[May 18, 2021] I have been consistent throughout my adult life in recommending a formal college education for those who want to advance themselves, especially leaders. It’s an easy choice to make. But today, I question such thinking. I question it because our formalized education system no longer fulfills the function as designed.
Education was once about the three “Rs,” which used to mean “reading, writing, ‘rithmetic.” More and more colleges in the West are substituting an odd mix of woke ideology, social justice, racism, and “resistance” into their curriculum. Even the STEM academic fields are going all out toward increasingly enforced conformity to these ideas. I propose substituting in their place the idea that colleges must be “ready, relevant, resilient.”
For decades, colleges have been under a cloud of doubt about their ability to educate. Can they teach us the skills and knowledge to save or restore a tattered organization or our American civilization? No, but they can help you learn that past American leaders (read that as men only) were unredeemable slaveholders, patriarchs, and cigar-smoking tyrants.
What is the problem?
Colleges are less ready
A typical assessment of how well colleges prepare students to achieve a greater purpose and become better citizens is very poor. Most colleges are not ready to provide either professional educators or will to adhere to a mission for learning at a higher level. “Advanced education” costs are high, the degrees less valuable, and their leadership or staff no longer seem to care about the student. We are no longer getting our money’s worth. We are getting a lot of bull-hockey.
Colleges are less relevant
What is being taught is “resistance” to the status quo, tearing up traditional culture, and other such transient “progressive” dogma. This has nothing whatsoever to do with teaching how to think but what to think. It is not about preparing us for a future of getting a respectable job, having a family, or how to be a valuable community citizen. Those universal needs that all nations and communities must have are not being met.
Colleges are not about resilience
Exposing us to new and classical ideas, diversity of thought, debate, eternal truths, and scientific inquiry makes us resilient to attractive but bad ideas and theories. College professors are more likely to lecture us on our inborn moral failings, a hostility to faith and truth, a push for self-destruction agendas, and then encourage bitter divisions among ourselves. Such teachings only make us weaker, less resilient. Freethinkers are no longer welcome in colleges.
In the darkest days of 1940, Winston Churchill said, “No one can guarantee success in war, but only deserve it. Success always demands a greater effort.” While our colleges no longer demand a great effort but demand conformity, I will only recommend higher education in a few select colleges; those dedicated to a better-civilized man.
Formal education has been on a downhill slide in America now for a couple of decades. I know, I teach at a High School.
Thank you Mr. TJ. Hang in there. We need folks like you that uphold basic academic and behavioral standards.
Thanks, great article exposing the leftist progressivism of colleges today. Have a crazy idea? Bring it to us and we’ll implement it in the name of social justice in school — beginning in Kindergarten. Want to genderflex (whatever t hat means)? Want to be morally superior to everyone? Come aboard the college train but it will cost some serious Benjamins.
Gen. Satterfield, thank you for a spot on article about our failing education systems. What is also a big problem, as well, is the cost of education is skyrocketing.
That pays for the “administrators” and “counselors” that overlay the actual teaching. Most of those who teach, IMHO, are okay but have to work within tight guidelines established by ideologues. Eventually they quit or conform. No a good position to be in.
The bright light at the end of the tunnel is often there only when we have reached the bottom of the pit of evil. Our colleges and formal education generally in the west is so bad in so many ways. They are indoctrinating weak minds. This means, to prevent that from occurring, that we must – must – train our young to think for themselves now before they attend any formal education setting. Always discuss with them what is happening, let nothing go by without comment.
When trusted institutions begin to fail, what is to be done? Do we stand by or do we do something? Writing a few comments on this leadership forum only feeds info to those who are already aware of the failure. What more can we do? That is what I would like to know. But one thing I will do is not let others say all is “okay.” We must not allow any of this to pass us by without comment.
Right !!!!!!
Never give up !!!!!
I will not let anyone say to me without comment that our colleges are perfectly okay. I know better.
As will I. Never give up hope either.
BC, great questions. And, of course, these must be answered.
…… or will they. I think NOT.
Excellent article, Gen. Satterfield, well written.
I is hard for me to accept that our universities of higher learning no longer advocate for open debate of persistent human problems and big questions on why we are here. No longer do we forage into the intellectual realm where all ideas are debated, won or loss. We are now on an ideological trip to hell where speech is only accepted if it conforms to the current ruling class.
Very true, Guns. I like to think that a young man or woman can go to college knowing this problem and yet, can they overcome the constant stream of indoctrination?
Yes, and we see the most important leaders in the West actually encouraging indoctrination because it fits their personal thinking (and keeps them in power as well). It’s sad that so many are so immature and weak. This leads to the greatest destruction of intellect in our time.
Laziness and fear are what we have to fight. It is a difficult fight.
Our colleges are failing us. Period.
Gen. Satterfield, you delivered a hard hit at our formal education system in the US and the West overall. I like the way you push their buttons by showing us that the mission of higher education is being thwarted by so-called justice warriors. This is a problem that will take generations to fix.
Joe, excellent comment on Gen. Satterfield’s wonderful article. The first step in solving a problem is recognizing that there is a problem and doing some level of analysis. Gen. S. has done this here.
… but too many people want to sit back and do nothing at all. How do we solve that? Answer, …. we don’t