Increasing illiteracy rates and decreasing rates of mastering common knowledge have become highly visible trends within education systems right across North America.
Millennials, in particular, have been identified as the least educated and most illiterate generation in recent history. However, this is not the fault of that generation, or necessarily of others similarly afflicted by illiteracy and its attendant symptoms. Most of the problem can be blamed on the education systems and the teaching trends followed by most schools across North America.
Moreover, it’s not just about ‘what’ is being taught (or not taught), but about ‘how’ it is being taught. Perhaps the most disturbing realization about what has been called ‘progressive education’ is that its teaching methods have been intentionally designed to interfere with and cripple students’ ability to reason. This is no mere accusation, but is the explicit and stated goal of the architects of progressive education.
While for most this is an unthinkable and sinister thing to do to children, to those intent on nurturing compliant and obedient followers incapable of resisting the forces of collectivism, it’s the perfectly appropriate thing to do. It is a practice that has been growing and gaining acceptance within public schools for the better part of the last century. More than any single cause, this practice is responsible for today’s shocking level of illiteracy and for the increasing number of young people who cannot reason objectively or think independently. Continue reading »