read is jordans last wheel of time. If amazon does not complete the series I will never know how the mistborn guy ended it.
It’s phones. Phones are a major problem that no one is willing or able to combat. Schools gave up on trying to ban them because the parents pitch a fit and go to the school board to insist they need to be able to contact their children at all times.
I asked a colleague yesterday if his daughter—who was an avid reader just a few years ago—had checked out the Libby app yet and he said she barely reads now… because she got a cellphone.*
Until we are willing to break ourselves and our children of this addiction education will continue to decline.
*I am aware there is a certain irony in me complaining about cellphones and also recommending an app that is meant to be accessed via cellphone/tablet, but the point still stands!
Performance has fallen significantly since the 2019-2020 school year, when the coronavirus pandemic wrought havoc on the nation’s education system. But the downward trends reported today began years before the health crisis, raising questions about a decade of disappointing results for American students.
For anyone too eager to simply blame the pandemic. This trend was already happening, which means that we can't simply expect things to improve now that school life is back to normal.
This down trend is happening on purpose.
The powers that be want, and probably need, a steady supply of workers willing to work for pay that basically equates to nothing.
This is really just tragic.
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