In 1902 the General Education Board was funded by John D. Rockefeller. He invested millions of dollars, stating, “I don’t want a nation of thinkers, I want a nation of workers.” The goal was to produce excellent factory workers for the time. He wanted to train children up to be able to stay indoors 7 hours a day, to march in straight lines, to respond to a bell to rotate stations, and to discourage speaking to each other except for their short breaks. Perhaps the most frightening goal was to standardize thinking so not too many kids would grow up to threaten the managing positions. How do you think education should look even more different than it did over 100 years ago, given how much the job market AND how much our goals for children have changed?
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