Friday 18 May 2018

What does 'education' mean?

What does it mean, this word education?

For the lazy, it just means 'school'.

The school this month says it means exams. They say, It's all about exams.

For some people in government it means oversight.

My neighbour says it means SATs.

I hear, for the little'uns, it means tests.

In one of our national newspapers this week 'education' means approve, monitor and inspect.

These definitions don't sound right to my ears. They all sound a bit uninspiring. Is it so? Education has become not curiosity, wondering, experimenting, learning; the time to explore.

Education means learning the mark scheme. This week, at school: What do we think of 3.2 in the mark scheme? Oh my broken heart, for what education means. I still want education to mean, What do we think of King Lear?

Well, you work it out. What do you mean by this word, education? (Careful. You might pick a fight with the school, your neighbour, or a national newspaper.)

Otherwise, outside, from over here, education is philosophy. Education never meant tests, exams, learning the mark scheme 3.2.

It means, the freedom to explore whatever you like.

Thank goodness then, we still have otherwise than at school. But we're holding on to that, only by the skin of our teeth.

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