We're Only Human
Public education deserves humanity in the coming tech revolution
I’ve watched the light drain out of my kid’s eyes for something that isn’t true. It’s agony for me as a parent to watch this happen, even though I’m sure it happens to most of us for one reason or another. I was obliquely aware of the failings of public education, but becoming a parent has made them visceral and constant. I have a very bright child who has always been curious, outgoing, friendly, and smart. From a young age, he spoke like an adult and constantly asked questions. He loves music and art and has always been very creative. In 1st grade, things took a turn. He started to have a low-grade anger, he was irritable, and he wasn’t doing well in school. He had gotten the message that school wasn’t his thing, and he surmised he just wasn’t smart and emotionally withdrew from academics. This is where my journey navigating the public education system began- testing, meetings, emails, blah.
Our situation is by no means severe- but it is a situation where a little bit of targeted help goes a long way. In 2nd grade, he was put into a smaller class with a more rigorous focus on the areas where he was slightly weak, and it made so much of a difference! I was so incredibly grateful for his teacher (more of an expert in these specific areas), and he excelled. He entered a more typical 3rd grade class the following year. The year after the miracle class, I was told that there would no longer be that program that helped kids who had learning weaknesses to focus more intensely with fewer students and more instruction. I couldn’t help but think about other moms like me. How they must be feeling, and how this very small program made such a world of difference for my kid. What a loss. Why did it go away? I’m not sure. I never got a clear answer- I’m assuming funding?
Once my child had caught up with some of the learning weaknesses we identified, the only other issue was standardized testing. This has been the white whale. He just clicks through the test, finishing in comically little time. In addition to the standardized tests they have to take, they also frequently do in-house diagnostic testing to see where the students are. It’s miserable, and it’s not helping my kid to think he has any value in the educational system. Despite his good classwork, he gets labelled (or at least gets the impression) that he isn’t good at school.
These poor test scores were the opposite of the good grades he was getting in his daily work. All the decisions about placement or any other programs he might thrive in are based on these tests. I went into meetings about his accommodations (which he qualifies for), and I left that meeting with ZERO accommodations to address this issue. There were so few options on what was “allowed” because of state regulations or rules or whatever that none of the options would address the problems he was having. Motivation to try in school has been incredibly difficult and is starting to come back a bit now that he is older, and we can explain things to him in a way that he is starting to comprehend.
I cannot imagine how a parent or a kid in a worse situation would get through this. I had the time and the ability to advocate and research and bother the school, doctors, etc. to make this happen- and it still wasn’t as helpful as it could’ve been. It feels like the stain of how he felt about himself and what he thought he was is etched so deeply on him that I’m not sure if it will ever go completely away.
While going through this process, almost like a cruel joke, the Trump administration unilaterally (and illegally) began to dismantle the Department of Education. The only institution with the job of forcing schools to make sure they are doing what they need to do to (attempt) to give every child a decent education. The Dept. of Ed. Plays an outsized role in special education specifically. This enraged me. There has been a deliberate attempt to slowly reduce school funding over the years and to deliberately create dysfunction and deprioritize public education. Teachers are treated horribly. And yet, there can be no quality society or democracy without an educated citizenry. How is the “American Dream” supposed to be attainable if kids can’t read? Or critically think? Is that really what we all want? A country that only wants wealthy kids who can afford school to go?
There has been a push to incorporate even more tech into schools and eventually utilize A.I. I’m wary of this for many reasons. We can see now how screens have negatively impacted kids. How endless testing doesn’t capture or leverage the strengths of so many kids- including my own. My biggest red flag is what our tech overlords are doing with their own kids. I remember reading years ago how Steve Jobs’ kids didn’t have an iPad. He didn’t allow them to have any tech. You read about that over and over again with the current set of tech leaders who are actively creating and bringing forth the current technological revolution. They are speaking a lot about how big the impacts on jobs and how drastic the societal change will be, but you never hear them say a word about education. If they, more than anyone, have the best understanding of what’s already coming for us, then why aren’t they advising Congress or speaking out about how education should shift? If our kids will be the workforce in the new world, then how should we prepare them? The only crumb we hear about is what they are doing with their own kids: keeping the tech away from them at all costs.
I see two main options of what is going on here: either a rational personal decision based on what they are seeing and learning from their work, and/or a deliberate choice to shield their children and an elite class from the massive upheaval of this inevitable revolution. It’s probably a both/and situation. The result would be the same, condemning most kids in this country to an underclass of sorts that would be almost impossible to transcend. This is all happening without us having any say in the matter. What does it say about the architects of the new era that they are either willfully or thoughtlessly plunging the rest of us into that reality? Do we want the foundations of the next phase of society to be imbued with the amoral DNA of these guys? I can’t help but compare this possibility to the racism that infected every structure in the founding of this country. An ever-present energy that still haunts us. What signature will these new guys leave behind? What will haunt us?
The ground is shifting underneath our feet, and the kids are going to fall in if this trajectory holds. I find that horrifically unacceptable, and I can’t for the life of me understand why more people aren’t screaming from the rooftops about it. So, where the fuck is Congress? They are supposed to be regulating this. They are supposed to be looking at education and seeing around corners to protect the public good. It appears they are a combination of old and/or paid off. Unable or unwilling for a myriad of reasons to address the issue meaningfully. The money and power of the wealthy have rendered democracy useless at this point. We all feel it. That corruption fills me with righteous rage.
The future of education should center on our humanity. What better way to prepare for the A.I./ tech revolution than to double down on what differentiates the new tech from people? If I could wave my magic wand, we would fund all schools equitably, and they would NOT be tied to property taxes. This is a big reason why the socioeconomic status of parents determines the outcomes of their children. All kids should get the chance to be whoever they are meant to be. Every kid deserves an equal chance, and I thought that was what we were already supposed to be doing?! Society benefits so much from nurturing intelligence of all kinds; you never know where genius comes from, and why would we not bet on every kid?
I would have every child tested for learning differences, neurodivergence, etc. This is such a devastating and normal occurrence in public education. My experience was a minor one when compared to so many other families. This should be a screening tool utilized so kids don’t have to be failing before they are given interventions that address many extremely fixable issues. Seeing the impact on my child was gut-wrenching. No one deserves that when there are so many interventions that are possible. This alone could literally change so many lives.
We should ditch the tech and move towards models like the Montessori/Waldorf. Curriculum that prepares our kids for the world that is already coming is critical. I don’t understand why public education can’t be more responsive when we get real data like the literacy rates and research about the impacts of technology on developing brains.
I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge how grateful I am to many of the teachers and educators who I’ve had and who have made a difference for my kids. I have always had respect for teachers and the important role they play. COVID really drove home how indispensable they are. I scroll TikTok and see countless clips of teachers who love teaching crying in their cars and quitting. We need to value teachers and pay them accordingly. Without teachers and educators, there are no jobs, economy, or democracy. They are quite literally an integral part of the foundation of any successful country, and we should act like it.
There is a future I want for my son where these amazing tools could transform our human experience. A world where my kids’ creativity, openness, and curiosity, in partnership with these tools, could yield a new golden age for our country. I wish for him a longer, healthier, and more fulfilling life where the mundane processes of the present day could be mitigated, and leave people free to lean into humanity and themselves. I wish that for all of us.
I want to hear from you guys! What’s your experience with public education? What are your off-the-wall ideas? What problems do you see as being the biggest issues to address?