Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. ~John Dewey, educational reformer.
Ken Burns has declared that National Parks are America’s best idea. In the same spirit, I claim that the public education of all citizens then must be our country’s second best idea. With the school year starting, it behooves us to reflect on this great idea.
When the 13 original colonies were first founded, life for most was a struggle for mere survival. While the private universities of Harvard and Yale were first established in the 1600s as seminaries to train clergymen, the only formal education for the general public in this country came in the form of apprenticeships to tradesmen. Beyond reading and writing, many settlers feared education because it represented, to them, oppression by the European upper classes.
Promote an educated populace
However by the time the country’s forefathers were signing the Constitution of the United States in 1787, states had begun to see the advantage of an educated populace. Early in the life of this new country, this society realized the need to teach citizenship to its people.
The State of Georgia, by the time of that famed signing, had already begun the process to establish the very first state university in the country. The University of Georgia, established by the Georgia General Assembly in 1785, graduated its first class in 1804. Abraham Baldwin, one of the Constitution signers, was appointed its first president.
During the early years of this great nation, public education for children relied totally on the vision of and funding from each state and each community. Public education, kindergarten through high school, grew from the bottom up and support for education grew rapidly during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, 1829-1837. By the 20th century, society not only embraced the concept of public education, it began to demand that schools teach far more than reading, writing, arithmetic and citizenship.
For most of us who grew up in the public school system, education offered opportunities unheard of in my parent’s generation. My parents considered themselves fortunate to have graduated from high school, but disappointed that the depression kept them from going to college.
A child of the mid-20th century, I never questioned going to school because I loved learning. However, I have no memory of mastering any specific subject, including learning to read. I don’t recall any “Aha” moment when squiggly lines became words. My mother loved to read and she had read to me daily until I could read on my own.
Although no one ever threatened to take away my books, I know exactly how Scout, in To Kill a Mockingbird feels when her teacher frowns on her ability to read before being taught such skills in school. "Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing," Scout says. For me, as probably for author Harper Lee, “reading and breathing” mean existence.
Travel the two-way street
Now in the 21st century, society offers education to everyone; teachers start each year eager to relay knowledge they have gleaned to our young. But education is not a right stated in the Constitution; rather it is an opportunity afforded to all students, specifically to assist each individual reach full potential and to advance society as a whole. Always, opportunities come with responsibilities. Certainly, we hear of some failing schools, but we the people must not only demand quality education for all of our young, but also be willing to fund it. These days, quality, in any field, costs.
Education is a two-way street. And for any meaningful learning to take place, students must come to the classroom fervent to meet the challenge. To be smart, put away the smart phones. Recognize that abbreviated messages do not equate real communication. Do not expect calculators to replace the mental acuity necessary to solve complex problems. View technology as a tool, not an extension of the hand.
Learning is far more than memorizing facts; it requires studying these facts until they connect with truths. True education, true wisdom, comes when one searches for the information necessary to reason out real solutions to current problems. Surprise! Amazing enlightenment happens when a teacher’s eagerness to teach meets a student’s eagerness to learn. Always, the best motivation comes from within, not from any outside stimuli. Do not expect to be entertained. But remember, real learning always entertains the mind.
Accentuate the positive
Recently, I chanced to talk with a young woman studying to be a middle school math teacher. Her practicum experience in a classroom had added to her enthusiasm about pursuing a teaching career. In the course of our conversation, she acknowledged that some people had tried to discourage her from following her dream. She had heard the old complaints : “Students are different today. The paperwork is a killer.” Always, negatives beget more negatives.
As a former student turned teacher who still loves to learn, I implore that we encourage, not discourage, future teachers. For public education to work, we need good teachers. From generation to generation, students have always differed. Those I taught were different from me and my schoolmates. While the difference demands diverse teaching methods, those I taught equaled or surpassed the creativity and curiosity of my own classmates.
When the school bell rings, I’ll, once again, miss the classroom, both as a student and a teacher. But I, for one, am grateful that society continues to benefit from this great American ideal of educating everyone.
2016
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