‘’ The schools are horrible and don't teach anybody anything’’- these are the words of one of Americas most important playwrights, August Wilson. Even though the rest of the interview was very interesting and enlightening in many ways, it was this sentence that had the biggest impact on me.
Wilson argues that from fifth grade on, teachers were essentially holding him back, telling him to ‘’shut up’’ instead of giving actual answers to his questions. This might very well be true, but I think he fails to realize that not everyone was as gifted as he was. Elementary schooling programs are not created to fit the most brilliant of children. They are more oriented towards the average mind, thus giving everybody a chance to learn and progress.
Some people, including Wilson, see the fact that ‘’you have to take all kinds of required courses before you can get to the subject that interests you’’ as a flaw in the educational system. Again, it appears he doesn’t realize that he was a very rare exception. Most children have no clue as to what they might be interested in, and that is why they need to go through such a wide range of courses. Hopefully, it will help them to recognize the areas of academia that suit them the most. Only after that can they make an informed decision, and choose what field of science to focus on.
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This sentence had a similar effect on me. I agree that Wilson does fail to realize that most kids aren’t as intelligent and advanced as he was, but I do agree with Wilson as well. The intelligent should be acknowledged and their gift nurtured, not ignored, especially by a teacher! Maybe he should have been placed in a special program or skipped ahead a couple of grades. I find it ironic that a teacher would ignore an intelligent child. The school systems even today are still horrible, especially the public school system.
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