Read Paul Grahamâs chillingly insightful analysis of what is wrong with American secondary education. In addition to some adolescentsâ lingering lack of empathy (a learned skill), Graham blames the vicious nature of childhood society on the way adults have decided to deal with them.
Grahamâs central thesis is that âthe twin horrors of school life, the cruelty and the boredom, both have the same cause.â That cause, he argues, is the utter lack of meaningful work around which social hierarchies may be organized. People in healthy societies unite around shared missions, such as producing a product, providing legal services, promoting a political cause or fighting a war. Social status depends in large part on oneâs contribution to that mission, and lower status aspirants are more often encouraged than persecuted by the highly skilled. As Graham points out, teenagers used to participate as junior members of adult society in apprenticeship roles.
By contrast, social interactions become neurotic in the absence of external challenges. Graham correctly observes that even bright students seldom take academics seriously in the public schools, which are usually controlled by teachers hostile to talent and insulated from their own mediocrity. Graham analogizes middle school to prison culture, New York socialite culture, and the court culture of the French Empire. Without real goals, status itself is the endgame, and the result is a vicious, zero-sum struggle.
As I recently commented with respect to school bullying, Graham notes that adults often focus merely on containment and superficial order in schools, leaving children to develop isolated subcultures that become pretty vicious. That many students suffer deeply from a lack of meaningful work helps to explain why this escapist novel is so perennially popular among the young.
Grahamâs conclusion is optimistic. Adolescents are not inherently awful. Weâve just created a school environment that would make any group awful. Unfortunately, school reform must start with adults who quickly forget why, exactly, middle school was so bad.
Thanks to Amy Phillips for the link.
Posted by Marie Gryphon on March 13, 2003That is very cool. I guess that explains why my friendships now are so pathetic. Maybe a round of paintball will resolve our problems.
Posted by: Kyle on March 13, 2003 6:22 PM
Gob'ment skools,
they's so kool.
Empathy is a learned skill, and yet adolescents are not inherently awful? Your theories on human nature intrigue me, and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
Posted by: Lane on March 14, 2003 4:20 AMLane,
Graham's thesis, with which I presently agree, is that most adolescents have developed some empathy, though not perhaps full-blown mature adult empathy. Their awfulness is caused in some cases by a developmental delay in this area, but also in substantial part by the circumstances of secondary school. The awfulness of teeagers thus has multiple causes, some of which may be alleviated.
It's also worth pointing out that if teenagers had more substantial relationships with the adult world, they would likely learn empathy-based social norms earlier and better.
Posted by: Marie on March 14, 2003 9:48 AMLane - I can say, without a doubt, Marie does not recognize that reference.
Posted by: Keelay on March 14, 2003 12:55 PMThis is how I look at it:
A human is born capable of action,
containing biological and psychological
urges, and knowing nothing of facts,
values, or moral principles.
As they age, these are acquired.
Sometimes by instruction.
Sometimes by trial and error.
Each day decisions are made based
on that days set of motives and
understandings.
Their facts could be wrong and their
values contradictory. Actions taken
in accordance to one set of moral principles
may lead to flourishing, another set
could lead to their own destruction.
Kids say and do the damndist things,
things that could be desctructive to them
and to others.
We may care, because of our values,
and know better, because of knowledge.
They may possess neither, or possess it
out of proportion to reality.
Because many schools are government controlled,
they are prohibited from espousing values
and principles that (many believe) lead
to a flourishing life. A form of
forced ignorance - "In the name of equality,
teach nothing."
When they do espouse values and principles
they are often times self-destructive.
It's a sad state, that a kid can only
learn facts in school and not any
sort of values and principles
that can keep them alive.
Keep up the good work Marie.
Posted by: Trader Joe on March 14, 2003 1:02 PMI read that when it came out. Paul Graham is a very smart fellow.
He wrote a seminal paper on Bayesian spam filtering as well. It's an interesting read even if you're not a programmer.
Posted by: PJ Doland on March 16, 2003 2:49 PM