EDUCATION

The Nature of Education

    I believe that education is critical to the advancement of any society and to the human race.

Everything that is known to humanity from the simplest chore of tying our shoes, to the ability to travel to the moon or to understand human genetics has been learned and taught.

And that is the most important thing to understand about education.

    That which is not known cannot be taught.

We all stand upon the shoulders of those who came before us.  And yet, if the human race could only learn by being taught we could not have advanced at all.

New ideas and skills are learned before they can be taught.

It is our natural curiosity, intelligence, ambition, and creativity that advance our society.  Without these we can only educate each other to the current status.

As our accumulated knowledge becomes more bountiful and complex, we must spend a greater percentage of the educational process to advance our children to our current state in order that they may use their talents to make their lives even better.  We must discover our children’s natural interests and encourage their natural creativity.

Learning is natural.  But the natural ability to learn can either be encouraged and developed or crowded out by political teaching.

Our freedom to learn is one of our natural freedoms and must be protected.