Chapter Ten

My grandfather retired from Caterpillar about ten years ago. Towards the end of his career, he developed a branch of the human resources department that focused on working with schools to help prepare students for the workforce. Through this process, he found that many teachers and administration employees were reluctant to participate in the program. This reluctance to teach students skills that are not necessarily related to the academic realm is still an epidemic today. Before I enter tyrannical rant mode, I would like to make a disclaimer. I firmly believe, like Burke, that every student should have an academic basis for their education. Standards are important. Students should be able to comprehend and analysis text at their grade level. Students should be able to utilize correct grammar and math skills. However, those are not the only abilities a student should have. Standards should be the foundation of the structure of education, not the entire fortress.

I really enjoyed Burke’s exploration of “skills needed for the ‘flat’ world.” While reading, it occurred to me that these “skills” do not have to be taught separately from basic academic standards. They can be taught at the same time. For example, students can complete a project about the background information from the Enlightenment period in groups. Therefore, the students will learn course material while gaining “collaborator” skills. The skills a student needs to obtain during their educational career do not have to be segregated. Standards can be taught alongside other important skills. It is the standardized tests that carry a negative connotation, not the standards themselves. Standards are an important basis for education, but the must not be the only focus of educational professionals. Students should also have the opportunity to gain skills like the list Burke describes.