I went to the one in DC when I was a freshman in high school. The pictures and all he various things that are really to grotesque to be shown on TV or in school, you just kinda stand there in shock.

I’ve heard it called “Teenager Daycare” and I’ve heard it called an “Adult Employment Agency”, but I really don’t think anyone knows what it should be.

In lieu of addressing it, we continue with this system who finds more and expensive ways to do things that became irrelevant over 50 years ago. Ultimately schools are what construct how our future society is shaped, and the fear of the future might be underlying why society as a whole straight ignores schools. Of course, no one says they are ignoring it, everyone says they are fixing it. People will throw around bandaid solutions and pat themselves on the back, yet throw anyone under the bus when they focus on the students outside of this spotlight.

Our education is a BIG, BIG system. It was a lofty undertaking when Horace Mann and those educators proposed it and it hasn’t gotten any easier to educate kids. We do have a legally compliant system, but to have a functioning system everyone would have to participate, classrooms should have parent liasons, School Board meetings should involve every household, and educational decisions should receive at least the same scrutiny we put towards Congressman’s weiners. Yet, since it exists, we don’t question it’s existence. Since we grew up with it, we’re numb to it’s flaws. And I think, since our memories of education are from our childhood, we discard any thoughts of schools and schooling along with all other childish things.

ADD is bad, but honestly, maybe school is BORING. Maybe everything a teacher is talking about half the kids could learn on their phone, and the other half can’t focus because the lesson isn’t engaging. Maybe our transmission model of education is only relevant in college classrooms and given that only 30% of the country ends up with degrees, they should find more authentic forms of learning to keep kids engaged who live in a faster paced modern world where knowledge is everywhere, and where students who would be able to make a perfect living working in a field or factory their whole life have no choice but to succeed academically despite that having no place in their family’s culture.

They were opening for the Gaslight Anthem. I’d never heard of them before that day, but I was a fan by the time they finished playing “Three Men Hanging.” They have a completely unique sound. Also, their cello player is very attractive.