One question we often do not invite ourselves to ask is this: What difficulties will plague our descendants? It seems only logical that we be critical of our own steps as they are the keystones to the success of the emerging generations. Perhaps the largest regard in this matter is the ambition of education. If the adults of tomorrow are to direct towards innovation, and overcome their respective obstacles they will need to possess skill sets that permit them to do so. The voices atop the discussion panels on the topic urge for strict control on the core curriculum increased spending for schools with higher standardized test scores, and better training for educators. On its surface these goals appear well tempered and thorough; however, they are the consequence of a mechanized economy helmed by a facile political agenda. I would submit to the notion that our energy and money would be best spent accruing an understanding of our culture and how its shifting paradigms manipulate attitudes on education.

            The problem here does not lie in the school, nor does it lie in incentives for high scores. There is a severe lack of focus in today’s youth. (This is to their fault though). As K. G. Saiyidain contended in his article, “Where Should Education Go?” the youth has much to live by but, not much to live for. This is to say that over  centuries of accumulating morals, and standards of social protocol kids are faced with a world that they are expected to jump whole-heartedly into with no real comprehension of the reasons they are doing so. The niche in the brain that houses the purpose for learning is vacant. For example, the baby boomers were blessed with the optimism of the post World War II era that facilitated the white picket fence and 2.5 kids fantasy and led to a booming economy as well as gender and race equality. What white picket fences do our children have on their horizons? There is no discernable optimism in what some consider to be the decline of the “American Era”. Hand-in-hand with this point is the need for an overhaul of what an educated person is.

 The “noble” professions (doctors, lawyers, accountants, Wall Street bankers) that dominate the economic arena are markedly covered in society, and always have been. However, the world faces problems that cannot be solved with a PhD, and it is up to us to determine the means of those solutions. More and more jobs are being besieged by mechanized industry. This sounds bad, right? Well, it is; however there is a silver lining. This passive takeover by machines leaves a door open for the creative thinkers of the world and subsequently room for a change in educational goals.  Currently, our education system squashes creativity like a bug.