High Pressure Preschools and Why No One Majors in History

Late last year there was a study that showed History was declining as a major across most US colleges faster than any other major. The job market was blamed for the shift, as most people assumed it was just a natural evolution of students from something they like to something they can make a living from. The sadder news was a story from The Atlantic that this concern was driving parents and educators to even put pressure on preschoolers and Kindergartners to learn faster.

Then I saw a third education story about the benefits of taking notes by hand instead of typing them. What connects all of these stories, though, is how each seems to advocate a return to simplicity. Let preschoolers learn by conversing and asking questions. Let college students retain more by putting their laptops away.

Better education takes more focus on context and encouraging our curiosity. It's not high tech, but it does work.