| Show 1 1 1 11 1111 m 1111 1 1 1 11 If wt Seems To T Me Oy Joseph O. O Rob 1 1 1 1 1111 1 1 1 1 m 11 I Wj j jj 1 1 1 Whether or not Charles Wilson director of New Jerseys Jersey's Jerseys Jersey's Jerseys Jersey's Jer Jer- sey's education and research center has been able to complete complete com corn his ridiculous experiment In teaching Transcendental Mediation TM to high school students I do o not know There was a lawsuit brought to stop the experiment based on the Constitutions Constitution's separation of church and state doctrine but that seems to be a relatively moot point I doubt that a course in TM would convert many many students to Hinduism What should have been the concern of citizens in New Jersey was the fact that Wilson and his cohorts thought TM might improve the learning skills deportment and aspirations of high school students and they were willing willingto to take up the class time of about students in four high schools to find out A LITTLE common sense could have told them the an an- While sitting down twice aday a aday aday day and silently repeating a Sanskrit word or or a Hindu prayer may give one inner strength serenity or whatever the followers of guru Makesh Yogi get out of it it will do little for ones one's learning skills Learning requires one to exercise his mind not tranquilize it There is an appalling naivety ty in the h hope pe that a quick and easy cure to the ills ills' that per per- permeate permeate public education can be found in TM It implies a foolish belief il in magic and mysticism and a refusal to face reality There is nothing mystical about the learning process and nothing mysterious about why students have great difficulty le learning They have difficulty learning because they have difficulty reading and writing The truth is staring every educator in the face and all the postulating of the structural linguists and political activists is not going to change it Students acquire knowledge learn values and broaden broad n their experiences through r reading ading good literature They learn to think through learning to write 4 t ti e enn nn i I k THAT'S IT No No TM sensitivity sessions no no mind expanding drugs rock groups or will willi solve the problem Only long hard work by students and teachers on the fundamentals of r reading ading with und understanding and writing with comprehension w will ll do it One interesting aspect of the experiment In New Jersey is that It was supported by Title HI III money provided by the US U.S. Department of Health Education and Welfare Officials of HEW however claim they did not know how the money would be spent Why not Arent Aren't they concerned about how the money they hand out is used They seem quite concerned about hiring Wring practices eliminating the distinction between sexes and other such social-political social reforms Shouldn't they also be concerned about quality education for students I 1 suggest that if HE HEW liEW W. W would spend at least part of Its billions to improve the teaching of reading and writing in every grade of public schooling and if every school sy system tem would require the teaching of reading and writing in every grade we would vastly improve the quality of education available in our public schools And who knows we might even be beI I suggest that if HEW would spend at least part of its billions to improve the teaching of reading and writing in every grade of public schooling and if every school system would require the teaching taching of reading and writing in every grade we would vastly improve the quality of education tion available in our public schools And who knows we might even be he able to cut back on the billions we are spending on law enforcement mental health and welfare I certainly think it is w worth rth a try |
