Christchurch Earthquakes and Modern Education

Christchurch Earthquakes and Modern Education

by Connie H. Deutsch

There has been a huge push in this country to get away from the old-fashioned idea of understanding “the three R’s: Reading, Riting, and Rithmetic.”  Nearly all of our schools have abandoned the thought of teaching cursive writing simply because the gurus of education have decreed that it is more important for a kid to find out how to type because almost everything is now geared toward the computer and texting they say that cursive writing is time-consuming and not as beneficial as the keyboard capabilities.

In my preceding articles, I have addressed the significance of finding out these basic skills and not getting dependent on electronic gadgets.  I took situation with our students not being held accountable for understanding simple math and not getting capable to count out alter from a buy without having the electronic printout from the cash register telling them how much change to give the client.  My contention has usually been that there might come a time when we will lose energy for extremely lengthy extended periods of time.

As we all know, Christchurch, New Zealand was hit with two horrendous earthquakes not too long ago.  The devastation has been horrific, the second a single being far more devastating than the first one the infrastructure has been severely compromised and buildings have crumbled to the ground with occupants falling to their death.  For such a tiny nation, the damages in terms of life and house have been extraordinary.

Living circumstances in Christchurch have grow to be unbearable with aftershocks continuing all day and evening, every single day and evening.  There is no potable water, sewage is collecting in the streets with nowhere to drain off, folks who have lost their houses have nowhere to reside, there are no very first aid supplies on shelves, people are getting survival items, and there are energy outages that do not appear like they will be restored any time soon.

All of which brings us back to my original concern about people who are so dependent on electronic gadgets that they can’t function without them.  Electricity is not an inexhaustible resource however we treat it as though it is.  When educators tell us that it is more crucial for youngsters to understand how to sort on a keyboard so that they can send text messages, and learning cursive writing is irrelevant and takes up as well much time, then either we have the wrong educators in charge of education or we have a society that cannot feel beyond the text message they are sending.

As of now, the schools in Christchurch are closed.  At least 25% of the population can’t use their computers or their telephones.  They can not get on the Internet, and their cell phones are silent.  Their typewriting abilities remain dormant, rendered useless by the energy outages.  Luckily for the citizens of New Zealand, students are nonetheless studying how to use longhand so they can at least write letters to their loved ones to let them know they are protected.  If they can locate food on the supermarket shelves, they can at least count out their money to obtain some.

If this crisis must occur in America at a time when our students are no longer understanding how to use cursive writing, and they are becoming taught that their math expertise are not crucial because they have calculators that always give them accurate readings, our society will cease to function in a meaningful way.  Rather of becoming capable of embracing the details highway we will be getting into the Dark Ages of Modern Technologies and the Stone Age of Contemporary Education.

Connie H. Deutsch has been a company consultant and private advisor to consumers from about the world. She wrote a newspaper Guidance Column for 16 years, is the author of the book, Whispers of the Soul and co-author of an E-book, Receiving Rich Even though the Rest of the World Falls Apart, a free download on her web site. She wrote and produced two CDs on Meditation and Relationships and has carried out coaching on customer service and employee relationships. Her internet site is: http://www.conniehdeutsch.com

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Christchurch Earthquakes and Modern Education