This article in the Globe and mail is something that I’ve been saying for a long time, though perhaps not where many people could hear it. I used to read over a hundred books a year during elementary, middle, and high school, but for the most part, class reading was a chore. I got through it because I already enjoyed reading and could bust through the assigned reading in the five or ten minutes before the bell rang to start class.
I’m a radical devotee of the “work isn’t fun” philosophy, and when it comes to learning, this sort of forced curriculum can be devastating to students–both good and bad. That’s not to say I don’t support education, but we need to rethink the ways in which we provide this service.
I think science fiction is one genre in which we can explore the theme of education with enthusiasm and intelligence, and I wish we had more stories out there doing this. If anyone knows of such a story, please send a link my way.
