So which is it? Are we asking middle school kids to come up with original research, or are we training them to be good factory workers? These statements seem to point in exact opposite directions.
Unfortunately, both. We ask kids to be on time, every day, sit orderly in their seats. Don't talk to neighbors, you're supposed to be at your job or learning. Collaboration is only allowed when authorized. Looking up information is only allowed when authorized. Any disruption is grounds for punishment, too many notices is grounds for dismissal, er, expulsion.
And then these same kids are sent home and asked to complete creative work, as if we had been training them for a creative job all along. We do not do this, but we expect the results nonetheless. And teachers pat themselves on the back for letting their students "get creative" while upholding the authoritarian system 99% of the time -- which they have to do, because it's their jobs on the line.
