The education system is terribly flawed. It will only get worse and be more cumbersome if Scott Bean's proposals (article of June 9) are approved. Again, we can see that educators are not serious about fixing problems within the system. They can't get over what is called the SOS theory of management. Simply stated, SOS stands for structure over substance. I find it incredible that Mr. Bean wants to add more hours to the school day and force students to take two foreign languages. What a joke.
Ninety percent of what is learned in high school and college has absolutely no bearing on a job in the real world. For those who work in the real world, it is apparent that the educational system does not prepare young people for anything outside of their educational experience. If Mr. Bean wants to cram structure over substance down the throats of our children, he is a fool. If educating our children is his goal, then he should propose getting rid of the tenure system and abolishing the current attendance requirements.Tell the young people that as fast as they can learn they will move on to the next level. Don't let tenured teachers, who don't care, hold our youth back. Don't let a ridiculous attendance policy keep some potential genius in check just because he or she hasn't been to class every day. Think of the monetary savings if half the high school youths graduated even one year earlier. Those teachers who do care would have fewer students so their time could be better spent helping those who need it.
It's been proven that if you tell young people they are brilliant, they will eventually believe it. If you challenge them, they will rise to that challenge and be winners. The existing educational monolith in high school and college only encourages mediocrity and boredom. Let our kids excel. Don't fall for Mr. Bean's archaic proposals. Let's rework the education system to benefit our kids, not some teachers union or some administrator's flawed vision of the future.
Steven K. Lang
Bountiful