When Schools Try to Teach for the Real World


Teaching to the test. We accuse teachers of teaching exactly what is going to get tested, nothing more, nothing less. Though we know it, we speak less often, with less vehemence about the fact that students learn to the test, nothing more, nothing less.

As parents, many of us extol the virtues of learning in a way that is relevant to the real world. And one of the biggest differences between the sanitized world of the classroom and the real world is (drumbeats) uncertainty, operating in a world where we lack perfect knowledge of all the relevant parameters.

So what happens when a Class II chapter provides just such a set of problems?
How do you think parents reacted to such problems?

I found out via the WhatsApp group of my daughter’s class’ parents. The gist of the discussion around such questions went like this:
“So there won’t be one right answer to such questions? Estimates can vary.”
“Correct. There can’t be one right answer.”
“Then I won’t spend time teaching my kid this topic.”

So the next time we say the whole education system is kharaab, let’s also remember the role of the holy cows that we don’t criticize: students and parents.

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