Ian Miles Cheong, who co-hosts The Other View Podcast, recently tweeted that children should work with their fathers in performance instead of attending conventional schools to learn the necessary skills. His tweet, which criticized the education system for not preparing children for practical work, caught a lot of attention and drew mixed reactions on social media.
Cheong, who highlighted the value of learning practical skills early on, wrote:
Children should be in the workplace, apprenticing and learning the trades of their fathers. They shouldn’t be among other children, where they learn nothing and remain infantilized. The idea that you can herd a bunch of kids into a classroom has been a disaster for education.
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) December 6, 2024
This argument became quite popular quickly, leading to varied reactions from those who support formal education and those who decry it. The debate is not merely concerning the advantages and disadvantages of education; rather, it addresses larger issues such as the employment efficiency of graduates, a child’s growth and maturation, and the scope of education in the current age.
Reactions and Arguments for Work-Based Education
Some Twitter users supporting Cheong’s suggestions have argued that skills and real-world practices are much more important. Such a response came from @Celiturbo, who appreciated focusing on learning activities with hands-on experience early in life:
Its not even a matter of the workplace. In my family we grew up helping with everything as soon as we were physically capable of it. Home remodeling/repair, car/boat repairs, landscaping, family machine shop, whatever. We didn't exclude the kids from the work spaces. One…
— Celiturbo (@celiturbo) December 6, 2024
It is in fact in support of this viewpoint that vocational education and training systems as well as apprenticeship systems have been receiving ever-increasing recognition as career options. The National Center for Education Statistics report issued in 2023 indicated that 60% of American High School students would prefer not to attend college but would want to follow practice acquisition activities such as apprenticeships aiming at faster entry into the working environment.
Further, in countries like Germany, where apprenticeship systems are fully functional, youth unemployment is low, and the youth who leave apprenticeship training integrate directly into the skilled manpower of the economy.
A user @Nate_D_Stone even alluded to a similar commentary when he said:
Kids definitely need real world experience.
— Nate Stone – Peak Testosterone & Performance (@Nate_D_Stone) December 6, 2024
They currently leave school only knowing how to take instruction from others.
100% not set up to be successful in life!
This kind of criticism corresponds with the existing issues regarding the ability of many high school graduates to suit the workplace. As noted in a report presented by the National Association of Colleges and Employers in 2019, as much as 43% of graduates first securing a job were underemployed suggesting that, following a particularly stringent educational path does not guarantee a job in the field.
The Dangers of Child Labor and Social Development
Employment respondents and prospective employees, on the other hand, were not so keen on the thought of children performing full-time jobs for work purposes. @rightsreminder_s took the contention strongly with Cheong’s comment by stating:
Children? As in 5 and 6 year olds? At a construction site? In a police cruiser looking for murderers? On the military front lines in a war? Running into burning buildings to save people? Stocking grocery store shelves? Working the grill and frialator at McDonald's?
— Rights Reminder 🇺🇲 (@RightsReminder_) December 6, 2024
This tweet communicates a very serious concern: the hazards of involving children in any strenuous, hazardous activity or exposing them to an environment that contains such activities.
While the modern workforce offers numerous possibilities, child labor is still a social problem. The International Labour Organization (ILO) states that there are about 152 million children engaged in child labor and many of them are working under dangerous working conditions. While Cheong did not imply subjects as really putting children to work in dangerous conditions, one can only question the age when they could potentially do so, especially if it’s through an apprenticeship framework.
On the other hand, some critics contend that education is not only about mastering subjects but rather helps in the holistic growth of a child. @Shockadelic replied:
Children also needs friends their own age, who experience the world the way they do
— Shockadelic (@shockadelicaust) December 6, 2024
School is as much about social interaction as it is academic
Also, evidence suggests that children with their peers also play this role, as can be seen in the research of Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child. According to the research, interaction with peers in the earlier stages of development is crucial to acquire social skills and empathy which are essential both for personal growth and shaping a successful career.
Reimagining Education for the Future
As much as education has its critics, it is a common opinion that the system in place is fundamentally flawed and needs to be updated with the times. @lecoder198496 stated:
Formal education as it is today stems from the industrial revolution. It's designed to break free thought and create people dependent upon being told what to do. It was designed to churn out factory workers and miners. Even the school bell is modeled after factory bells to…
— lecoder 🇺🇲 (@lecoder198496) December 6, 2024
This critique is key in the educational reforms debate (how education needs to be given in a more modern approach). The traditional schooling model originated during the Industrial Revolution when the focus was to groom children for factory work – which were structured revolutionary tasks whereby creative thinking was of little use. In an age where creativity and ingenuity are highly valued, many feel that our schools have become obsolete in terms of their usefulness in preparing students for a changing economic world.
Another user @Valmont683 put forth a different opinion:
College should go back to being the playground of rich kids. Everyone else should learn their trade in the workplace. And for this to happen, companies need to replace diploma requirements with aptitude tests.
— Valmont (@Valmont683) December 6, 2024
This opinion mirrors a trend that is critical of the value of traditional four-year degrees in favor of a focus on skills. A report conducted by Burning Glass Technologies in 2023 indicates that 60 percent of job positions in the United States need skills that can be learned through certificates, internships, or associate degrees meaning that on-the-job experience is superior to formal education.
The Case for a Balanced Approach
The topic under discussion also strengthens the argument for a balanced paradigm of education for students tailored for employment and for a dynamic world market. While some do agree with Cheong on the fact that there should be more focus on hands-on/apprenticeship learning, others argue that traditional learning has a much more important role in providing social learning for the child.
User @Robin_Weasley echoed this concern:
Public education (indoctrination) teaches your children how to be consumers, not producers.
— Robin Weasley (@Robin_Weasley) December 6, 2024
This in fact sounds like a valid criticism of the modern educational system but ignores the socialization, critical analysis skills, and general knowledge base that are taught at school and which enable children to seek a variety of jobs and not only specific crafts.
A Call for Education Reforms
Meanwhile, a few questions still linger: How can education systems best equip children for the future? Are there any benefits in employing more apprenticeship-type models of education or is it better to mix both traditional education and practical work? The answers to Cheong’s tweet suggest strong advocating for learning through activities but also acknowledging the social and emotional aspects of learning that are developed in schools.
With the heightened interest in the discourse around education reforms, it is evident that the future education model has to be imagined within the context of the current changing economy and the need to grow the next generation in all aspects.
Last Updated on by Icy Tales Team
