Has anyone else noticed that our school systems (regardless of the level) is geared toward taking away original thought. It occurs when we start writing papers for teachers in which we have to cite our sources. Part of this is to show where we got the information, but some teachers will only accept cited sources.

I have turned in many papers in which I gave some joker credit for one of my original thoughts, because I "needed to cite my source". Am I not allowed to have an original thought on anything? Because what these teachers are saying is that it only matters what the people before us thought. So what if those people were not allowed to have original thought? Then we would not be quoting their ideas, even though it could be the same thoughts as mine.

There are still some teachers left that actually want your opinion, which I enjoy those teachers. The ones that want an opinionated paper without sources, because they want to know what you think. However, I cannot deal with the thought of every teacher demanding no original thought in class in the future. I guess this all depends on where you are from and which teachers you have had during your educational career. Thankfully, I have not had an extreme amount of teachers that only care what others before us have said, and I hope that you have not as well. But the ones that are like that are just too much, because we need to encourage original thought.

Posting where you got information is one thing (like ATS is geared towards), but being forced to show a citation on an original thought is absurd...

Only thoughts that you introduce that are not yours need to be cited.

Did you tell your teacher that the clause(s) in question were your own ideas, and yours alone?

Perhaps the teacher wanted you to do more research to flesh out and support your "original" ideas. These supporting ideas would be cited.

That's what I thought, but I asked the teacher and everything needed to be cited. They didn't like the idea of original thought, and they weren't the only one. I am good about citing what I borrow from someone else, but I also have a lot of ideas on various matters myself. This teacher didn't want them, and there are more like this one...

In my business I run with my four partners we are constantly amazed by the lack of initiative shown by the school leavers we take on as employees. The most common attitude is that they "sit down, shut up and don't touch anything" like they have been taught to do at school.

It takes many months to turn someone like this into a functioning member of a small business, when they leave school they are useless for anything other than the most menial tasks.

What did you expect the American education system has become less about thinking for yourself and more about the mindless regergetation of things you are merely told are fact.

stick to your guns petey.

you'll be better off in the long run.

just be sure you include enough citations to quell the uproar from your socialist teachers, who, I'm quite sure, voted for Kerry.

It's true, in school you are rarely allowed to give your own opinion. The teachers job is to swamp you with information and your just meant to accept it. How is that development? i think the best way of learning is through discussion and debate.

The main thing that school has taught me is that authority is always right, the teacher is always right- even when their wrong simply for the fact that they are the teacher. I'm sure you all have stories to tell about unjust, arrogant teachers. I'l tell ya a story:

My school is catholic and so is required to to teach everyone religion. The teacher was saying how it is wrong to have violent video games and movies exposed to children- seems to make sense. I put my hand up and ask why then does the church expose violence and torture to children in the image of Jesus Christ at mass. I got sent out of class- the teacher was right as always......

Bottom line is that the school system doesn't work, people dont learn in school. What is the average A-level (or equivalent) leaving school grades across your country? CCC??? All i'm saying is that it does not reflect 13 years of "education" more like a few months.

I've posted a poem written by my teacher concerning this topic
www.abovetopsecret.com...

For the most part I think that the sources are requested as a "confirmation" of how you came up with your thought.

That is all fine and dandy, until one comes up with an original thought out of a personal experience, or "thin air."

I am in community college myself and all my instructors insist on some form of references in a research paper. Usually I just type my paper, then do a Google search looking for resources that can compliment and back up my arguments in my paper.

I have listed some pretty out there references too, and never been questioned on the validity.

Then again, I am not at University level yet, so that might not fly as well there.

that's what I do, I give other people credit for my original thoughts...

It's not the fact you can't have original thoughts. It seems like this original thought your having now about siting sources is ignorant itself.

I'm guessing you didn't do too good on the paper?

People complain way to much.

I made a 97 on the last paper I wrote for this teacher out of a possible 100, and never below a 92 for this teacher. The point is not about the grade, because I was very pleased (even surprised) with the grade I received. The issue is that original thought is being discouraged. Read the poem from the link in my previous post, that is what my current History teacher was writing about as well. The grades that I make suit my liking very well.

I would like my (unborn) children to be encouraged to have their own thoughts about the subjects that they will one day learn about. I do not want the future of this world to be drones, rather I would like them to be challenged in school to write papers about their opinions on various matters.

[edit on 11/19/2004 by petey_pongo23]

I am studying to become a teacher to the horror of some people. The point that i have noticed at least in california, is for teachers to encourage critical thinking.

Not to be getting political here, but California has the Terminator as the governor, and is ran by Hollywood which is anything but original thinking with everything trying to be like everything else.

California needs to be encouraging original thought, so get into that education system and get those wheels turning. SLC Punk taught us that the best way to mess up the system is from within...also that we are all posers...so get in there and teach some people to be their own person...

...kudos to you...

First of all, maybe this discusion over "original thought," is too discouraging for one's liking, because original thought throughout history and even to this day is now to often played out. Many teachers today, including the American literary world, are now searching for something a little more fresh or innovative to pump through American society. That's how the American system functions. The backround of original thought expressed through art, language, and writing, is not accepted anymore. For example: If one's name is Mary Smith who has a B.A. in impressionism (an art style), who expresses her thoughts onto a canvas in spite of how good it is, her work will likely to be rejected, and will be replaced with someone named Julio Mehmedinovich from a county like Madagascar.
Innovation is now and original has passed.

that sums it up...time for a new discussion about another topic...