Issues That Make You A Victim Of Education's Hidden Curriculum

Issues That Make You A Victim Of Education's Hidden Curriculum

10/9/07

Here are a few scenarios that might point to you being a victim of education's hidden curriculum:

1.) Income Plateau- You lack the ability to generate more income, though you want to buy a home, pay for your kids' education, put money away for retirement, or pay medical bills. You might work harder and longer, but the growing needs of your family start to outweigh your income.

2.) Promotion Plateau- You are beginning to notice that people younger than you are getting promoted while you seem to have gone as far as you can go. Your new supervisor is somebody that either has less seniority than you or was hired from outside the company. Sometimes these new supervisors might even be half your age.

3.) Professional Obsolescense- You studied hard to learn a particular skill, trade, or profession. But suddenly, the need for your special qualifications or skills is diminishing, or there is a growing number of people with your training-increasing the competition for your line of work and reducing your value in the workplace. The saddest part about this is, a lot of college students today could very well be going to school for a profession that might not even be around by the time they graduate.

4.) Right Ladder, Wrong Wall- You have carefully planned your career path and have committed your life to one company. Your ladder to the top of the corporate structure is strong, but there is one big problem: The wall where you placed your ladder is crumbling.

5.) Low Pay, Love The Work- Your work is satisfying, but your family is paying the price. They are afflicted with the proverbial "sacrificial lamb" syndrome. You are often heard saying, "Money isn't everything." Meanwhile, you and your spouse lie awake every night wondering how you will manage to pay the bills. You feel guilty about your inability to provide a better life for your children. And you know that your retirement will be a nightmare-not the dream you were taught it should be.

6.) High Pay, Hate The Work- Three types of people fall into this category. But they all share certain themes, characterized by statements such as: "I can't afford to quit", or "I'm doing it for the kids", or "Only a few more years until I retire. I can put up with anything that long."

The first type is the "prostitute syndrome". If you are a member of this group, you sacrifice your body, soul, and mind for money. You don't care what you do, as long as it brings in a lot of money.

The second type is a little more complex. This is the "lost interest" group. If you are a member, you make a lot of money, maybe even at a job you once enjoyed. The only trouble is that your interests have changed. Many professional people belong in this group, probably excelled in school and made their career choice early in life. They went to college with a specific career in mind, then past the age of 30, their interests begin to change, often around the time their careers accelerated and their income started going up.

The third type is the "traditionalist". Members of this group followed in their parents' or a close family member's footsteps, taking up a line of work or a business either because of family pressures to do so or because they never stopped to consider any alternatives. These people may find themselves lying awake at nights, realizing they never pursued any of their own genuine interests.

7.) Low Pay, Hate Work- The worst casualties of the educational system fall into this category. This may be the largest group and the main reason our methods of teaching require emergency attention. These people spend their lives at jobs they hate while being underpaid. Sometimes called "the working poor", they live one step above slavery.

8.) The Perennial Freshman- When the promotions don't come or their dreams don't immediately materialize, life becomes boring for these people. They become impatient and decide that the solution is to go back to school, but no matter how many times they go back, they never seem to get anywhere. The only thing that these people have to show for their efforts is a wall full of degrees and educational certificates, and a growing list of disappointments.

9.) The Future Lottery Winners- The only thing that resembles financial planning is the lottery, race track, or casino. Psychologists have discovered that the more people feel frustrated in their efforts to be successful, the more they are encouraged to "play the long shots". It's not that successful people don't take risks; as a group they are the biggest risk takers of all. Our highest achievers are educated risk takers, only taking risks calculated to work in their favor. These people believe that only through a "lucky break" that they will realize their fondest dreams.

10.) The Criminal- There are street criminals and white-collar criminals. Many white-collar criminals are highly educated, greedy people working in important businesses and government. ome people actually choose crime as a career path, but also desperation can force many innocent people into lives of crime. The tragedy is that if people only knew how easy it is to make money we would have far fewer criminals in our world. Education could be our greatest deterrent to crime. Much of what is taught in our schools today actually INCREASES crime.

11.) Options Diminish With Age- This is one of the most crucial of all long-term effects of education. Instead of life getting more exciting as we grow older, opening up greater options and more freedom, life gets narrower with age. Retirement income can't keep up with inflation. The costs of clothing, food, and simple home and car repairs all continue to rise, becoming major financial burdens. Health care costs weigh heavily on the minds of people as they age. For these people, the world seems to get larger, faster, more expensive and more threatening by the moment. When they talk about their youth, they almost always have feelings of regret.

12.) Leisure Class- This group has plenty of time and money on its hands, with the largest portion being people over 50. They control 70% of the total net worth of U.S. households-more than $10 trillion of wealth. These people are in the highest income brackets, and all too many of them contribute little or nothing to the society which as made "the good life" possible for them. There are a few notable exceptions, but our society desperately needs even more of their help: their knowledge and wisdom as well as their personal time and financial support. All too often, the people in the highest income brackets of this population spend their time frequenting country clubs and cruise ships, talking to their stock brokers, or running "cute businesses" to fill their time. The theme for this group is "I've done enough, let someone else handle the problems." They often donate money or are seen at fundraisers, but they give little of themselves/ The distance and alienation from the problems we face today is a byproduct of our educational system's teaching methods. The problems we face today need money, but even more they need personal involvement and genuine compassion.

13.) Living Life Through Your Children- Many parents, unsuccessful themselves, put pressure on their kids to accomplish what they failed to do in their own lives. When they feel these pressures, many kids rebel. They know they are not being valued for themselves but only for their utility in fulfilling their parents' dreams. Their rebellion may surface in any number of negative and self-destructive ways, by turning to drugs, crime, or sex. They don't know what else to do to escape the pressure and the not-so-subtle denial of who they are, and there is nothing in their education that helps them to make better choices.

14.) Love Work, Lots Of Money- This is a small, but growing group. Many people claim to be in this group. But we have to ask, "What is it they really love? Do they love their work because it brings in a lot of money?" How many would answer yes if asked,"Would you continue to work if you were not paid?", or "Do you love what you do enough to do it for free?"  We might get a few convincing yesses to this question, but also much hemming and hawing, with justifications such as, "Well nobody works for free."

I caught on to several of these myself when I was still in school, and this is exactly why I lost all respect in my early teens for the educational system and the way it's set up. This is also why I'm not in a rush to go back to college and finish. You'll be hearing more from me about this stale and crooked educational system.