Utilitarianism in Schools

I wonder, why would critics say these things against utilitarianism if they didn't have some basis in reality? I mean, I'm not arguing the fact that Utilitarianism, in fact, really is the version that John Stuart Mill says it is. What I am thinking about is the notion that perception is reality sometimes. If people misunderstand the rules of utilitarianism often enough for it to become common belief that the misunderstandings are really the truths, then people might start to redefine it by accident. Not denotation, but connotation changes, and that is something that is far less easily changed. The
"people's definition" of utilitarianism, as we shall call it here, becomes more reality than mistake in the minds of those trying to live a utilitarian life. Then those people are living in lies, and spreading the wrong image of what originated as a possibly brilliant idea. That's why I liked this book. John Stuart Mill stood up for what he believed in, and put the misunderstandings to rest before they had a chance to become a real problem. He doesn't beat around the bush, he doesn't just hope that the rumors will die, he doesn't just say, "no, you're wrong. I'm right. End of story." He addresses each and every major misconception directly and clearly, giving a clear and irrefutable reason or reasons why the misconception has no basis in reality, and then reinforces it by restating in easy to understand speech, what the actual rule of utilitarianism is.

As for my feelings and thoughts about utilitarianism, I have to say that I think our public school systems would benefit from adopting and practicing a utilitarian system. Think about it. Our children are getting further and further behind every year. And we aren't doing much to fix it. But if we began implementing utilitarian rules and ways of thinking, that would change rather abruptly. Why? Well, take No Child Left Behind for example. It seems at first glance to be a good idea, but in the long run, it just gives us high school graduates with the knowledge of a 5th grader, if that. No one seems to know the difference between your and you're anymore. Not very many at Christian Brothers University right now could tell you that they feel like they got the very best high school education that there was to offer, if any. I, for one, went to a public high school in an impoverished, primarily African American county that has been struggling with literacy levels in ADULTS, let alone teens. I honestly can say that the only reason I have so far been able to stay afloat here is because my parents encouraged me to be different and to go above and beyond in every single way I could, all day, every day. And I still am struggling...because my calculus grade on my transcript is an A, when in reality, I've never seen the inside of the calculus book. My teachers had grown far too accustomed to none of the students being able to keep up with the material, that they had just given up entirely. Why try to teach calculus to a room full of kids who can't even do multiplication in their heads? This could be so much different though, with Utilitarianism in place. The greatest good for the greatest number of people is to ensure that our young people are getting the attention and the education that they need in order to succeed tomorrow. The only way to do that is to start with kindergarten and begin raising the standards. Don't allow the leniency we've all come to expect by now. It is killing us slowly but surely. America is falling behind because we are coddling our young. Trophies for participation. Even our gym and fitness courses were seriously lacking. The teachers are punished for the kids not learning, but in reality, if we would just up the standards, the results would show. And the results would help the economy, the job industry, and so much more- in other words, it would be good for a huge number of people.