Education and Democracy: How We Need Both

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Education is an important part in sustaining a Democracy. Without an educated citizenry we would fall apart as a free nation. All aspects of our political and economic system rely on a literate and able group to carry out the necessary processes and duties of our country. In sustaining itself our nation has imparted itself on creating and sustaining systems that maintain Democracy.
One of the biggest systems that must be devised is one that transfers knowledge across generations, therefore it comes to no surprise that we have an established public school system whose intent is to educate every child without extra price, even going so far as to cover transportation and food for those who're unable to cover it. Yet the state has set the program in such a way where students are treated more like machines in an assembly line being injected with facts and tests. Students run through different courses with the same systematic approach found in the 1920's factory lines. Every child is for the most part treated as if they were different bodies with the same mental intellect. There is little room for creativity, petty tolerance for individualism, and zero understanding of how the world is changing around us.
To shock no one, I must make it clear that the public education system in the US is broken. It's in dire need for an intellectual and policy reboot. Our public education system is a horse drawn carriage in an era of high speed rail and airplanes. An education is not merely memorization of statistics and dates. It's a deep understanding and recognizing the patterns found in manmade society and in nature. It's learning multiple subjects at once to understand why they work together, not just to recite them back at the end of the week ...

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...ake financial statements, but they are not teachers, they are not the ones directly involved with educating a free country. Therefore, they have no place in setting up “elaborate” curriculum full of scantrons and other failed policies.

We have already witnessed a change in education in small pockets throughout the world. With some schools allowing private companies to present sessions and hands on demonstrations on how the industry works in the modern world. Giving presentations and hands on activities to stimulate children into becoming better citizens and participants for the 21st century. The educational system is in need for dire repair, and a hands on approach that enables the ones near our children every day is the only one bound to work.

Works Cited

"SparkFun National Tour." - Learn.SFE. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. .

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