Reading Rex

Rex Tillerson, Chairman and CEO of Exxon, has been hitting public education hard the past couple of days.   On Tuesday, Oct. 8th he had two full page ads in the New York Times calling for a push for more math and science in addition to staking out a claim to halt the decline in American education.

While some of the stats he quoted are correct, others were off base.   His quoting of the results of the NAEP were inaccurate.   Sadly, these ads will be read and too often believed.

His ads and his thinking made me ponder a number of concerns.   How is it that an astute individual in the energy industry has the answers for the field of education?   Stated another way, does he think a teacher or administrator should be telling Mr. Tillerson how to correct the ills of Exxon or the energy industry?   I think not.   Why is it that corporate America thinks it knows how to educate children?  

Part of the bottom line, and Mr. Tillerson said so, is that we have we have to make educational changes so that we are more competitive.   Sorry, Mr. Tillerson, the goal of education is not merely to make students more competitive.   Among an educator's goal is to help young people to grow and mature so that they become decent people and citizens who contribute to our society. 

Mr. Tillerson needs to ask educators about the way(s) in which teaching and learning can improve.

Dick