Education and Emerson Essay

Some would argue that the difference between an accomplished and unaccomplished person is confidence. Ralph Waldo Emerson certainly upholds this belief throughout his discourse entitled “Self-Reliance,” with the characterization of a man who holds on tight to what he believes in as being the best kind of man. Emerson argues that original and unique thought is necessary for true education and that conformance and perpetuation are the great hindrances to mankind. By putting the very things that he is advocating on display, Emerson’s contention is well-argued to the audience with his use of inclusive language, allusion, and individualized rhetoric. It is this use of confidence by Emerson, that allows his argument to be well-received and seem

As a student of education, I have been able to gather many ideas and opinions about practices and ideals I want to implement in my future classroom. My philosophies about education are still being formed and continually change with every class I visit and with every educator I encounter. My ideas, admittedly, come from random experiences and intangible texts, but as I gain more experience in the field through my courses, my philosophies about teaching will become more clearly defined. These few ideas I have now will undoubtedly be added upon as I enter student teaching and my professional career, nevertheless, they are concepts of which I hope to never lose sight.

1. Emerson's view of an ideal education is respect for what the child wants to pursue. Emerson talks about how a teacher and the parents should respect a childs interests and curiosity. Emerson says, "…to keep his naturel, but to stop off his uproar, fooling, and horseplay." (pg.102). Here Emerson suggests that while a teacher should respect the child's interests, the teacher should also discipline and teach the child manners. Emerson also believes that a child should not be in a strict, traditional classroom, and instead should be allowed to pursue their interests independently.

Emerson clarified, “that he must take himself for better” (2). Nevertheless, be your own person and allowing society to shape who a person. Emerson also clears up that, “he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried’ (2). Emerson states this considering, that the reader can be directed to be your own person and figure out how if they were to try, but until then no good will come from what society wants you to be.

It can be inferred from Emerson that the adversity that he so deeply describes throughout his speech could be man’s eternal struggle to discover his own self-reliance and experience real-world connections instead of just reading about them and not fully understanding or even comprehending the meaning of what is being read. Ralph Waldo Emerson separates society into two groups known as “Man Thinking” ( Emerson 2) who has allowed himself to be open to new ways of life and understanding and “Mere thinkers” (Emerson 2) who simply follow the trends and patterns society without any thought of their own. He believes the Mere thinkers are inevitable lost in adversity and do not fully understand transcendentalist ideas. Nevertheless, it will never be too late to find self-reliance and contribute an opinion to the world thus diversifying society.

           Ralph Waldo Emerson, a philosopher of the 1860s, wrote the essay, “Education.” Emerson took on the challenge to influence the current school system to change its current mechanical ways to a more natural approach. Emerson used many appeals to pathos, strong diction, and repetition to formulate his argument. Jeffery Froyd and Nancy Simpson had a similar idea to Emerson with student-centered learning. Quite a time after Emerson in 2007, Froyd and Simpson wrote the academic article, “Student-Centered Learning Addressing Faculty Questions about Student-centered Learning.” Froyd and Simpson also wanted to challenge the current lecture style teaching and integrate a student-centered learning. Froyd and Simpson use an abundant amount of logos to convey their argument. Froyd and Simpson also used a question/answer format to answer any oppositions.

6. While reading the essay I noticed how Emerson used masculine pronouns to refer to students. This essay was written about 200 years ago. It is understandable that Emerson would use only male pronouns. Very few women were being highly educated at this time. In modern times we have women and men reaching the same height of academic successes. Readers should understand that there are social differences, but Emerson’s ideas still hold true today. It may be hard for a woman who reads this in the 21st century to agree with Emerson at first. If this woman were to think more critically about what Emerson is saying, and not the pronouns used to describe it they would most likely agree with his ideals. However, it is sometimes hard for people to ignore the sexism and only pay attention the ideals.

Staying inconsistent and not conforming are two modes of his text. He believes that following these ideas are best for one’s life, and it really is. If one was to conform, they lose their own uniqueness and identity. Emerson furthers this by saying, “It is easy in the world to live after the world’s

It is the duty of the educator to prepare students to live lives of quality and purpose. Intellectually, a life of quality involves being reasonable, adept, and thoughtful, and enables people to be good citizens of their community. Skills that will prepare students to live such a life include the ability to reason carefully, to think agilely, and to reflect deeply. These skills are attained best when students evaluate how others express their thinking and precisely what thinking is expressed. The students themselves attempt to express substantive ideas in clear and convincing ways. The teacher is foremost a model of that which is taught, which obligates the teacher to live that life of quality and purpose. As a model, the teacher is therefore able to act as a guide for others, serving occasionally as a source of knowledge but mostly as one who points the way for fellow explorers.

Throughout the speech, Education , Ralph Waldo Emerson displays his distaste for what is now the common school system. How he feels about the school system is stated in the lines, “But this function of opening and feeding the human mind is not to be fulfilled by any mechanical or military method; is not to be trusted to any skill less large than nature itself.” This quote is showing that he is strongly opposed to the way that schools were functioning at that time. Schools are functioning the same way now as they were then, so he would be very disappointed with the way school is now. One statement that Emerson would make about the state of the education is that students need to learn from experience, not from textbooks.

Education is a very important part of society. I feel that it should teach children how to function in a society, and learn the basics they will need to expand on for the rest of their life. I feel that it is used to teach moral, and ethical standards of living. The schools are used to help the children learn to function in life, and achieve the goals of their choosing. Education is important because without it I firmly believe that society would be a very savage institution. With the things that we teach in today’s schools we give the power to know the basics such as reading, writing, and math but we also give them the ability to function in a society. As a teacher I hope to set my student of fire. I want to see them come alive with a desire to want everything that is out there for them. I want to be able to make a difference in just one person’s life. If I can do this I would feel I have done what I am supposed to do. I want my students to know the world is theirs to take and do with it whatever they may choose.

Emerson's self reliance makes a point to show the importance of finding yourself and God through society.

Emerson elaborates upon the necessity of the scholar by describing his pivotal role in society. He first describes the responsibilities of the scholar as “to cheer, to raise, and to guide men by showing them facts amid appearances.” The description introduces the idea that the world brims with illusions intended to prey upon the weakness of the common man, and that the scholar must help him navigate this labyrinth of truths and inaccuracies. Furthermore, Emerson elucidates that the scholar’s responsibility encompasses interpreting the world around him by personifying Reason as an entity that “pronounces on the passing men and events of today,” and tasking the scholar with interpreting her observations. Emerson goes on to characterize the scholar

I agree with Emerson’s statement that what we are taught in schools and colleges is not education but is just a means of education. The numerous lessons, chapters and countless videos that we are taught in school and colleges are not an education but instead the means by which we get an education. Education is not the notecards we are told to memorize or the theorems we learn through songs. I think, in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s claim, he is stating that education is the individual thinking and ideas that we have branching off of what we are told in class is education. This individual thinking helps people branch out new ideas that contribute to groups of new thinking and more new ideas. Emerson is correct in his statement because it is not until we start thinking about each lesson that we were just taught that we apply these new ideas to real life situations and educate ourselves from those situations. Emerson is implying that it is the more deep thinking that is our education, not just the surface memorization some people use to just pass a mid-term assessment. When I was younger I considered lessons in vocabulary and sentence structure as pointless to know simply made myself remember it for only the short time I needed to know it. Soon I started to think more about the importance of knowing these tools when it came to reading more advanced books and even talking with people who used a more diverse vocabulary in everyday speech. Once I was taught this in school it was able

The learning experience should be that of a collective nature where students are able to indiscriminately relate to the information, re-teach the information and have a balanced incorporation of all the learning centers in society; including the home and the church. The goal of this incorporation is to create a balanced learning environment that facilitates holistic development in the young mind. As professionals entrusted with the shaping of young minds, teachers must facilitate learning and personal, spiritual, ethical and academic development. My philosophy for education is a multi-part philosophy that encapsulates the idea of holistic and inclusive learning. The philosophy caters for the overall shaping and development of the young mind and includes aspects of balanced training, incorporated teachings and it generally focuses on training students to become teachers.