Education
at its core is the process by which an immature human being gradually becomes a
recipient of and participant in the world around him through the cultivation of
preferred skills, knowledge and values. * The determination of these
skills, knowledge and values are based on assumptions about the nature of the
universe, human beings, and "good"...also known as philosophy.
(One last point before you doze off, I promise!) There are 4 main
areas of philosophy that directly affect education: metaphysics (the study of nature
and ultimate reality), epistemology (the theory of knowledge/knowing), axiology
(ethical and aesthetic "good"), and logic (rules and patterns of
correct thinking). *
Ok...so
why am I forcing you into a coma by telling you this? Because the answers
to questions like...Is reality spiritual or natural? (Metaphysics)...What is
truth and who gets to define it? (Epistemology)...Is "good/right"
rooted in the universe itself or relative depending on particular situations?
(Axiology)...Are there rules that correctly frame our propositions and
arguments? (Logic)...determine the purpose and function of education. As
believers in a post-modern world, we know that our answers to these questions
differ greatly from the rest of society, but how and why?
There was
a time when our society used education to answer those questions with a
biblical worldview, but post-modern society no longer views the world as the
means to an objectively good end. Instead, our goal has become the
transformation of the here-and-now into a peaceful, tolerant utopia. Citizens of this utopia do not need
morals to restrain their evil nature, but simply need information to combat
ignorance. Thus the transformation
of education around the worldview of a 20th century philosopher named John Dewey,
who viewed a hybrid pragmatic/progressive approach as the only way to achieve
societal utopia. In a nutshell, truth can no longer originate from an
authority independent of human experience, and it is no longer the unchanging,
absolute path to "good". Truth is now derived from human
experience (pragmatism), and it must progress/change along with those
experiences in order to improve and perfect our human environment
(progressivism). This redefinition of truth shifted education from a
"restricted view" (less time in school - more time learning morals at
home) to a "broad view" of education, which is framed by the
following:
1. Morals and values presuppose that truth is absolute, and when people
don’t agree on what those absolutes should be, conflict arises. Therefore, the best way to prevent
conflict and produce utopia is to remove the absolutes altogether and replace
them with academic content.
2. Because of the emphasis of academics over morals, formal education
(a.k.a. school) is responsible for all learner experiences as only
schools/teachers are “qualified” to instruct learners. Parents cannot objectively direct
students to experience and progress their own environment without imposing
their own "experiences/environments" (morals and values) on the learner.
3. These "external limitations" of the home stifle progress and
growth of the learner by creating conflict and inequality (imposing morals
rather than letting experience dictate right/wrong).
4. Liberation of the learner to "problem-solve" conflicts with
solely academic tools will result in peace, equality, and environmental
perfection for all.
5. An increase of time at school (or at home doing academic schoolwork)
acquiring as many academic tools as early as possible should replace the
informal time spent at home where "external limitations" lurk around
every parent/child interaction.*
This is not a
doomsday prediction. This is post-modern education at its
finest...today!! This is why you believe you are not qualified to teach
your own children. This is why your
child will never survive kindergarten if he doesn't attend preschool everyday
from the time he's 3. This is why your kindergartener will come home with
at least an hour of homework every night after spending hours at a time sitting
at a desk in school all day. This is why you can only find children's
shows that teach academic content or environmental morals like recycling and
celebrating differences. Gone are the days when we taught our kids
courage under persecution, standing up for what is right even if it's hard,
putting others before yourself and treating them with respect and kindness even
when they don't return the favor rather than celebrating how wonderfully
different we all are. This is why our babies are walking into schools
with guns...and this is why my babies, at least for now, will not step foot in
one.
*The content preceding the asterisks come from the book Philosophical
and Ideological Perspectives on Education by Gerald Gutek. If
you are at all interested in a non-biased look at the development of education
throughout history, and you enjoy reading dull textbooks for fun like me, I
would highly recommend this book!
