Wednesday, February 22, 2006

The Dumbing Down of American Education

What has happened to No-Child-Left-Behind? It began with so much promise but seems to have lost some of its zeal in the shadow of Iraq or Afghanistan. We may be able to turn out soldiers in America, but we slowly seem to be losing the ability to turn out scholars. No where has this become more apparent to me than a private college in Dallas, Texas.

The counselor was extremely helpful and worked diligently to get me enrolled. He gave me the information packet and assured me that it was a great program. I felt that I asked all the right questions. Is the program recognized by the ABA? He assured me that the program was accredited and job placement was assured, but not guaranteed. There is no accreditation. Upon seeing the counselor a few weeks into the program,he discovered that I was unhappy and he apologized profusely. He said that he just tells people what the college instructs him to. I even spoke to the President of the school to bring an issue to her attention, she assured me that she would call or email me with her findings. This was just more lip-service; I never heard from her.

I began the program with high hopes and high expectations, concerned that I would find it difficult to maintain my 4.0 in what sounded like such a comprehensive program. I naively assumed that the program would be worth what I considered the exorbitant price of nearly $30K for a two-year degree. I justified the cost in my mind by the convenience of the class schedule. It was geared toward adults with children and with jobs who were considering a career change.

I had researched and done my homework -or so I believed- until the first week of classes. I assured myself that I was over-reacting. There was no reason to panic just because many students in my Composition I class didn’t know what a verb was and could not pick one out in a sentence. The instructor seemed knowledgeable and professional, yet he too "dumbed down" his class. There would be no homework, nor would there be any long term papers; we would do most class work in pairs or small groups and the way to get an “A” would be to show up for class. The class continued to struggle through the syntax of the English language and I became the "floater," that would be the person who went around and helped others with their work. I knew I had much to learn about writing, but little of it would happen in this class.

The program director teaches my first class of the day. On a good day she is 30 minutes late. The first hour is usually lost to waiting and then conversation. Sometimes the second hour is dedicated to learning, but not always. I am continually asking myself, "What I am doing here?" a question the instructor asked me after a few days in class. An Intro Class was not what I needed after having finished the first year of a similar program in Indiana, but it was a requirement. I couldn't help but wonder how this school developed such a program! There are so many incredible programs in other areas that they could have modeled, but instead they seem to have flung together a high-priced imitation that is severely lacking in credibility and substance.

I have consistently dedicated myself to learning, whether I was enrolled in school or not I feel there is something to learn every day. Each book I read and every situation I encounter offers some knowledge that I didn't have before. Perhaps now I am to learn tolerance, patience-- or new ways to waste time and money! It is a shame that colleges don't have to abide by the same standards as public schools. I am too old to be a soldier.