Basic skills trump web fascination in school

Recently, a comment in The Gazette online addressed the role of computers in the classroom. The author suggested that a concern about children's education in basic information and skills should take precedence over our current fascination with technology. The author then posed several questions reflective of what students should know upon graduation. Some examples, “What did President Eisenhower do before he was president?” and “Where is Spain located on the globe?”

Predictably, critics of this commentary questioned the relevance of such information and implied that asking students to memorize such facts is unacceptable. The critics seem to suggest that students should be relieved of the burden of acquiring factual information and be freed to navigate the world of abstract concepts on the web unfettered by any bonds to reality.

I worry that ignorance of our past and of the world around us places us in danger of repeating all the past mistakes we are in the process of conveniently burying.

Robert J. Boes

Ely