Education

[EmperorKupcake]

Well, the other day I went to this used book sale near my school, and it was amazing. Among my purchases: a six volume series of Winston Churchill's accounts of WW2, and Alexandre Dumas' The Man in the Iron Mask . However, I came across a compilation of Ralph Waldo Emerson's works. Now, I don't know how many people are familiar with him, but Emerson was one of the great American Antebellum Philosophers, part of a group called the transcendentalists.

The very first page I open to, it talks about how reading books and going to school should be considered secondary to your own personal thinking. He said that his works should be read sparingly, as he didn't want a satellite of his own thinking, but rather an individual thinker inspired from his own writing. However, his teachings have become paradoxical, as many colleges have included his works in their curricula.

So, this got me thinking (I guess that means he's doing his job, right?). What is the true purpose of education? I mean, when Horace Mann was designing school systems during the Antebellum, he wasn't stupid. He definitely had some sort of goal. But Emerson, a colleague of Mann, almost contradicted him. I'm thinking that school is necessary, but secondary to individual thought. Perhaps it is to inspire students, and evoke them to think on their own.
What are your thoughts?

 

[All Else Failed]

Well, the other day I went to this used book sale near my school, and it was amazing. Among my purchases: a six volume series of Winston Churchill's accounts of WW2, and Alexandre Dumas' The Man in the Iron Mask . However, I came across a compilation of Ralph Waldo Emerson's works. Now, I don't know how many people are familiar with him, but Emerson was one of the great American Antebellum Philosophers, part of a group called the transcendentalists.

The very first page I open to, it talks about how reading books and going to school should be considered secondary to your own personal thinking. He said that his works should be read sparingly, as he didn't want a satellite of his own thinking, but rather an individual thinker inspired from his own writing. However, his teachings have become paradoxical, as many colleges have included his works in their curricula.

So, this got me thinking (I guess that means he's doing his job, right?). What is the true purpose of education? I mean, when Horace Mann was designing school systems during the Antebellum, he wasn't stupid. He definitely had some sort of goal. But Emerson, a colleague of Mann, almost contradicted him. I'm thinking that school is necessary, but secondary to individual thought. Perhaps it is to inspire students, and evoke them to think on their own.
What are your thoughts?

The purpose of education is to make a person aware of their world around them, and to supply them the knowledge to them to successfully interact with it. (In a school education, sense)


I agree, I think it is important to actually think for themselves and not just take for truth what they are told right away. They need to take the information presented to them ,reflect on it and do their own research, and then go from there.

I cannot stress enough the importance of personal reflection on things. Actually sitting down and thinking about everything and its meaning, this way you learn from yourself. Personally, I have been on hikes and walks in woods and forests where I have learned much more about myself and the world than I could have learned in a classroom.

 

[Sneakiecat]

In the field of education, Elliot Eisner developed curriculum orientations. They address how students should be taught, why are they taught, and if it should reflect society's views or not. This site http://homepages.ius.edu/GWALL/fifth/fifth.htm give a pretty good overview of the different orientations.

 

[GraceAbounds]

I love learning. Learning helps me to help myself and others.

Unfortunately education can swell up pride in the heart of men and tempt them to look and talk down to others instead of using their gifts as a blessing to others. It's sad how we are sometimes.

For me, education is mainly for my career, so that I can support my family, so that I can focus on the things in life that matter most, which is obviously not education. (not that I will ever stop learning and growing)

With hands on/trade education, it is a great way to save money by being able to do things on your own and also helping others so that they too can same some money. And then they help you with something they have learned along the way. It is great to learn in this fashion. You help someone and in turn end up being helped.

On the other hand, it is sad that the only type of education that is valued in this society, or so it seems, is the one you have to pay for. There are many self made and self educated people. My Uncle, for example, never went to college and is a millionaire. It is a lot more difficult to accomplish that in this day and age with out a college degree. Many companies will not even see you for an interview unless you have one.

I've read many college text books that I will never get credit on paper for. That's ok. I read them because I wanted to. I don't yearn for this world's recognition.

I definitely think we should be able to think for ourselves, but at the same token I think it is very wise to learn the lessons from those that came before us.

 

[EmperorKupcake]

I love learning. Learning helps me to help myself and others.

Unfortunately education can swell up pride in the heart of men and tempt them to look and talk down to others instead of using their gifts as a blessing to others. It's sad how we are sometimes.

For me, education is mainly for my career, so that I can support my family, so that I can focus on the things in life that matter most, which is obviously not education. (not that I will ever stop learning and growing)...

...I've read many college text books that I will never get credit on paper for. That's ok. I read them because I wanted to. I don't yearn for this world's recognition.

I definitely think we should be able to think for ourselves, but at the same token I think it is very wise to learn the lessons from those that came before us.

You're absolutely right. We need to learn from the past before we think progressively. I mean, if every CEO or milionaire in the country was a strong Andrew Carnegie follower, most of the hard efforts by the wealthy would be going towards social improvement. However, people seem to think about themselves, then their families, and stop there. They forget about the next notch: society.

That was the original purpose of education. The United States was the first government since Greece to have such strong power held by the people. So, cynics thought "the common person is an idiot. There's no way they can govern themselves without having an elitist monarch." So, in response to that, Thomas Jefferson envisioned an enlightened society, where the common yeoman farmer was as well spoken as the common European Noble.

So then, in the 1820's to 30's, as New England schools were already somewhat well established, Horace Mann came along and unified them with stronger curricula, better pay for teachers. Along with this came political acts to strengthen the foundation of our government, society, and economy.

So, from an American Historian's point of view, the objective of Education is to enlighten the common man, so that our government (composed of the common man) would be successful. The objective of government is to protect and provide for the citizens. Logically, the objective of education is to protect and provide for ourselves.

That is why they teach history in school. In order to understand today's complex world, we need to understand how it worked 100 years ago, and think progressively from there.