Why School Should Be Viewed Not Only As An Institution That Conveys Skills, Familiarity, And Knowledge Essay

John Dewey is considered to have been a pedagogical progressivist, meaning he focused on education reform by first reforming the way that the teaching was actually done. In the past education focused on teaching children facts, mostly by learning with repetition. This was a problem because it taught children information but not how to use that mindfulness with critical thinking in real-world situations. These problems led John Dewey to write a series of articles that described his views on teaching and how it should be improved upon, this is called “My Pedagogic Creed”. Dewey wanted to equally incorporate a psychological, the abilities and interest of the student, and sociological, the needs and commitments of the society, aspect into teaching. He believed that children were born with blank slates and throughout their lives they would receive guidance “unconsciously” and be molded into adults (Dewey, 1). So the introduction of these aspects would help the molded children into better citizens and that would help drive the social economy into prosperity and overall a better democratic society.

In past years, when people was talking about higher education, they had no hesitation to mention university immediately. When others were mentioning that college also belonged to higher education, sometimes they reacted with a wry smile, and shook their heads. Yes, even if it is for today, university gets the higher appraisal than college, and even many people think ‘‘college as America used to understand it is coming to an end.’’ As parents, they prefer their children to study in university instead of college, no matter how high of tuition the university it is. They ignore the value of college. Although sometimes college is viewed as critical by other people, we still can find its value, and how it is really beneficial for our lives, even if we don’t pursue a degree.

Colleges and Universities are windows of knowledge that many people try to break, in doing so, people are ready for the next stage of their life. But not many have the option to go the world where knowledge is everything, and end being a simple worker all his life. People would judge a person for not having a degree, bachelor and many more. But do they ever think that colleges or universities are really preparing you for any jobs, does a piece of paper worth a lot now a days. Freeman Hrabowski wrote an article responding to people that think educations is a waste of time, and it is called “College Prepare People for life” (Hrabowski). In the article he mentions many positive thing about going to college and what is the outcome of going to college. But I believe that, he hasn’t done a very good job to explain why college is a good place to go prepare yourself for the real world. I believe that college is very important for our life, but not many of us know if we are really learning something while being in college. I feel like colleges or universities has become a place where we go just to go or try to earn a degree in any field. Therefore, I believe that colleges doesn’t enhance our basic skills, doesn’t give us a certainty of us getting a good job, doesn’t give us the hardships of the real world and it isn’t a place where everyone gets treated it equally.

Many are quick to disregard education’s role outside of the classroom. According to Mike Rose, “a good education helps us make sense of the world and find our way in it” (Rose 33). Rose emphasizes the value in the experience of education beyond the value of education for the purpose of custom or intelligence; he explores the purpose of going to school in terms of how he defines himself and his personal growth in the stages of his academic career. By reflecting on his personal experiences and how those gave him the tools applicable to his daily life, he emphasizes why education should never be overlooked. Rose’s use of referencing relatable experiences in a logical manner makes his argument persuasive to the readers and he succeeds in making the readers reconsider why education matters to them. Mike Rose’s Why School?: Reclaiming Education for All of Us effectively persuades his audience of the importance of education beyond the classroom, which proves true in our everyday lives because the essential aspect of education is what we do with it and how it helps develop one’s personal growth.

Being regarded as father of progressive education, John Dewey’s most valuable contribution lied in the promotion of practical approach to education. His progressive education method underlined the importance of experience in learning, which was contradictory to the earlier days’ traditional authoritarian and rote learning educational approach. John Dewey believed in democracy in education, suggesting a learn process by participating and doing. His educational approach also put an emphasis on the development of relevant and practical life skills for students.

Malcolm X once said “education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today”. From adolescence to adulthood almost every person is put through schooling. As one gets older in age, the education they obtain becomes more rigorous in order to stretch their minds far beyond two plus two or what color the sky is. The strategies of critically thinking and being able to analyze/decipher information in front is them is reinforced routinely in the educational system. With this being said, the purpose of education is to aid in enhancing one’s qualification, socialisation, and subjectification skills within the society regardless of how or where one’s education was obtained.

People in the past did not stress value of receiving a higher education because it was not as indispensable as it is today. Now, people perceive others not only by their appearances, but by their accomplishments. Employers always hire people with the most education and experience. The majority of students are concerned about getting a higher education throughout the years. Nevertheless, some people question the purposes of getting educated, and consider it meaningless. The concept of education has a significant meaning. It enables one to take control of knowledge and apply it. It is education what prepares the mind to comprehend and learn important ideas. A higher education is very important for an individual's success in

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” (qtd. in Quotes About Education” n.p.) “ Times have changed, higher education such as college is what most people need in order to have a successful career. Those who acquire higher education after high school tend to have a more successful career than those who do not acquire a higher education.

In today 's generation a college education seems more like a choice than a requirement. From the time we enter elementary school we are being prepared for college. In this society Education happens to raise a lot of questions, for instances; “are people going to college to gain knowledge or for a good paying job?”, “with today 's technology is a degree essential to ones life?” and “ is school meant for everyone?” Education has a lot of connotations behind it which causes debates. The American society and students should be for college degrees because it expands academic knowledge, global exposure, and career preparation.

John Dewey is one of many who impacted education greatly. I believe John Dewey made such a big impacted on education because of his different beliefs with how students learned. His revolutionary ideas during his life, that remain fundamentally important to modern schooling today. Dewey had a new philosophy and ideas on how students learn and how teachers should teach. He believed that people learn by doing, and learn from a hands on approach. He also thought for this to be able to happen, students had to interact with their environment to better adapt and learn. Dewey also thought that teachers and students must learn together, which was a very interesting concept to me because I think people, even adults should always be learning. I think John Dewey says it best when he says “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”

I believe that education extends far beyond the classroom walls, and involves many more people than students and teachers. People should be learning wherever they go, and should continue learning long after they’ve graduated from high school or college. Education isn’t something that can be quantified with tests or report cards, but is instead something that people carry with them. It’s a survival pack for life, and some people are better equipped in certain areas than in others. People with a solid education are prepared for nearly anything, as they will be able to provide for their own physical, emotional, and aesthetic needs.

Firstly, society should view higher education as much more than the path to obtaining a degree. The real merit of higher education lies not in the practical use of a degree to obtain a job, but simply in the acquisition of more knowledge. On a basic level, attending a university gives young minds a space in which to study their chosen field. The Chinese philosopher Hsun Tzu argued that

In addition to the above-mentioned social benefits, one may also note that higher education also contributes to the creation, development, and operation of public institutions. While discussing non-market private and social benefits of higher education, Walter W. McMahon, in his report “Advancing Higher Education,” states, “…they likely contribute more than proportionately to the development of civic institutions, democratic institutions, and rule of law. These benefits in turn set the stage for substantial economic growth” (McMahon, Advancing). He goes on to state, “Civil institutions are built, new ideas are generated, and environmental conditions are put in place such as lower state crime, welfare, health and incarceration costs that

Throughout the history of civilization, education has been an important tool in shaping an individual as well as the society that the individual is a part of. In the older civilizations, only the elite upper class had access to education. This kept these people at the top of the social ladder, and suppressed the common people who did not have access to the same education as the nobles. We have come a long way since then, with every child having access to a free high school degree. However, there is still some inequality in this modern education system that has similarities to the old injustices. In this day and age, a college degree is a great start for a young adult starting to enter the work force. According to a study conducted by Pew

John Dewey was born in Burlington, Vermont on October 20, 1859, to parents Archibald Sprague Dewey and Lucina Artemisia Rich. His parents named him after his older brother who died less than a year before his birth. Dewey attended the University of Vermont along with his two surviving brothers. He studied the writings of T. H. Huxley and learned evolutionary theory from G. H. Perkins which influenced his focus on the relationship between humans and their environment.