Phases

Most things seem to come and go. And one might call these things "fads" - or phases that people experience. At the same time, some abstracts, ideals, desires stay consistent, standing the test of time. Ways of teaching, growing, and reaching students seem to alter, depending on technology and , yet there are also some constant, underlying themes that play a huge role in educating children.

One issue that has been debated for centuries now is what is being taught to adolescents. Parents, reformers, and educators have argued what is most important and why, which has evolved the school system and the adolescents in it. Dating back to apprenticeship, parents had a lot of control over their own children and could control their children's skills, morals, and futures. After Horace Mann came into the picture, the phase turned into universal schooling; a place where parents had less control, especially over morals. I'm torn because part of me wants to feel for these parents, reminding myself that parenting is one of the hardest jobs out there and the other part of me wants to side with Mann and socialize students while standardizing some of their learning.

But I think the issue is deeper. Yes, it is important to remember that those first 18 years of your child's life is precious and shouldn't be taken for granted as a parent, and yes, it is also the crucial to give students a more "equal" opportunity to succeed and climb the socioeconomic ladder. Despite all of the issues presented in this chapter, I believe that the deepest need within education is providing one-on-one, individualized interaction with students.

Isn't that what it is all about? When apprenticeship was seen as best, students were given lots of one-on-one time with a role model who lived life with them, teaching them what is important in life, what isn't, values, purpose, etc. When Mann guided us into the universal schooling stage, I believe the ideal of individual learning was still thought of, but too much focus has been placed on the what not the how. It might be a good idea to flatten the playing field so that people can break free of family boundaries, but this standardization can also be detrimental to students. Finally, this phase of life-long learning seems to focus too much on the individualization, encouraging students to learn how to attain information via technology versus placing more emphasis on one-on-one time with teachers.

All in all, it is interesting to read about the history of education. It is also eye-opening to see how it has evolved over the years, sometimes for the better and other times for the worse. And I think my main take-away from this chapter of Rethinking is knowing that we must adapt and cater to our students so that they are invested in what they are learning, but we must also emphasize individual time with students because that is what students will remember years down the road, not the poem by Poe that we read in class.