I really enjoyed reading the three articles for this past class period. Each one was so inspiring, but in completely different ways. More than anything, they made me think alot about the notion of what an education means to individual people based on many factors.
Some examples are: when you were born, what country (ies) you were educated in, your gender, your ethnic and socioeconomic background, your own life's experiences, and your homelife and upbringing. What are you family's values about education, and have they influenced your educational experiences?
My Lincoln article was called, "Rachel", and the article describes a woman named Rachel Carson who had such an amazing perspective on what a good education was to her and what wasn't. It was so clear to her even a a young girl, that she wanted to be a writer and author. This was no small feat during her lifetime, in which she was born in 1865.
I was captivated by the tone of the story, which was colorful and full of word visuals describing her difficult upbringing in a small town in Pennsylvania. He mother was formally educated coming from a wealthy family, she highly valued education, and passed this onto her children.
After much hardship, Rachel was determined to get a college education, which she did, and eventually graduated first in her class. She became one of the few female biologists in the country and a famous author, well-known for her last book, "Silent Spring."
Sometimes I wonder if we sometimes take for granted that we have a public school system in the US and the opportunity to attend college regardless of issues that I stated above. Despite some flaws in the American public school system, I do feel lucky to have all of the opportunities that I have had in my education.
I enjoyed the articles also; however, I have to say that Dewey was my least favorite. A little too academic for my tastes. The cover story of the current issue of Time magazine is all about teaching, and covers a lot of the issues we've discussed in class. It also mentions a movie being released today, which is probably worth seeing, called Waiting for "Superman". I just checked, but unfortunately, it's not currently playing in Abq.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had been in class to discuss the articles. I did enjoy one of the articles I read; "Jack".
ReplyDeleteAt times I feel lucky that we have a public school system and then sometimes I wish it was be better, for the purpose of my own children. I went to public school and then continued through college. I feel that my elementary and secondary education was very average therefor I really struggled through college. I had a few teachers in my elementary and secondary schooling that I really remember taught me well and made an impact, although I think alot of my schooling was a waste of time. I wish more teachers would take their job serioulsy verse a job with summers and holidays off!
You made some good points. I am in agreement with you when it comes to the people of America and how we sometimes devalue education. Although we do have some flaws in our system, we do have the ability to attend school and move on to college. Many poor children are able to go to school when, in the past, they may never have had this opportunity. So, rather that tear down our system and try to build it back up, it looks like we must deal with what we are dealt. Instead of raise all the negative aspects of our public school sytem, maybe it would do us some good to reflect on the fact that we DO have opportunity. Many of us went through public schools, and went on to attend public or private universities...and now here we are in a public community college. Our system must work to a point, right, if we all have traveled through it? Thank you for bringing this up, it's always helpful to put a new perspective on things.
ReplyDeleteI have found the readings meaningful. My Lincoln article was Ben. He seemed well prepared for an adventurous life. In other words, since his many siblings were at different stages in their reading education, Ben was immersed in reading instruction, from all levels, all the time. This allowed him to go off, fill his life with adventure, and have something to fall back on, his solid educational foundation. “Rachel” sounds like she had many challenges to face in 1865. Have you gotten a chance to read “Silent Spring”? I don’t think you have taken, or America for that matter, for granted because you are highly educated and you readily share your knowledge, like with our book presentation.
ReplyDelete