opinions are like... yeah.

We should let professionals do their
jobs, or else what we're trying to fix
could get even more broken.
[photo credit] 

I'm trying to figure out why everyone feels that their opinions about how to "fix" education are correct. In my daily dealings, I find soooo many people who haven't set foot in a K-12 institution for more than a graduation since their own yet think that they know best on how to solve a problem that has existed for as long as a public education system has existed in America. (Because, let's keep it real, the system has never been equitable, it's just that now people actually care.) It's so weird.

I have been lectured countless times by people who think they know what they're talking about, and it's getting rather ridiculous/hilarious. I mean, do these people tell doctors how best to practice medicine? Or tell lawyers the best argument for a case? I doubt it. But when it comes to education, everyone has an opinion. The most ridiculous/hilarious part, however, is that everyone seems to have the same opinion. It's to the point where was out recently with someone who tried to debate me on education stuff, and I found myself saying "I know what you're about to say, and here's why you're wrong."

Now, I don't want to speculate on why random people are all regurgitating Milton Friedman's free market talking points on vouchers, public sector unions, or charter schools. I'll save that for another post. Rather, I really want to go back to the point of why... Why does this happen?? What is it about education that makes everyone think that they know better than the people who actually work in the field? Is it because everyone went through some sort of K-12 system that they think their first hand experience counts for something?

Eh, maybe.

But I think it's deeper than that. I think it has a lot to do with the degraded status of the field of education in the public eye. People don't question doctors or lawyers because they see them as expert professionals who were trained well and know what they are doing. People don't see educators like that, especially not teachers. I have written previously about the lack of professionalization in teaching, and I think that argument is applicable here.

I think the larger part, however, is that the general public doesn't understand how hard it is to teach. Here is a brief thought experiment that will [hopefully] help them understand. Try explaining one concept to 20+ different people who think, learn, and behave in 20+ different ways... at the same time. It's not easy. Then factor in all of the other things that contribute to these 20+ different lives. Then factor in that you have 5+ sets of 20+ people with 20+ circumstances, but they all must learn this one concept because the concept is on a test that is not normed on your 100+ students and is not written at the actual grade level of your 100+ students, and is known to be an inaccurate representation of the ability of our 100+ students... But if they fail, you fail, your school fails, and it could possibly be shut down. Welcome to urban education.

This is not a stretch.

People with opinions about education are allowed to have them, but they also need to understand that they don't know everything, and that it's wrong (and harmful) to point fingers when they don't know the facts. Is the education system perfect? Absolutely not. Will these uninformed opinions solve it? Absolutely not. If you truly care about fixing the system, educate yourself. Ask questions of those in the know instead of just stating opinions as realities and running with one set of 'reforms' that have questionable origins and have been proven not to work.

Or just leave it to the professionals. You know, like you would if we were doctors...