Education as discussed by Jon Spayde - Essay Example

Education as discussed by Jon Spayde According to the essay written by Spayde (1998), in the modern era education is considered as nothing but “training for competitiveness” (p. 65). It was further stated by him that education involves different meanings for different society and religion. But unfortunately, the present concept of education, does not impart us the basics for living and leading a simple life. In this context we can quote the statement of Henry David Thoreau, where he says, “I am self educated; that is, I attended Harvard College” (p. 67) and during the early 19th century, the college indeed primarily was renowned for its food fights. Spayde (1998) further adds that formal training is a vital necessity, however power and class simultaneously plays significant role in the sector of education. For instance, the graduates from world class universities like Stanford and Harvard would be offered the designations at workplace to prepare the work schedules for those who have acquired their degree from a not so famous, regional college. The eminent journalist and novelist, Earl Shorris (Spayde, 1998, p.67) realized the flaws of the modern educational system and took initiative for starting up an Ivy League adult education course which was meant for the “Asians, whites, blacks and Hispanics” (p.67). On the first day of his lecture, Shorris (Spayde, 1998, p.67) addressed his students and let them know that “humanities” is not just a subject to be studied by the Rich strata of the society. The term “Humanities” embraces the entire world and its people. The concept of humanities teaches the students how to live, how to think and how to enjoy life. The subject enriches the readers by providing them a new perspective towards life. Spayde (1998) further recognizes several misconceptions about the term “education”. He states that “training” at a local computer school is an option considered suitable for the poor Americans. However technical training inevitably turns out to be obsolete after a few years. Spayde (1998) argues that “education” is nothing but a dialogue which carries different meanings for different societies. The present concept of education is merely making the students suitable for fighting the “global competitiveness” but Spayde (1998) states that despite of possessing specialized skills, these contemporary graduates lack “intellectual breadth” (p.68) which can only be learnt by the practice of humanities. The professor of environmental studies of Oberlin College defines the recent trend of education as “fast knowledge” (p.68) which is mainly imparted through the means of information technology. He claims that “Slow knowledge” (p.68) is much essential for saving the earth from the environmental disasters. Thus in the process of imparting “fast knowledge”, the education system is generating a bunch of head filled machines (human beings) with little intellect and creativity. In this context, Goethe stated “people cannot learn what they do not love” (p.69). Spayde (1998) in the initial parts of his essay mentioned that the entire world is a learning place and the same idea has been reestablished throughout the writing. In the words of Elizabeth Sutton Lawrence, “ancient Greek education came largely from firsthand experience…” (p.69) which means unless there is practical knowledge, the theory won’t turn out to be helpful and education is nothing but knowing what’s happening around us. Education is the means through which people learn to be alert. Education must inform a person about the changes which took place in the history and it must remind them their roots. Therefore, it can be concluded that training create machines while humanities create human beings. The mission statements of “The University of Minnesota” (University of Minnesota, 2001) and “The Evergreen State College” (Evergreen State College, 2006)states that the learning approach at both the institutes comprises basically of theoretical and practical knowledge that puts much emphasis on teaching the students the art of living and making them aware of their environment. These missions are similar to the education style appreciated by Spayde (1998). On the other hand the mission statement of “Morehouse College” (Morehouse College, 2007) states that they teach their students how to develop leadership, communication and several other skills which are in demand among the corporate houses. Thus this kind of education is restricted within a specified system and insists the student to bind them within that circle which limits their thinking “out of the box” abilities. This style of education has been considered to be strictly inappropriate in Spayde’s essay on education (1998). The mission statement of Ashland University claims that they focus on the ethical and intellectual development of the student and direct their thinking towards getting involved in social and global responsibilities. Thus it’s evident that this mission perfectly fits Spayde’s ideas (1998). Bonnie Sunstein’s response to Spayde’s essay gives rise to several question like how does learning work inside school, how does it work outside of school and whether there is a connection between learning inside the school and outside the school? Bonnie Sunstein also raised the question that between nature and nurture, which one assists our development and growth? The answers can be easily located in Spayde’s essay (1998) which states that in general, the inside school education is considered to be “sixteen years of formal schooling” while Spayde (1998) argues that truly good education is the one, “carpentered out of the best combination we can make of school, salon, reading, online exploration, walking the streets, hiking in the woods, museums, poetry classes at the Y, and friendship…” (p.65). It is nature that imparts knowledge throughout the lifetime of a man and it is “nurtured through connections we make in the real world” (Spayde, 1998, p.65). Thus it can be concluded that formal schooling can prepare a person for a job but learning outside school provides greater knowledge about our environment and more specifically about our life. By staying closer to nature we can develop a better understanding about the people, geography and ecology of a place which gets limited when we study by following the course curriculum. References Spayde, J. (1998) Learning in the Key of Life. In A. Lunsford, & J. Ruszkiewicz (Eds.), The Presence of Others . Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. Ashland University (2010). Mission Statement. Ashland University Undergraduate Catalog. Ashland University, Ashland, OH. Evergreen State College(2006). Evergreen’s Mission : Making Learning Happen. In A. Lunsford, & J. Ruszkiewicz (Eds.), The Presence of Others. Boston, Ma: Bedford/ St. Martin’s. Morehouse College (2007). About Morehouse: Mission. In A. Lunsford, & J. Ruszkiewicz (Eds.), The Presence of Others. Boston, Ma: Bedford/ St. Martin’s. University of Minnesota (2001). Mission. In A. Lunsford, & J. Ruszkiewicz (Eds.), The Presence of Others. Boston, Ma: Bedford/ St. Martin’s. Read More