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EDUCATIONPOSITIONReportAcademicSCHOOLRESEARCHFamilyCultureWhitmanManhoodLITERATUREHousesCitiesWritingDATAQualitativeAdvancedEnglish5Unit2SUBJECT1GrowingupandLearningStudythesetopicsinthisunit.Differentviewsoneducation1Educationalliberalism2SchoolreformsintheUS3ContentsofthisunitExpandingthevision3Understandingdifferentpositions1Selfstudy2Educationinacountryschool4567SelfstudyIn-depthstudyComprehensiontasksAMini-ProjectViewsforDiscussionUnderstandingDifferentPositionsReadtheviewsofdifferentpeopleoneducation.Answerthecomprehensionquestions,andthenwriteuptheirmajorpointsorarguments.TeachingSuggestionsIcanjudgeoneofthemaineffectsofpersonalgradingbytheattitudesofstudentswholandinmyremedialcourseincollege.Theyhateandfearwritingmorethananythingelsetheyhavehadtodoinschool.Iftheyseeablanksheetofpaperonwhichtheyareexpectedtowritesomething,theylookasthoughtheywanttoscream.Apparentlytheyhaveneverwrittenanythingthatanyonethoughtwasgood.Atleast,nooneevertoldthemthatanythingintheirwritingwasgood.Alltheirteacherslookedforweremistakes,andtherearesomanykindsofmistakesinwritingthattheirstudentsdespairofeverlearningtoavoidthem.1TheattitudetowardwritingthatthesestudentshavedevelopediswellillustratedbyastorytoldbytheRussianwriterChekhovaboutakittenthatwasgiventohisuncle.Theunclewantedtomakethekittenachampionkillerofmice,sowhileitwasstillveryyoung,heshoweditalivemouseinacage.Sincethekitten’shuntinginstincthadnotyetdeveloped,itexaminedthemousecuriouslybutwithoutanyhostility.Theunclewantedtoteachitthatsuchfraternizingwiththeenemywaswrong,soheslappedthekitten,scoldedit,andsentitawayindisgrace.Thenextdaythesamemousewasshowntothekittenagain.Thistimethekittenregardeditratherfearfullybutwithoutany2aggressiveintent.Againtheuncleslappedit,scoldedit,andsentitaway.Thistreatmentwentondayafterday.Aftersometime,assoonasthekittensaworsmelledthatmouse,itscreamedandtriedtoclimbupthewalls.Atthatpointtheunclelostpatienceandgavethekittenaway,sayingthatitwasstupidandwouldneverlearn.Ofcoursethekittenhadlearnedperfectly,andhadlearnedexactlywhatithadbeentaught,butunfortunatelynotwhattheuncleintendedtoteach.“Icansympathizewiththatkitten,”saysChekhov,“becausethesameuncletriedtoteachmeLatin.”PaulB.Diederich1Yougotoagreatschoolnotforknowledgesomuchasforartsandhabits;forthehabitofattention,fortheartofexpression,fortheartofassumingatamoment’snoticeanewintellectualposture,fortheartofenteringquicklyintoanotherperson’sthought,forthehabitofsubmittingtocensureandrefutation,fortheartofindicatingassentordissentingraduatedterms,forthehabitofregardingminutepointsofaccuracy,forthehabitofworkingoutwhatispossibleinagiventime,fortaste,fordiscrimination,formentalcourageandmentalsoberness.Aboveall,yougotoagreatschoolforself-knowledge.WilliamCory23Itisperhapsidletowonderwhat,frommypresentpointofview,wouldhavebeenanidealeducation.IfIcouldprovidesuchacurriculumformyownchildrenthey,intheirturn,mightfinditallabore.ButthefantasyofwhatIwouldhavelikedtolearnasachildmayberevealing,sinceIfeelunequippedbyeducationforproblemsthatlieoutsidethecloistered,literarydomaininwhichIamcompetentandathome.Lookingback,then,Iwouldhavearrangedformyselftobetaughtsurvivaltechniquesforbothnaturalandurbanwildernesses.Iwouldwanttohavebeeninstructedinself-hypnosis,inaikido(theesotericandpurelyself-defensivestyleofjudo),4inelementarymedicine,insexualhygiene,invegetablegardening,inastronomy,navigation,andsailing;incookeryandclothesmaking,inmetalworkandcarpentry,indrawingandpainting,inprintingandtypography,inbotanyandbiology,inopticsandacoustics,insemanticsandpsychology,inmysticismandyoga,inelectronicsandmathematicalfantasy,indramaanddancing,insingingandinplayinganinstrumentbyear;inwandering,inadvanceddaydreaming,inprestidigitation,intechniquesofescapefrombondage,indisguise,inconversationwithbirdsandbeasts,inventriloquism,inFrenchandGermanconversation,inplanetaryhistory,inmorphology,andinclassicalChinese.Actually,themainthingleftoutofmyeducationwasaproperloveformyownbody,becauseonefearedtocherishanythingsoobviouslymortalandpronetosickness.AlanWatts3IfthenapracticalendmustbeassignedtoaUniversitycourse,Isayitisthatoftraininggoodmembersofsociety.Itsartistheartofsociallife,anditsendisfitnessfortheworld.Itneitherconfinesitsviewstoparticularprofessionsontheonehand,norcreatesheroesorinspiresgeniusontheother.Worksindeedofgeniusfallundernoart;heroicmindscomeundernorule;aUniversityisnotabirthplaceofpoetsorofimmortalauthors,offoundersofschools,leadersofcolonies,orconquerorsofnations.ItdoesnotpromiseagenerationofAristotlesorNewtones,ofNapoleonsorWashingtons,ofRaphaelsorShakespeares,thoughsuchmiraclesofnature4ithasbeforenowcontainedwithinitsprecincts.5Norisitcontentontheotherhandwithformingthecriticortheexperimentalist,theeconomistortheengineer,thoughsuchtooitincludeswithinitsscope.ButaUniversitytrainingisthegreatordinarymeanstoagreatbutordinaryend;itaimsatraisingtheintellectualtoneofsociety,atcultivatingthepublicmind,atpurifyingthenationaltaste,atsupplyingtrueprinciplestopopularenthusiasmandfixedaimstopopularaspiration,