It has been interesting to view education from the broad propsective of what it serves as part of the function of a democracy. Education has changed so much from th 1960s, when I attended elementary school, to the 2000s. In the 1990s I read a book called Gifted Hands by Ben Carson. He is an African American surgeon who was brought up in the projects of Chicago. His mother was a domestic worker raising two boys on her own. She required her boys to read a book each week and write a report on what they had read. It wasn't until Ben was an adult that he realized that his mother could not read these reports. Ben Carson graduated from Yale University, and his brother became an engineer. This mother took the responsibility for her children's education. This book inspired me throughout my children's education. No matter what the school did I was the parent. I needed to make sure that my children were learning and developing academically.
We are beginning to discuss education in terms of whether it is progressing or regressing. America is constantly tinkering with the education process. Whether we are going backward or forward largely depends on the individual perspective. In the 1960s and 1970s, the country tried to make up for the racial disparity in education. I was in school in Charleston, SC. The schools were filled with turmoil. My parents felt their responsibility was to see that their children receive the best education, so they sacrificed to send us to private schools where the focus was on academics rather than social change. I am sure that they saw education as regressing. Though society was addressing a big problem, just like Ben Carson's mother, they wanted to make sure that their children received the best education available. All three of us went on to earned advanced college degrees.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an inspirational story expressing the frontier spirit. We can look at education on the broad level of how it builds Americans with the values and addresses societal evils. At the same time, the laws protecting each parents rights allow for ways that parents can take control and make sure their children's educational needs are met. Homeschooling, private schools and charter schools all allow for parents to take charge of their children's education. Sometimes the large educational system, though its intentions are good, can not meet the student's academic needs. An illiterate woman from Chicago took charge of her children's education and raised two academically successful men. I would encourage all education students to read this book, so we can encourage and empower the parents we encounter.
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4 comments:
In order to progress we often have to regress first. In order to progress to the integrated school system that we have created, we first had to work through all of the difficulties. I believe that regression is necessary in some cases in order for progression to take place.
That book sounds enlightening. It reminds me of President Obama's story of his mother making him get up every morning before school to do his school work and not realizing until much later how much she sacrificed to make him to that.
We have been hearing over and over in our classes that the parent is the child's first teacher and as educators we are charged with working with the parents to help their child (our student) to be successful. My concern is that I don't think that some parents realize that they are responsible for educating their child. Their definition of educating their child is enrolling them in school. After that it is up to the teachers to teach their children. I have often said that I really need to have the parents in the classroom rather than the children because I felt that the parents needed to learn how to parent. Of course there are exceptions to the rule. There are parents who are working two jobs and doing everything they can to provide for their families. However as Cindy pointed out, even a mother who couldn't read instilled a love of learning in the lives of her sons.
I do believe in the necessity of parents being actively involved in their child's education. It is an essential part of the educational experience although not all parents do participate. Convincing those who are not activity involved is an extremely hard feat to accomplish. I also believe that the same involved hands-on parent exists no matter where they might reside and what educational choices are available to them. My guess is that the inner city illerate Chicago mother referenced in the book was successful in using the resources of the public school system as well as her personal academic at-home requirements she bestowed upon her children. Her hard work and concentration on education paid off. I feel she would have done this had she lived in the richest or the poorest school district in the country. Her desire to have her children live an easier life then she did was innate. It reminds me of the story of Isaih Thomas and his mother's demanding will that he succeed in life. She used the public school system to ensure a proper education for her son. She was succesful although it entailed many sacrifices on the part of the family. I, as well as my four sibblings, am a product of the public education system. I went through the system in a suburb of Washington DC during the turbulent 60's and 70's. I vividly recall when bussing was instituted and how the makeup of our school profoundly changed due to this and the many other social changes that were occurring simultaneously. My parents kept us on track and instilled in us the need to focus on our education and learn from the diversity around us. We used the changes to our benefit. In hind sight my parents have said that they would not have raised us in a big city if they had to do it over again. However, the values instilled in us at home did carry over beyond the four walls of our home. We all ended up with a good education and successful futures. Participating in the public schools and being directly involved in the mass changes of the time broadened our outlooks toward our future. I charish those memories and am thankful for the diverse education I was given. If my family had to do it over again, I'd ask to be raised in the city.
As with any situation, there will always be those who are for or against an idea. The United States has come along ways since the 1960's and before, but we are not to the point where we can say injustices are not obsolete.
I have seen the movie and read the book. They were poor and his mother was illiterate, yet she did not let that have a negative impact on her children's education. The fact remained, however, that he was a poor black youth in the yes of his school district. Even in medical school during his residency, he was threatened for being a smart minority.
The book along with the question from our current reading from T&C shows that we need to prepare ourselves as teacher and a society for change. Tradition is not always best. I agree with Anna's comment about how a regression may have to occur before a progression can take place. The problem in the United States with education is that this is not happening. We keep moving forward without really considering why the last policy did not work. If some don't want to move forward and others don't want to move back, then you end up at a stand still.
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