The Prevalent Stereotypical Mode of Imparting Education or Edukatisch in the Schools - Essay Example

 Author 1 “Pink Think” written by Lynn Peril debunks the attitude that our society in general and certain individuals, especially experts in diverse fields, in particular have entertained and developed concerning womanhood and consequently femininity. The author gives concrete examples __ ranging from The Miss America Pageants, to games specially designed for girls, like “Miss Popularity” and the “Date Game”, and through these events and games __ have been successful in nurturing a jaundiced view of girls/women. The women and girls are to conform to a certain mode of behavior and are to follow a certain code of conduct in order to subscribe to the ideal picture of womanhood. The author stresses that majority of women/girls are poor drivers; are afraid of mice and snakes; cannot keep any secrets and talk for hours on phone. The only thing they are good at, and is their main aim in life is to get married, get pregnant, give birth. Till the 1970s women were only considered good at keeping a house and bearing children. I on my part have decided to tackle another stereotype that is associated with education: the aims and objectives and the pro and cons of the traditional or typical; mode of education. In order to further this argument I have from the very onset coined a new work__ “Edukitsch”. Before I define this word I would like to state that the following argument like the essay “Pink Think” discusses the stereo-typical attitude of individuals and the society towards women I have decided to discuss the stereotypes attached with education. “Edukitsch” denotes or means being literate but not educated. Edukitsch is the state of possessing many certificates, diplomas, degrees, that add color to a CV or portfolio of a person but in reality are mere trappings, as these certificates etc., qualify an individual as being literate ( in his chosen field ) but has nothing whatsoever to do with him being educated. Author 2 According to me the traditional mode of imparting education is “edukatisch” with undue influence and emphasis on acquiring awards (certificates/degrees) than on enhancing our cognitive skills and broadening our knowledge base/horizons. What then is the difference between being literate and being educated? Well, majority of the high school graduates to me can be easily categorized as being literate and/or “edukatisch” but not educated. Most of the studentst due to the traditional way of imparting education, in which emphasis is placed on getting good grades on standardized tests, turn out this way. According to Kohn (2004): Knowing a lot of stuff may seem harmless, albeit insufficient, but the problem is that to shape schools around this goal, dressed up with pretentious labels like "cultural literacy", have, the effect of taking time away from the more meaningful objectives, such as knowing how to think…the Bunch o' Facts model proves a poor foundation on which to decide who is properly educated...It is as poor basis for designing curriculum as is it for judging the success of schooling. (p. 5). He is against this "Core Knowledge System" (Kohn, 2004, p. 6) because he believes and truly so that such a system with its emphasis on knowing a lot of facts make one, "..."smart"__...being a disconcertingly common designation for those who fare well on quiz shows__" (Kohn, 2004, p. 6), on the one hand and on the other because this system helps maintain the status quo, which favors of certain conservative minded politicians and safeguards the interests of big corporations. Author 3 I, completely agree with Kohn that cramming up or memorizing, some isolated facts, and then getting good grades on that basis by scoring high on standardized tests, surely ensures a certificate for the student and consequentially may get him a job, but the basic and pricking question remains that have those hours in the class room been helpful in making him an educated person. The basic question to be asked here is that, is the aim of education only to get a job after certain years of spending time in school or does it go beyond that. Kohn’s (2004) stance is: ... Nel Noddings, professor emerita at the Stanford University, urges us to reject “the deadly notion that the school's first priority should be intellectual development" and contends that "the main aim of education should be to produce competent, caring, loving and lovable people." (p. 2). In my opinion cramming, attaining good grades in lieu thereof, acquiring a certificate and consequentially getting a job does in no way qualify you to be an educated person all it means is that you are literate or a trained individual but not an educated one. The scope of education lies well beyond the limited boundaries we as policy makers, teachers, parents and most importantly students have set for ourselves. The traditional way of spreading knowledge makes us smart and repeating myself well trained in our chosen discipline, but it in no way implies that we are well educated, so what we are really receiving in the name of education is “edukatisch”. At this juncture many among my readers might be tempted to ask what the whole fuss about if is after fifteen years of schooling a person is competent enough to earn a living for Author 4 himself and his family. Is not the goal of education fulfilled? Yes, the goal of schooling is fulfilled but not of education in any way. Kohn (2003) states: ...Dewey's suggestion that an educated person is one who has "gained the power of reflective attention, the power to hold problems, questions, before the mind. Without this capacity, he added, "the mind remains at the mercy of custom and external suggestions. (p. 6). It is at this very point that a heated debate ensues between those who are in favor of the status quo or “edukatisch” and others who want to see drastic changes in our education system. The latter are in favor of a more progressive approach towards education. A system that values students' interests focuses on understanding and grades student work authentically. It must be borne in mind that that it is not an ongoing debate in the United States only but all over the world, as more and more people are arriving at the conclusion that the traditional way of schooling is year after year churning out dummies, metaphorically, like the coco-cola cans on a conveyor belt. The main cause of maintaining and upholding this traditional way of schooling are the conservative politicians in league with the big corporations, who favor the traditional way of schooling because they have an uninterrupted stream of labor produced by these schools, who their factories and mills keep working smoothly, without a glitch. It suits them hence they favor this mode of schooling or “edukatisch”. Personally, I have the experience of knowing highly qualified individuals, who are very good at what they do but their qualifications are of no use whatsoever outside their air Author 5 conditioned work places, and do not mind my saying so that they stand little or no chance in the world at large. Some of these individuals lack even the most basic know how to succeed in the world outside their offices and are miserable failures in the broader social sphere. Yet these individuals have certificates that have little or no value. I would quote the example of my grandfather to explain to my readers the difference between being “edukatisch” and being educated. My family hails from a small town in Northern Pakistan. My grandfather, as my family did not have the resources was not able to continue his education beyond the primary level. So for all intent and purposes he was not educated. In spite of this disadvantage, because of him being street smart and because of his sound understanding of the people and the world, he was hired by the colonial masters in the revenue department. I am talking of a time when the Indian sub-continent was under the British rule. Slowly but surely my grandfather rose among the ranks, and during his service for the British masters, he was awarded many titles for his meritorious service, and by the time he retired he was awarded the title of Khan Bahadur, and had he not been untimely murdered, it is a sure thing that he would have been knighted, and received the title of Sir that goes with it. But let me not digress. My uneducated grandfather made it big at a time in history when it was well-nigh impossible for the local populace to even dream of a job in the civil service of the Raj. Here I stress that he is a good example of someone with no formal education, but with the intrinsic qualities of a good upbringing and folk wisdom, that helped him against all odds to prosper in those hard times. On the other hand, I know many individuals who are a complete failure in life though they have many credentials bestowed on them by prestigious institutions. This makes one thing crystal clear that education, especially the type being imparted in schools all over the Author 6 world and doing well in that cloistered environment is in no way a guarantee that you would be able to do well in life, as well. Above is a brief account of my grandfather as far as the worldly success goes. But the history of an individual is incomplete if there is no record of his domestic life. In the domestic life my grandfather did as well as he did career wise. In Islam polygamy is allowed, but you must have valid reasons to do so. My grandfather, married three times. He did so because he did not have a male heir from the first two unions. By the grace of Allah, he was blessed with three male children from his third wife that is my grandmother. Marrying three times did not imply that he divorced or even separated from his earlier wives. He according to the teachings of Islam and the Sharia __ the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) __fulfilled all the needs of his three wives and when the time came he chalked out a will by which all of his wives and his male and female children were given their due share in his property. This he did at a time when it was a widely practiced custom to dis-inherit the female child and to give whole of the property to the favorite wife and her progeny, especially the male heirs only. This is not in accord with the traditions of Islam, but the normal practice was to deny the female child of her due share in the property. This again shows that my grandfather, though an illiterate, for all intent and purposes, was more astute than many other educated or “edukatisch” individuals of his age and time. In complete contrast, my uncle, the eldest male heir, received education at some of the best institutions in the country. He is a successful criminal lawyer, and practices at the highest judicial forum__ the Supreme Court of Pakistan. It goes without saying that he is a highly paid professional. So he is an educated person as opposed to my grandfather, but here Author 7 is the catch. With all his degrees, and professional acumen, he is a complete wreck as far as his domestic life is concerned. He married twice and whereas my grandfather had a valid reason to do so, he did not. He had a male heir from his first marriage but still he contracted marriage a second time because of the daily petty quarrels he had with his first wife. The second marriage also did not turn out well. He craves for domestic bliss, because his children from the first wife do not show due respect, love and regard neither to the step mother, nor to him for obvious reasons. Further he is not on talking terms with his second wife and they live apart. By the examples I have given, you can well comprehend that my grandfather though he did not have a certificate to show, was a more wise man than his son who possesses a degree but is a complete failure as far as the domestic and social life is concerned. I am vehemently in favor of a progressive system of education that takes care of and focuses on the needs of the students, and like any other sane individual I am trying to convince the policy makers in particular and the other stake holders (parents and teachers) in general, to come up with a system of education that produces individuals with more rounded personalities than mere clones. I want the system to produce thinking, questioning individuals who are equipped with the qualities to do well not only in the professions that they have chosen but also in their social and domestic lives as well. I want students that can synthesize what they have been taught in the schools and to improve upon what they have been taught, so that that they become a vital asset in transforming this world into a better place to live in for all of the humanity, irrespective of color, creed or race. In conclusion it can safely be asserted that the prevalent stereotypical mode of imparting education or “edukatisch” in the schools has far out lived its validity. It is a Author 8 regressive system that only emphasizes the development of only one aspect of our personality while it stunts the growth of other important aspects of our lives. Author 9 Work Cited: Kohn, Alfie. What Does It Mean To Be Well Educated, and more essays on standards, grading and other follies. Boston: Beacon Press. 2003. Print. Read More