by Marsha Welch

Created on: August 17, 2008

The woes of public education seem to be receiving a lot of attention in recent years. It seems that the problem with public education is not an education issue at all, but primarily an economic one.

In the beginning when compulsory education was implemented, it was rejected by the citizenry in some states. Hindsight being 20/20, we can see that it happened anyway. In the infancy of this great country, our forefathers knew what it meant to be governed by others, whether for religion or power, or both. They were quite hesitant in forming anything which smacked of being controlled in their freedom of choice on any issue. But, somehow, someone managed to squeak by in instituting government-run education, or to put it nicely, public education.

Have you ever wondered why? Why could the knowledgeable people of the community not educate their own? It seems like there must have been some motivation on the government's part to take on such a huge project, at public cost. I submit to you that there was a motive. Perhaps industrialization? Let us explore that thought for a moment. How could public education further the industrial revolution? Quite simply, by training laborers. Laborers who would need to know how to work as a group. The people lived in small communities and were not forced to collaborate with those outside of their communities. But for industry to work, large groups of people had to be assembled in one place to get the job done. The only way to get people to willingly associate with those outside of their small communities was to enlarge their communities from the outset. What better way than education? Children from every family would be required to assemble at school. There, under the guidance of the teacher and the threat of punishment for non-compliance, the children learned to "get along with others." They were taught the same basic rules, presented with the same sets of ideas, and encouraged to educate themselves so they could go to work! Just as we do today.

Public education has changed really very little in the past 100 years, as far as their mission goes. There has really been no reason to change, because what they were created to accomplish was being accomplished and in so doing has employed many over the years, including me.

The only reason I see that public education is having a problem is this: The industries do not have a place for the product of a public education any longer. Where are today's students going? It doesn't seem that there are going to be any employers left when the free trade agreement has plowed it's way through America. And whatever happened to the morals in America? Didn't we impose sanctions on countries because they mistreated their people? Why is that agreeable, now? I don't believe many people had any idea what would happen as a result of these economic policies other than those who stood to benefit most from them. Now our education system is struggling to catch up with changes already set in motion. I only hope they can find a new place of opportunity for our children, before it is too late.

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