Stupid Teachers - Our Synonym Problem

This video examine how public school teachers are contributing to the intellectual destruction of America in the methods that they use to teach vocabulary.

The New York Times Op-Ed referenced can be found:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/opinion/05burgess.html

Sponsored by the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights, Dr. Tara Smith's NPC lecture "The Menace of Pragmatism: How Aversion to Principle is Destroying America."
http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reg_ls_pragmatism

Last month, I read an op-ed by author Douglas R. Burgess Jr. in the New York Times, which stated that piracy is by definition terrorism. I wanted to SCREAM! It reflected one of the critical problems with fighting terrorism, the incapability that most people and government officials have in defining it; consequently, everything is terrorism, nothing is terrorism.

In this error, Burgess made the oft repeated mistake of diminishing the scope of terrorism to a criminal justice issue that fit nicely within his narrow point. But that has to be a rant for a different day, as this video deals with a different insidious evil that threatens to destroy our republic, the incompetence of public school teachers.

In general, why is it that we can not effectively define terrorism? It is linked to the broader problem that we have trouble objectively defining anything.

This epistemological handicap is not an accident, but by design. Further, this invasive weed has a common source that should be pulled Root and Branch.

That common element is how we learned to define words back in school. Think back to learning your vocabulary lists. How did you do it? Encouraged by your teacher and the evaluation tools, what was the short cut that you chose to use to make the task easier? Close your eyes for a moment and really think back.

I expect that you attempted to learn each definition using the briefest terms, and most frequently as a single word synonym. Consequently, many words tend to all mean the same thing without distinction; like seeing piracy as terrorism. Almost like Orwellian Newspeak, some words lose their utility as they become indistinct; "Freedom is Slavery."

However, definitions have two components, the genus and differentia. Through an emphasis on synonyms in learning vocabulary, the genus is being retained; however, the differentia is being lost. Thus, teaching vocabulary by this shortcut is gross negligence and incompetence by educators.

Consider this problem in the context of terrorism and the oft repeated phrase One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter. Our common definitions have been so corrupted by this epistemological error that we can not distinguish a terrorist from a freedom fighter in public debate. It is more than this one issue in our corrupted public dialogue; from just recent news:

* reducing the increase in spending is synonymous with cutting spending,
* cutting taxes is synonymous with spending,
* transfer payments to those that do not pay taxes is synonymous with a tax rebate, and
* market dysfunction caused by government regulation is synonymous with a consequence of excess freedom.

Are public school teachers just evil? Probably not, they are just incompetent. In general, the worst students who advance to and graduate from college, become teachers. With generation after generation of incompetent teachers, the problem becomes progressively worse.

Where did this problem start? In philosophy, of course.

Recently, I was explaining this idea about synonym education and its consequence while chatting before a lecture by a visiting professor. In her lecture about the tie between a particular philosophical perspective and current politics, the professor discussed how this philosophy's methodology included an effort to erase and deny the importance of differences. That philosophy is Pragmatism, which established progressive education in our public schools and guides the methodology of our current political leadership, both Republican and Democrat.

What can be done?

First, if you have not seen it, I recommend that you watch the video from Dr. Tara Smiths recent lecture, The Menace of Pragmatism: How Aversion to Principle is Destroying America. Don't forget to play the where is Jim game during the audience shots.

Second, whenever you hear an idea or person described as pragmatic, lookout, stop, and think; what important differentiating principles are they attempting to erase?

Third, give thoughtful consideration over whether public school teachers merit the deference and respect that they receive.

Fourth, don't forget the differentia in your definitions.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• teachers
• vocabulary
• definition
• education
• synonym
• genus
• differentia
• terrorism
• pragmatism
• objective
• progressive
• Obama
• stimulus

[frank006able]

Stick it up your epistemological butt.

A Teacher.

[jwoodswce]

@frank006able

That does not even make sense.

Are you some kind of retarded teacher? By which, I don't mean that you teach disabled students, but that you are an ADA hire.

[Hermoor]

stop trying to sound so smart...

[jwoodswce]

@Hermoor

Actually, I am smart and in editing rough drafts I have to dumb down my language for public consumption.

As you are reportedly at least bilingual, how were you instructed? I ask because American schools teach the reading and writing of foreign languages, but are very poor at teaching conversational proficiency. What were the sizes of your foreign language classes? What kind of class exercises and homework focused on conversational skill?

[Hermoor]

@jwoodswce None, english most people from my country pick up through television and internet. I have studied spanish as well and understand it somewhat well. But can't really speak it. You need to be exposed to the language every day to become fluent in it. There are a lot of stupid teachers we have to listen to, most of them are old and don't understand how to communicate properly. I think the internet is a much better system for learning anything...school is overrated. Don't you agree?

[jwoodswce]

@Hermoor

Thank you for information about learning foreign languages and the importance of relevance to actual living.

Re: teachers and school in general, I agree that most teachers are stupid and ignorant by selection and training.

[jwoodswce]

cont...

While I agree that schools currently do more harm than good, I do not object to schools per se; however, I do agree that the internet provides a platform where excellent teachers and educational methods can scale to provide both dispersed value and high degrees of individualization.

Unfortunately, public education wastes student time with ineffective homework and poisons students' minds against actual education.

[Priory7]

Are you aware that the high stakes tests now use synonyms to define words? And teachers are required to write their vocabulary questions in the same format--not using definitions. I want to scream, too. Frustrated.

[whatnowalli]

Warning:

This video includes me talking like i am high which i probably am. therefore if can not legally smoke marijuana please stop watching this video

[Dystral]

I hope to god you are NOT a teacher, b/c listening to you is WORSE than watching paint dry! Dry delivery, monotone and tiresome. You exemplify the worst in teaching, but of course you might be trying to make that point by your rant.

[jagara1]

I would say the best way of learning the subtleties in a language are by reading literature.

I educated myself with English Victorian literature - DIckens, Elliot, Austen, Collins etc.

I would also add the modern novelist Kazuo Ishiguro to this list.

It is really rather frigthening to hear that teachers come from the lower acheiving students - that really is frightening...

[MrMak2121]

Hm, I see your point. Sad that there are good (small group) of teachers and more bad ones....

[HerdULeikMudkipz]

I feel like this problem is deeper than the teachers themselves. I see incompetent teachers as a necessary result of the values of their society, namely the society's indifference towards education.