Book Review: Maureen Stout's "The Feel-Good Curriculum"
Maureen Stout's "The Feel-Good Curriculum: The Dumbing Down of America's Kids in the Name of Self-Esteem" (2001)
Fitz E. Barringer
2005-11-01
As college and graduate students, most of us are nearing the end of our formal education. You may wonder, then, why Maureen Stout's "The Feel-Good Curriculum: The Dumbing Down of America's Kids in the Name of Self-Esteem" was chosen as this month’s book review. After all, fixing the education system would be too little too late to impact our academic careers. I was on the verge of suggesting a new book to my editor when it dawned on me: As college and graduate students, most of us not far from the point in our lives when we will settle down and have children. Children! Curious, mischievous, active children, who, if they're lucky and well educated, will grow into mature, intelligent (Carolina) students.
Unfortunately, according to Stout, a professor of education at California State University, the education system in America, based, since the 1970s, on the principles of personal self-esteem, is failing at its primary mission of teaching children while simultaneously undermining the fabric of American society. Indeed, Stout unabashedly blames the rise of the self-esteem curriculum for falling test scores, low quality schools, ineffective teachers, and a host of other societal problems. More and more children, she claims, are hurried through the school system and taught that their feelings, not rational thought, are the basis for a successful life.
This thought process, however, is very dangerous. According to Stout, when children and educators believe that personal feelings are more important than proper evaluation, tests become easier and students learn less. Moreover, the priority on self-esteem leads children to become narcissistic and unwilling to listen to or entertain the views of their pears and teachers.
This narcissistic attitude of American students results in a concentration on the self and a neglect of other people. In the effort to preserve everyone's self-esteem, for instance, schools have instituted new, multicultural classes that focus on making minority students feel positive about their ethnic and cultural heritages. Sadly, says Stout, these classes have become a breeding ground for self-segregation in public schools. Minority students are indoctrinated with the concepts of learning about themselves and their backgrounds but they are not taught the values of investigating other cultures or viewpoints. Indeed, the prevailing attitude in today's schools, according to Stout, is that "if you're not in my group, I don't want to know about you."
Stout also points out that the self-esteem movement is not limited to K-12 schools. She draws on personal experiences as a college professor and the views of her fellow educators to illustrate the point. She recalls several experiences where her students -- most of them future teachers -- complain about grades. Students, she claims, expect to achieve "A's" no matter what effort they put into a particular assignment -- however minimal. Their K-12 education has taught them that even poor work will be generously graded to ensure a positive self-image.
The truly disturbing thing about the self-esteem movement according to Stout, however, is the minimal amount of research actually invested in supporting the concept of a curriculum based on self-esteem. Despite the claims of self-esteem advocates, most research cited in the book shows that giving students undeservingly high grades only serves to lower their efforts on the assignment, not preserve their self-esteem. Moreover, there is little empirical evidence that a positive self-image is the root of quality schoolwork. Actually, according to Stout and educational research, the opposite appears to be true. High performance in school often leads to positive self-esteem.
Stout blames professors of education for the unrelenting indoctrination of the self-esteem movement in America's schools. Without all the facts or evidence, they pushed for education based on self-esteem. And now that evidence suggests that they were wrong about the importance of self-esteem, Stout claims that many educators are clinging to the concept to preserve their careers.
Stout suggests, therefore, that parents and teachers work to rid public schools of the self-esteem curriculums. Schools, she says, should instead concentrate on teaching students the value of critical thinking through a classical education. With critical thinking skills, students can rationally and logically solve problems in their lives and academic pursuits. By employing logic, not trusting in their personal feelings, Stout argues that students will be prepared for a lifetime of learning and success.
The obviously well educated Stout employs a direct, clear prose to relate her opinions to the reader. Her seamless arguments are compelling while her sentence structure is varied and flowing. She fearlessly and logically prosecutes the fallacies in the self-esteem argument and, towards the end of the book, suggests a number of solutions to the educational problems facing America today. Indeed, some of the more refreshing aspects of Stout's writing are her logical solutions to educational problems and her persistent hope of a better future, despite the dismal state of America's public schools today.
Stout believes that the fact that many people and parents continue to see the self-esteem curriculum as the leading problem for America's schools show that the self-esteem movement, despite efforts on behalf of professional educators, has not fully indoctrinated everyone. This fact preserves the hope that one day, children -- perhaps our children -- will return to schools where logic and learning outweigh the influence of self-esteem in the classroom.
