Do I throw myself into the depth of my thoughts
Wrestle with life's contradictions
Resurface with an idea of which I'm not sure
Submerge for more context
Wrap that thought in the criticism and love it deserves
Take the risk of giving voice to this process
Hopeful that this time will be better
That this time I will be accepted and my idea supported
That this time I will find my place
Or
Do I throw myself back into that depth
Gloss over life's contradictions
Come up with ideas that seem safe
Give them the context they already have
Dress them up in certainty, disrobe their possibility
Take the best chance of saying what will be heard and not challenged
Because this time,
I learned
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
The Purpose of Education, In Brief
The notion of education in this country has never had an unopposed definition or manner of practice, but its primary vehicle has been the concept of schools, and it therefore cannot be divorced from schooling as American practice and source of debate. Its purpose has riled scholars and practitioners since the earliest ideal of the American social contract and the creation of common schools in the early nineteenth century. It has evolved into many machinations, at times coming closer to its ideals as a pillar of a truly democratic society, but has largely continued to serve the needs of the ruling class, as a means to instill certain qualities, behaviors, and beliefs in marginalized members of society and maintain a preferred social order. Infamous education scholar and activist John Dewey observed,
It would not be a sign of health if such an important social interest as education were not also an arena of struggles, practical and theoretical. . . It is the business of an intelligent theory of education to ascertain the causes for the conflicts that exist and then, instead of taking one side or the other, to indicate a plan of operations proceeding from a level deeper and more inclusive than is represented by the practices and ideas of the contending parties. . . .It means the necessity of the introduction of a new order of conceptions leading to new modes of practice.
By this notion, education is a tool by which we are capable and obligated to solved the great problems of our time. It is the ‘means to an end’ highlighted by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his seminal essay The Purpose of Education, published after his experience speaking with many young college students. Dr. King goes on to create an important addition, much in the tradition of Dewey, that would lead us to believe in a double pronged explanation of purpose,
The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals.
To this end, the purpose of education is to develop a way of seeing ourselves and our surroundings as parts of interconnected systems of mutuality. Though this belief is not without its detractors. Critical, reasoned approaches to education have been countered and at times surpassed by the concept that students are vessels which need to be filled, that there is a core of basic skills students must learn, and that teachers are the method to best deliver this knowledge. This rhetoric and practice found its place in the earliest days of the American educational landscape, and continues today.
As mentioned above, the prevailing narrative on the purpose and practice of American education is one of subordination and subsistence. The roots of our public schools grew up in the form of common schools while the country was moving from a self-sufficient family based unit to the beginnings of the industrial age. (Nasaw, 39). And it was these same common schools, mainly promoted and administered by educated elites, who saw the opportunity to instill common values in the quickly growing and urbanizing American population as a surefire means to prevent social upheaval.
Today, we have a predominant vision of education that revolves around schooling. We have greatly departed from the visions of Dewey and King into an era marred by the jingoism of accountability and choice. Education reformers and their predecessors have successfully turned the national debate about the purpose of education away from Dewey vs. Mann, and into an incentivized sprint towards the beliefs of Howard Mann (Nasaw, 41). Basic skills, standardized testing, teacher accountability, and school choice are perhaps the most notable headlines from the last thirty years of increasing hostility towards a concept of education as freedom and active citizenship.
Despite the continued reliance on a failing social order and the means by which it is organized, there are a series of modern reformers who, just as the very creation of adolescence was introduced by earlier education progress, are reigniting the debate with the introduction of place- and community-based education into the American lexicon. These people and their schools are finding new ways to engage youth in a much more participatory system of education that values their very existence and teaching a system of thought, rather than a series of information (Smith & Sobel). I believe place- and community-based education is our path forward, and is characterized by a more holistic approach than one could ever find on a white paper in our national Department of Eduation. Contrary to current commodification of education, it sees schools as anchors in their communities, builds meaningful bridges between the classroom and the world outside it’s walls, and engages youth in relevant curricula that challenges them to actively guide their own learning process. Ideally, it combines the life outside the school, which predominates the majority of a students time, with the expectations of their education. And in a global economic system where the once commonly accepted link between education credentials and appropriately compensated work is quickly disintegrating, we are hard pressed to re-evaluate our values and the very purpose of education. Are we to create another generation of youth who do not have the ability to analyze the complex systems around them, and that which often determine much of their lives and livelihoods, or are we going to build sustainable, inclusive communities that value the process of critical thought and full development of our human potential?
Sources:
Nasaw, David. Schooled to Order: A Social History of Public Schooling in the United States
Smith, Gregory & Sobel, David. Place- And Community-Based Education In Schools.
King Jr., Martin Luther. The Purpose of Education
Schulman, Michael. Schools as Moral Communities
It would not be a sign of health if such an important social interest as education were not also an arena of struggles, practical and theoretical. . . It is the business of an intelligent theory of education to ascertain the causes for the conflicts that exist and then, instead of taking one side or the other, to indicate a plan of operations proceeding from a level deeper and more inclusive than is represented by the practices and ideas of the contending parties. . . .It means the necessity of the introduction of a new order of conceptions leading to new modes of practice.
By this notion, education is a tool by which we are capable and obligated to solved the great problems of our time. It is the ‘means to an end’ highlighted by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his seminal essay The Purpose of Education, published after his experience speaking with many young college students. Dr. King goes on to create an important addition, much in the tradition of Dewey, that would lead us to believe in a double pronged explanation of purpose,
The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals.
To this end, the purpose of education is to develop a way of seeing ourselves and our surroundings as parts of interconnected systems of mutuality. Though this belief is not without its detractors. Critical, reasoned approaches to education have been countered and at times surpassed by the concept that students are vessels which need to be filled, that there is a core of basic skills students must learn, and that teachers are the method to best deliver this knowledge. This rhetoric and practice found its place in the earliest days of the American educational landscape, and continues today.
As mentioned above, the prevailing narrative on the purpose and practice of American education is one of subordination and subsistence. The roots of our public schools grew up in the form of common schools while the country was moving from a self-sufficient family based unit to the beginnings of the industrial age. (Nasaw, 39). And it was these same common schools, mainly promoted and administered by educated elites, who saw the opportunity to instill common values in the quickly growing and urbanizing American population as a surefire means to prevent social upheaval.
Today, we have a predominant vision of education that revolves around schooling. We have greatly departed from the visions of Dewey and King into an era marred by the jingoism of accountability and choice. Education reformers and their predecessors have successfully turned the national debate about the purpose of education away from Dewey vs. Mann, and into an incentivized sprint towards the beliefs of Howard Mann (Nasaw, 41). Basic skills, standardized testing, teacher accountability, and school choice are perhaps the most notable headlines from the last thirty years of increasing hostility towards a concept of education as freedom and active citizenship.
Despite the continued reliance on a failing social order and the means by which it is organized, there are a series of modern reformers who, just as the very creation of adolescence was introduced by earlier education progress, are reigniting the debate with the introduction of place- and community-based education into the American lexicon. These people and their schools are finding new ways to engage youth in a much more participatory system of education that values their very existence and teaching a system of thought, rather than a series of information (Smith & Sobel). I believe place- and community-based education is our path forward, and is characterized by a more holistic approach than one could ever find on a white paper in our national Department of Eduation. Contrary to current commodification of education, it sees schools as anchors in their communities, builds meaningful bridges between the classroom and the world outside it’s walls, and engages youth in relevant curricula that challenges them to actively guide their own learning process. Ideally, it combines the life outside the school, which predominates the majority of a students time, with the expectations of their education. And in a global economic system where the once commonly accepted link between education credentials and appropriately compensated work is quickly disintegrating, we are hard pressed to re-evaluate our values and the very purpose of education. Are we to create another generation of youth who do not have the ability to analyze the complex systems around them, and that which often determine much of their lives and livelihoods, or are we going to build sustainable, inclusive communities that value the process of critical thought and full development of our human potential?
Sources:
Nasaw, David. Schooled to Order: A Social History of Public Schooling in the United States
Smith, Gregory & Sobel, David. Place- And Community-Based Education In Schools.
King Jr., Martin Luther. The Purpose of Education
Schulman, Michael. Schools as Moral Communities
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Writing Prompt #1
It's been so long since I had homework! Here we go!
1. My vision is to create a piece or series of graphic media that compliments an already existing campaign or effort around issues of youth criminalization, the school to prison pipeline, mass incarceration, or the prison industrial complex.
2. While open to suggestions and possible collaboration, I have mostly settled on the creation of a series of posters or t-shirts that could be printed en masse, possibly sold as a fundraiser, or in the least, donated to benefit a grassroots organizing effort.
3. I am planning to investigate suspension policies, expulsion rates, and school policing policies in my own community schools. I hope that my work will be multi-faceted, raising community awareness about the detrimental policies and practices of our criminal justice system, relating to my specific community as part of a call to action around local issues, and offering examples of effective alternatives.
4. To do this, I am going to need a deeper understanding of the graphic arts, specifically Adobe Creative Suite.
1. My vision is to create a piece or series of graphic media that compliments an already existing campaign or effort around issues of youth criminalization, the school to prison pipeline, mass incarceration, or the prison industrial complex.
2. While open to suggestions and possible collaboration, I have mostly settled on the creation of a series of posters or t-shirts that could be printed en masse, possibly sold as a fundraiser, or in the least, donated to benefit a grassroots organizing effort.
3. I am planning to investigate suspension policies, expulsion rates, and school policing policies in my own community schools. I hope that my work will be multi-faceted, raising community awareness about the detrimental policies and practices of our criminal justice system, relating to my specific community as part of a call to action around local issues, and offering examples of effective alternatives.
4. To do this, I am going to need a deeper understanding of the graphic arts, specifically Adobe Creative Suite.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
If anyone still reads this
For the next 20 or so weeks, I'll be participating in the Detroit Future Media Training. I'll be focusing on graphic design and video production, so check back here for occasional posts about my progress and a possible glimpse at some of the products. I'm particularly interested in figuring out the intersections of popular images and social change, and how I can relate that to my immediate community. Holler if you hear me.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Saturday Media Madness
Light glistens through furniture factory windows
Warmth of other suns surrounds me soundly
My timeline started not far in a Boulevard hospital
Where it goes from here is Detroit Future.
Warmth of other suns surrounds me soundly
My timeline started not far in a Boulevard hospital
Where it goes from here is Detroit Future.
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