School System of a Down

I was going to be a teacher, because I believed that every child had the right to the best education they worked for.  However, after really looking into things, I learned that the system wasn't built for teacher/student relationships, but for the school to create unrealistic goals for students, while the teachers were caught in the crossfire.

This morning only addressed this issue even more.  One of my co-workers came to me and asked about a laptop they were going to get to replace their desktop computer.  It's a genius idea, but they were looking at a 10" net book for $200.  She then asked me about "Power Point" for her kids' homework.  I looked at her, confused, and made her rethink the question.  She was 99% sure her kids were using Power Point for their homework.

Holy cow, they're already teaching kids how to incorrectly use presentation software.  I died a little on the inside and told her that Office was a suite of tools, that couldn't be bought separately.  She was a little annoyed that her kids had to have this $200 package that'll only be outdated in a year.  Again, I agreed, but on different terms that when undiscussed.

I understand that Microsoft gave away Office with every new computer for a while, and when the government cracked down, they had to remove it, but at the same time the damage had already been done.  Gates is a genius, and knowing that if he could get his stuff out only to have to take it away after a while, his product was already out there, and people were already using it, so now they'd have to pay to continue using it.  He got us hooked on his product, for free, then the government made him charge for it.  The dealer had legal rights to get us addicted.  It was genius!

Now the education system is trying to catch up with computer technology, and trying to stay with the pace of how often technology moves, so they implement new ways of teaching, doing homework, etc.  I'm taking two online classes this semester, both use an online service that my two lecture classes uses as well.  It works.  I don't have to buy new software, and since my Office key no longer works on my laptop, then I have to use Open Office, which works just fine.  However, the school system says "You have to use Power Point because we are sheep of the great Gates, and... baaah....  and we will follow aimlessly because we've been taught to do so!"

It reminds me of the iconic Apple commercial from the 80's.  The woman runs in, while the sheep follow instructions, then throws  hammer through the screen.  This is the example needing to be taken in today's world: be a hammer thrower!  Stop following aimlessly, it's not helping anyone.