Hey Harold,

Long time no "talk". A great saying came to mind while reading this post (attributed to Albert Einstein): "Perfection of means and confusion of ends seem to characterize our age".

The problem is not only with the education system ... it has spread like a virus throughout societies, organizations ... :-).

And if perfecting the means was at least partially attained, maybe then we would have some glimmer of hope. But time and time again we observe that people are really confused about the "ends".

1. I believe in education (it's a necessary means to address common societal needs). 2. Education and Learning are two different entities (i.e. see the various discussions on informal learning and so on). 3. Do I believe in our education system? In our jurisdiction? Not to a great extent. Why? People seem to understand "means" more than "ends". In the oft quoted saying, they are losing sight of the "big picture" (i.e. conforming to means is more important to them than achieving ends).

And I digress (like you :-), but I don't believe in homework (or anyways not to the level at which it is used now as a supplement to "good schooling"). I find that my kids (like most kids in "developped" environments) are subjected to too much structured behaviours ... stifling creativity. I believe that creativity is influenced by various levels of "free will" exposure to various aspects of our world. So if kids are in school from their waking moments to supper time. And then have 1 to 2 hours of homework. Then to bed at 8 or 9, that doesn't leave much for "creativity building" (to me, creativity is paramount to "problem solving" which in turn is an essential "literacy" of our age ... again, my opinion).

Rod