3 popular thoughts that I disagree with
WARNING: What you are about to read are my personal opinions and in no way directed at the reader or any other individual. Feel free to disagree. You can even let me know how wrong I am. I would like to think that I'm open enough for a persuasive argument to at least get me to reconsider.
P.S. Not sure what to think about the AI image generated below. Decided to go with it and see what thoughts other folks had.
1. That everybody is equal.
Everybody must be treated equally, respected equally, and given equal opportunities. After that, it is up to you, me, and us. Some will excel. Some will fail. Most will be somewhere in the middle. And the rare few will actually redefine what success or excellence means. Strive for equal opportunities. Don't adjust to force equal outcomes.
2. "Track learning" is a bad thing for secondary schools to do.
When I was in high school, the administration broke our classes into different sections based on our standardized test scores achieved throughout our primary education years. For the students in the "higher" tracks it was assumed that college or university were in their future. For the "lower" tracks it was designed to be for those who were more likely to skip college and enter the workplace directly. Allow me to give a few examples to illustrate the process.
a) The highest track started the advanced math one year earlier than the other tracks. This allowed them to take calculus their senior year. All the other students in different tracks only progressed through trigonometry.
b) The 2 highest tracks spent 1 year studying great American authors and 1 year studying great English authors. The other tracks spent those 2 years studying American authors only.
c) It was much harder for the 2 highest tracks to schedule industrial arts, shop, or home economics type classes.
I think you get the idea.
This style of teaching and arranging classes for high schoolers has mostly fallen by the wayside. And there are many good reasons for it. As a student, I could see some of its flaws and failings even then. Now, decades later, I can also appreciate what the goal was. And maybe we've gotten too far away from doing the best for the largest percentage of our students. By challenging students while at the same time giving them multiple pathways to success is the ideal. The reality is much harder. We need to find a way to challenge every student. Making sure everyone graduates on time with a Honors Diploma is not the way.
Providing more rigidity and structure within stated frameworks may give the majority of students the guide rails they need to keep them on course to graduation and the foundation for success in their lives.
3. That I can be forced to do business with people I don't want to.
I realize this one is VERY unpopular and open to heavy criticism. But as a businessperson, I believe that I should have the right to serve, or not serve, any individual I choose. The government should not be able to force any individual into a contract for goods and/or services with another individual. And inversely, why would I want to receive goods and services from anyone who is only doing it because the law said they had to? Doesn't inspire confidence in this consumer. Capitalism and public perception should be able to take care of any business that is straying too far from society's norms of the day. Consequences in the marketplace are very real.
I understand that this is not only unpopular but also very unrealistic in today's world. So I will say no more about it. But you did ask.
