Journal # 7

Education is such an important aspect of America. Everybody attends school at least up until high school. This is very different from what it was like many years ago. In class we touched on this topic very briefly and watched a video on education back in the day. Education was viewed very differently and women weren’t allowed to go to school. Everyone, however, had to learn to read the bible. Only rich boys, who could afford private school, would continue on their education. That is very different from what the education system is like today.  Although class discussion was brief, I still found this to be extremely interesting. I also found the video that we watched to be informative and eye opening. Educations purpose then, was not what it is now and in a way it makes me happy that things have changed.

I believe that the purpose of education is to teach people how to reach their life goals. As a human being, with life goals, I am so fortunate to have the education system that we have today. Without education, I wouldn’t be a junior in college, preparing to become a teacher, and living out my dream. The changes that were made in the education system have been very beneficial for not only me, but for every person in America who has taken the opportunity to achieve their dreams. John Dewy is a good example of why today’s education is what it is today. He stated that “education was a lifelong process and that the school should be an integral part of community life, a concept that gave support to the development of the community school” (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2009, p. 159). Without people like John Dewy, our education system would not be what it is today. It might still be the way it was back in the day when men were the only ones who could attend school.  These changes that were made to the education system have helped me strive to reach my goals.

As a future educator I am glad that the education system has changed to what it is today. I could never imagine not being able to attend school because I am a female. I believe that the purpose of education is to teach people how to reach their life goals. I also believe that every person should have an equal opportunity to learn. In my opinion education plays a huge role in the US today and it is very important to be educated if you want to make it in our world. I want all of my students to succeed and achieve their life goals and I want to make sure that the purpose of education stays. I could never imagine going back to how education used to be and I can only hope that things will continue to go up from here. I truly hope that the purpose of education doesn’t start to lose its meaning. To live in the world we have today people need to be educated. You can’t just get by with knowing the bible anymore because that’s not what people in this generation do. I think that the overall purpose of education in America is to help people strive to better themselves. As a future educator I am going to help my students strive to better themselves and I hope that every other teacher in America has that same mind set too.

Professionalism is a huge role in an educator’s life. One can’t be a good role model, if they aren’t a good person to begin with. Being able to set a good example for other people, and have others look up to you is something that I strive for when I become a teacher. Not only will I push my students to achieve their goals and succeed, I will also strive to teach them the true purpose of education. I want my students to have a good school experience and I want them to believe that the education system is a decent one. If people don’t believe in the education system, then it’s only going to lead to bad outcomes and I don’t want that for any of my future students. My purpose as a teacher is to set a good example for my students, and to display a positive attitude towards education as well as making sure that my students believe in themselves. Although America may be behind on education, I believe that we have come a long way from where we once were. The education system is strong, and continuing to grow (with the few exceptions that have been occurring (especially in NY)). To succeed in this life, you need to have an education. Without and education you won’t be able to make it very far. So in my view, the purpose of education in America is to help better the country as a whole.

 

Work cited:

Webb, L. D., Metha, A., & Jordan, K.F. (2009). Foundations of American education (6th

            ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.