I think you should read Ivory tower blues, http://www.ivorytowerblues.com/

I’d be interested to read a blogpost and a review of your beefs and criticisms of the book, I imagine you’d have a lot to say to about their work.

I think the system is making every one jaded, and quite frankly most of the students don’t truly care about being educated they are little capitalists themselves. They see their degree as a mealticket to the middle class, they are absolutely desperate to avoid poverty.

Only a small minority wants to be educated, the rest do not care and just want the piece of paper. I think you are REALLY idealistic about school, when I was in school I hated it because it was forced and so many useless irrelevant assignments were given, IMHO school is a big example of the class system (i.e. artifical grading), especially in university, universities scream class like no other instutition (i.e. bell curve grading?). I think grades can never truly capture someone’s abilities or their creativity and what they are ultimately capable of since in capitalist society most of a persons time is spread too thin (both teachers and students) to really develop their talents.

I didn’t learn to enjoy learning until I got out of school. The wonderful thing about the internet is that it allows one to learn what one is interested in and read articles and books by those who are generally enthusiastic about their interests, so you can find people of like mind and learn a tonne from them.

I do believe schools are not haven’s of learning anymore because let’s face it – they are so resource deprived and intergenerational issues arise with the majority of teachers being out of touch with the private sector, when I was a kid I wanted to make video games but there were no such teachers and our schools weren’t equipped nor had staff that had any idea how to use computers and that was common for a vast majority of schools for when I was in school.

Also the public schools are havens of mediocrity, I know looking back on my own life that public schools when I went to school were just staffed by the clueless, I’m not sure if it was the school board or what public schools are usually “bottom of the barrel” in terms of talent.