These are tough times in the world of education. It seems hard to believe that just a few short years ago a person with solid teaching credentials could get a job practically anywhere. (Or at least this was true in the part of the country where I live.) How quickly things have changed. With cities and states across the country now facing draconian budget cuts, schools are downsizing, classes are growing larger, and the demands on teachers are increasing exponentially. In spite of this, I still love teaching, although my antagonism toward schools continues to grow. (And no, this is not a contradiction).
Part of my frustration is the schizophrenic nature of American education. Historically, we have never truly decided what sort of students we want to produce. Should schools concentrate on teaching people or tasks? Do we want workers or do we want citizens? Can we have both?
Mark Slouka addresses this issue in his article, “Dehumanized: When Math and Science Rule the School” (Harper’s Magazine, September, 2009).
In it, he chronicles the process by which American education has been usurped by the worlds of science and commerce (especially commerce which, in our society, ultimately controls the funding of scientific research).
He also raises questions about the effect such a narrow academic approach has on people’s ability to act as soulful, discerning human beings who are able to challenge the status quo and move our society toward its more democratic ideals.
Great Depression Teachers School Education
... funding, or just because children were not able go to school, education proved to be a major issue during the Great Depression ... was created by the North Carolina General Assembly. The School Machinery Act provided education for all children in North Carolina for free. ... who could teach were eligible for a teaching position in the program (Peterson). The School Machinery Act was established in 1931 and ...
Much of Slouka’s article focuses on the American tendency to equate good education with the ability to earn a lucrative income and grow the nation’s ever-expanding GDP. The study of the arts, for example, is seen not as a way to explore the potential of human creativity as much as it is to develop thinkers that industry can use to maintain our country’s dominance in the fields of business and technology. Slouka asks, “Why is every Crisis in American Education cast as an economic threat and never a civic one? In part, because we don’t have a language for it. Our focus is on the usual economic indicators. There are no corresponding ‘civic indicators,’ no generally agreed-upon warning signs of political vulnerability, even though the inability of more than two thirds of our college graduates to read a text and draw rational inferences could be seen as the political equivalent of runaway inflation or soaring unemployment” ( 37).
When economic times get rough, political pundits exert pressure on the educational establishment to narrow its curricular scope to only those standards that are quantifiable. But as Slouka notes, “By downsizing what is most dangerous (and most essential) about our education, namely the deep civic function of the arts and the humanities, we’re well on the way to producing a nation of employees, not citizens. Thus the world is made safe for commerce, but not safe. We’re pounding swords into cogs” (33).
For Slouka, the key to maintaining a soundly functioning democracy is to produce well-educated and well-reasoned citizens. A broad education facilitates this, because the “humanities, done right, are the crucible within which our evolving notions of what it means to be fully human are put to the test; they teach us, incrementally, endlessly, not what to do but how to be” (36-7).
As an English student, my sensibilities fall on the side of the humanities. (No big surprise there.) While I understand that part of good Language Arts instruction is producing people capable of composing letters and business proposals that make sense to readers, I believe it is also essential that I provide opportunities for my students to expand their thinking outside realms of office cubicles and spreadsheets. After all, if the prevailing economic mission for American schools is to churn out drones, its intellectual imperative is to produce thinking human beings who will challenge the assumptions of the “suits” who occupy the lofty corner offices and dictate the terms of their economic futures. But then again, that’s dangerous thinking—the kind that gets people thrown into prison in societies less tolerant than ours.
The Term Paper on Russia Make Social, Economic And Political Progress
... wanted to do science. Not having science education available at University level set back economic progress for Russia as it meant ... human right. Furthermore, as a symbol to show that Russia was progressing, many political groups formed. There was the Liberal Party, The People’s ... was to do with Education. Alexander II constructed 10,000 more Primary schools in order to educate the former Serfs. In ...
Epictetus knew a lot about freedom granted via education and learning. Epictetus was a Greek slave who became a leading philosopher and earned his freedom through his intelligence.
He is known as a Stoical philosopher, his works are highly pragmatic.
The educated are free because they are able to leave their bonds behind and use their minds, to imagine, explore, challenge exsisting thoughts and theories. It also allows the development of new theories and philosophies.
Education can be both bad and good, one can be taught to murder, but education in general can open the mind, the open mind is a dangerous thing, because it cannot be put in a box, contained or oppressed. Education makes people challenge existing ideologies and this is dangerous to those who wish to maintain the status quo.
Education can also be limiting but Epictetus mean the process of learning new things and using those new things learned to test our own existing view of the world.
A thought for today in The Times of India dated 04 Jan 2007 , “Only the educated are free” compelled me to write this blog. Since my childhood days, I have observed the difficult situations created and developed by the semi-educated or even educated people because of lack of “proper education”. Education is basic to human survival. Education is essential for the growth and success. Education is first step to move towards freedom. Education gives not only knowledge but wisdom. Wisdom domain is a basic necessity for the people of 21st century to be free.
In due course of my observation of many successful and growing people in a developing society, I feel the concept of freedom is not understood by even educated one nothing to talk about the uneducated or illiterate. Not only the leaders of political parties, but even the Indian intelligentsia and other professionals are not working, walking and talking like a free person. Most of the people even at relatively comfortable positions work under some hidden pressure of their cultured past or present obligations.
The Essay on Advantages and Disadvantages of Free Higher Education
College and university education has become very important in today’s life. Wherever you see an advertisement for job, there is some certain criteria for certain posts. For example for marketing executive employers prefer MBA Marketing person, for eye surgeons hospitals prefer oculist. Without a college degree a person is unqualified for such posts. Some people believe that university ...
As a growing individual from developing country, I have got my own concept of freedom. Especially I talk about the freedom which forces or motivate you to excel. In developing culture, these are not available. Therefore, I have no choice to look anywhere other than Western world where many of our seniors in 60s, 70, 80s, and even in 90s, have looked towards to find a meaning of freedom to excel . That may be the reason, Narayana Murthy says, if at all he accepts any government appointment, he would like to become the Ambassador of India in US. Even Vijay Amritraj kept his son in US to make world class tennis player. Today, India has Prakash Amritraj. developing world still cries to be free. Free from reservation, religion, caste etc. Even in the democratic free world, freedom is not free. Where is the true freedom?
Western values which we generally recognize as democracy, human rights, free speech, rule of law etc, remain very confusing to normal citizens of the developing world. Especially when we suddenly find a Nithari village in our city where children disappear without even getting FIR lodged. The master mind of serial killers lives a “respectable life” at two most important cities in the country. Murder case opens up after public protests and culprit goes to jail for life. Terrorists are given life sentence and another advocate fights for him and get acquitted. Ministers resign and move to Tihar jail. People can be found one day in Parliament and next day in jail. Social obligations and responsibilities are not available in the dictionary of many. Rule of law exists for those who do not come on the way of rule. Law serves very few privileged.
It is an other story that Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev says, “The western values are after all values that belong to the whole of humanity” Timothy Garton Ash in his book “Free World” says, “Freedom is elusive, difficult, risky, hard to define, let alone to achieve, but those who are unfree, know exactly what unfreedom is.” I do not agree with that perception being a part of developing world. What is elusive in freedom? Freedom is freedom, but this can be understood by only those who are free in some ways. Those who are unfree will never know neither will they have any way to know about freedom, unless educated or liberated, or tasted the air of freedom.
The Research paper on Social Media And Free Speech In Education And Sport
Citizens, including students, are guaranteed the constitutional right of freedom of speech . […] the question becomes, how should administrators balance students’ First Amendment rights with the school’s responsibility to regulate student speech that is disparaging to staff members or coaches or disruptive to the educational environment or team dynamics? The phenomenon of ...
The person living like slaves, living in poverty and deprivation, as child labour, ladies living in veil, Muslims living in Mosque, Muslims praying for five days and so on are living in a world where they know no freedom to understand freedom. They would never understand the free in freedom. That’s how literacy becomes one of the prime objects of a civilized society. Literacy of an open nature, not dipped with biased or religious bent could possibly show the meaning of freedom to the people of unfree world. We need to make the mind a fertile ground, fertile garden rather than dust bin or scrap-drain. We have to stop using mind as a drain and make a boon of the opportunities. Freedom can only be understood if mind is free to appreciate and learn freedom.
Timothy concludes wisely, “We (people of develop world) can, and should, offer a tool box of experiences in all aspects of transition, from how to write a constitution to how to deal with a difficult past.” It is a great gesture from the people of the developed world for the deprived lot of the developing world. Certainly, it could be possible to help in writing a liberal democratic constitution. It may help to spread democracy, human rights and concept of free world. They may educate to be free and know about freedom.
However the main question arises, how the westerners going to help people of developing world to deal with a difficult ‘past’, which they are, neither even their last few generations, nor have ever witnessed nor experienced. That’s how; even Saddam was killed like goat especially near Bakrid day. How horrible these Muslim killers have become brutal not only to their enemies but to their own rulers? This reminds me the death of Julfikar Ali Bhutto. This reminds me the morning hanging of the ruler of Afghanistan when Osama took over the rein. The way, India is discussing not to punish a hard core terrorist. The people of developing countries have no idea of a civilized society. But thanks to the modern technology again developed and spread by Westerners including TV and Internet, there is a hope that visibility will improve bringing education and development to large section of the population.
The Essay on Religious Freedom Establishment Free Exercise Cl
Freedom of Religion under the First Amendment has been up for interpretation throughout most of the history of the United States. The two controversial parts of Freedom of Religion are the Establishment clause and the Free Exercise clause. The purpose of this paper is to critique the Supreme Court s reasoning behind it s interpretation of these two clauses. The intention of the Freedom of Religion ...
There is a vast difference between the experience of the people of developed and developing world. The life of the last century has given a glimpse of development to the people of the developed world. They have experienced richness across the board. They have enjoyed all the privileges and materialism of the world for the last two-three-four generations.
But can we ever imagine the past of the people of developing world since last 2-3 generations? They have not only faced deprivation, they are not only forced to live in deprivation, they are not only preached to and convinced to live in deprivation, but they are deprived of basic amenities. At the same time, they have seen the rich; they have seen the abundance of resources available to human beings. Also, they don’t have basic amenities in their huts or slums, but have seen the luxury of palaces, apartments and hotels, not only they have been able to earn a mere livelihood, they have seen billionaires and making of billionaires in front of their eyes and so on. They are not only illiterate, but they are being forcefully humiliated by literate. They can stand on a road crossing in metro cities of the developing world and witness the future. The past is not only frustrating but humiliating too. That is how Lalu Yadav aspiring to become Prime Minister of a developing country emerges from herd. It may not be very easy to deal with the past even for the wisest people of this earth. It would be a traumatic event. They are not ready to deal even with their past. It is a challenge of growth of human civilization of the unfree and developing world. It is a challenge to deal with the past.
The Term Paper on Analyse the effects of education on the developing countries
Analyse the effects of education on the developing countries Development is one of the themes of modern society and there are a variety of elements influencing the development. Many countries experience declares that education gradually play a more and more vital role in development. Education policies which depend on the specific national conditions can lead to a different result. Overall, ...
Timothy Garton Ash appears so ridicules and that is where I feel that the people of developing countries will have to learn and deal with the past more intelligently. They need to take the help of few life critical factors. There is sufficient curiosity needed to delve upon the intricacies and dilemmas in achieving modernity and success amidst chaos. I doubt that only education will ever make us free. We have to create wisdom domain to come out of existing ruts to enjoy the fruits of 21st century.
In spite of tremendous importance of education even to understand freedom, we have very few schools and institutions. We create Knowledge Commission without following their recommendations. We take serious decisions like reservation even after the objection from them. Knowledge remains the slave of hierarchy. Knowledge remains a slave of history rather than future. Education remains a scarce item for large section of the population. Again, KC has come out with suggestions like raising number of universities from meager 350 to 1,500. As NKC Chairman Sam Pitroda notes that only seven percent of India ’s population enters higher education which is half the Asian average. China has created 1250 universities in last 3 years; we have created discrimination through reservations. Surprisingly Indian media keeps silent over such critical issues. Are knowledge and freedom available to media?
Education is in shambles in shortly going to be the developed country. When highly educated President signed the policy to implement reservation in higher studies to grab his second term in office, country debates higher education and wastes its precious time and efforts; status of primary education has deteriorated from the previous year. Today in 2006, we have 6.8% children not in school compared to 6.5% the previous year. In poorest state of Bihar , this figure is 13.1%, pro-poor Communist’s West Bengal 8.1% etc. Today when you go to airport or come out from Delhi airport, you find a big poster promising education to all. What a farce? Have top leaders wisely chosen systems to keep the majority in dark or ignorant? How the people will know about free?
The people are struggling for basic necessities. The chances of creating a wisdom domain remain a tough task. Even if youth gets education, they remain busy in grabbing a job to earn their livelihood. There is no time to think about freedom. Many educated people of the developed world are slave of their ignorance. Many are slave of their needs. They have no wisdom to make themselves free.
Time has come for the people of developing country to understand the meaning of freedom. Now, slowly and steadily, they are getting sufficient education and resources to understand the meaning of freedom. This is the high time for all young to take the advantage of this situation. Their sincere efforts first to understand and then to spread the freedom for the land will create history of the future. 21st century has given all of us a chance to be free. There is a need to have freedom from castism, religion, regional language and region. Feel free, learn free and enjoy!
