PBS Episode 4

In episode 4 of the PBS education documentary, we get a look into a more “modern” education system. After viewing the episode it’s actually hard to believe that it is modern in the slightest. Everything seems off about it. I remember when I went through the same education system and never thinking much of it at the time. However, looking back I can see all the flaws that I was introduce to at an early age. It was a time testing was the big fad in the school system and only some schools had begun a standards based education, if any did at all. This is not to say that things did not improve with the system since its beginning but little can be left to doubt that there was still a long way to go before we find a correct formula. Even today, there are so many schools that are still stuck in the past. This final episode really made me think about how education is today. I mostly think about our government and how a lot is left up to individual states and how those decisions are decided by people who never look to the future because they believe it to be too costly. If only they could see the benefits of investing in our education system today so that tomorrow, we could reap what we sowed. Unfortunately, a lot of people in power have a hard time seeing past what is right in front of them. They choose to spend money on less important things instead of funding the students that will one day run this country.