Dewey: Dysfunctional Education & Society
August 16, 2010
BY L.C. VINCENT (for henrymakow.com)
Some of the fruits of John Dewey "vision" in the classroom include:
- schools no longer employ teachers, but "facilitators" who are no longer "authority figures" , but friends who help children "get along."
- children's "social interests" and "self expression" are more important than their "intellectual interests." Student' feelings are what matter -- not "facts" or knowledge
- "cooperative learning" promotes lowest common denominator "group think" for problem solving.
- whole language (word memorization) rather than phonics (word construction) permanently cripples children's' ability to read, which effectively sabotages the rest of their lives.
- "fuzzy math"' and "inventive spelling" where children are lauded for their "creativity" rather than graded on an objectively right or wrong answer, is the new norm; this permanently corrupts children's ability or desire to solve problems and achieve the one correct answer;
- the self-esteem movement and mantra -- all opinions are equally valuable. For if the child can be made to feel good about him/her self, irrespective of any objective valid reason for doing so, then they will provide less friction with their peers, thereby enhancing the process of "socialization: which is the goal of the educational process in Deweyland. The "self-esteem" movement tries to patch up the emotional wreckage of children who cannot read, spell or solve mathematical problems;
- the drugging of an entire generation of students for ADD and other social-behavioral disorders often created in the classroom by Dewey programs.
Dewey's Corruption Spreads to American Society
- values are changeable and transitory -- there are no "absolutes"
- situational ethics and "relativism" are now an acceptable philosophy of life -- if it feels good, do it
- feminism is now promoted as if one sex has all the answers to society's ills -- and since women have the answers, men should emulate them
- rampant drug use and abuse
- rampant sexual promiscuity and experimentation, pregnancies at increasingly younger ages, along with the debasement and degradation of women and men
- fashions -- especially for youth promote the look of prostitutes as role models for women, and pimps and gang bangers for men
- an emphasis on excessive drinking and alcoholic consumption via popular MTV shows to fit into the group behavioral consensus
- affirmative action -- scholastic and professional opportunities opened to all ethnic and sexual minorities with little concern over qualifications (Caucasians need not apply)
- sensitivity training --necessary to indoctrinate business men and women to be "sensitive" to minorities of all persuasions and sexualities (note: does not apply to Caucasians)
- hate speech restrictions: any word, phrase or line of social or historic inquiry which might possibly offend some ethnic or sexual minority somewhere is now "off limits" or forbidden because it is considered "politically incorrect"
- the creation of an increasingly unethical and predatory business class and financial elite. Since there are no absolutes of right or wrong, whatever "works" must therefore be "good" -- for them...
- the metro-sexual society; sexuality is now a "choice" and bi means "having it" both ways; the blurring of sexual identities
All of these current aberrations in our society can be traced back to the "progressive" philosophy of education.
Once Dewey had established his beachhead in academia, Rockefeller--Illuminist money made it possible to bring over the Marxist "Institute for Society Research" which carried over the destruction Dewey started in the school room and brought it further into the board room and then into main stream of American life.
CONCLUSION
Like Hitler and Goebbels, Dewey realized the importance of infecting youth with their distinct world vision. Almost paraphrasing Hitler's famous statement on education, Dewey's associate F. Potter concluded: "Education is thus a most powerful ally of humanism, and every American public school is a school of humanism. What can the theistic Sunday schools, meeting for an hour once a week, teaching only a fraction of the children, do to stem the tide of a five-day program of humanistic teaching?"
Now more than six decades later, we can view the wreckage strewn over the sands of time.
The remedy is clear as well. Home schooling, local parental control over schools and education, the abolition of all Federal involvement, the elimination of the PTA, the elimination of all teacher's unions, and a return to the basics and classics of education taught before John Dewey corrupted American education and society.
LC Vincent
lcvincent88@bigstring.com
Leona said (August 17, 2010):
Just wanted to comment that my daughter was sent home with as assignment that was confusing and smelled of the public school agenda.
I web searched some of the principles and was disgusted. This is the new Social Studies Curriculam for our state. You have to dig a bit on the site but the deeper you go the more obvious it becomes.
Needless to say this is our last year, next year we are going to become a homeschooling family.
links:
http://www.socialstudies.org/about
http://www.socialstudies.org/positions/powerful
http://www.socialstudies.org/resources/moments
http://www.socialstudies.org/about
http://www.socialstudies.org/about/strateicplan
My daughter is being asked to create a poster about herself that represents the 5 enduring understandings.
You can only imagine the surprise when the teacher sees our take on this assignment :)
Our daughter is smarter than they think, one of her beliefs and ideals she is covering (by her own choice) is how bad Television is for kids.