Children stumble into the world not knowing the mechanics of how it truly works. In order for them to understand how the world works, they have to be educated just to understand the basics. Education is essential in the modern world for not only understanding the world and society, but also to improve it and help others benefit from their knowledge. Some parents believe children should be taught through experience and only the parents teach their child, while others put their trust in the school system and hope their child pays attention and studies hard. In reality the children need both of these choices to understand society and be successful.
Although school is effective at teaching children what they need to know, it’s not enough if they want to succeed in life. Parents should also teach their children what they know to encourage them to think differently, and accomplish what the children wish to achieve. This gives the child the [[#|best education]] they can acquire.
One example of the effects of education in school is in an essay named “Against School” by John Gatto. Gatto informs the reader of the school system in the United States and it’s effects on children. Gatto argues that the school system is teaching kids to be mindless consumers, practically robots, in society. For instance Gatto states, “School didn’t have to train kids in any direct sense to think they should consume [[#|nonstop]], because it did something even better: it encouraged them not to think at all “. Kids are expected to memorize facts and take in information thrown at them and to be obedient, but never question why they must study a certain subject; they are shaped to only be consumers and not [[#|inventors]]. John Gatto suggests that the parents should teach their children a thing or two about the world to give them a “more meaningful life”. As a solution for children to achieve a more successful life, Gatto asserts that the children should “manage themselves” in order to fulfill the highest education and success the child can get.
Gatto’s essay makes an excellent point saying most children are unable to reach their full potential because of the U.S. school system. In fact, according to “The Atlantic” states “Massachusetts, which is a high-achieving U.S. state and which averaged above the national PISA score, is still two years of formal schooling behind Shanghai”. Not only are children not reaching their goals through education, but they are also falling behind compared to the rest of the world. Although, there are some very bright minds that help society and these are the children who have gone above and beyond to reach their goals.
There are several examples of children reaching extraordinary goals at an early age, despite problems with education. One example is Benjamin Franklin, one of our Founding Fathers who was self educated. He invented many things and became a very valuable and respected man in society. A more modern example is a man named Michael Kearney, who graduated college with a bachelor’s degree when he was 10 years old.
“Surfwise”, a documentary about a family named the Paskowitz who travelled around the country for nearly 20 years without sending any of their children to school, takes the extreme approach of parents self educating their children. In the documentary, Doc Paskowitz believes that his children will not benefit from school and Doc declares, “Why get an education by sitting on your ass, where the more you memorize the more educated you are? Wisdom comes from intent, experience, and finding courage”. He wanted his children to succeed in life by actually participating and experiencing the world first hand.
The Paskowitz’s philosophy is not the most responsible way to raise a child, although it can have very beneficial results. For example, an article called “The Natural Child Project” talks about raising a child through the means of unschooling, a version of homeschooling. The article explains that the child can attain better problem solving capabilities and have more interest in the subject the child wishes to learn.
“Against School” and the documentary “Surfwise” both have very different solutions to the problem of educating children. Gatto’s solution offers that the parents should have influence in educating children, while school explains the basic principles to the children. I agree more with this solution, because the child is gaining a larger amount of knowledge through school and also through the teaching of their parents. The Paskowitz’s solution is an extreme idea of Gatto’s solution of the parent having most of the influence. The Paskowitz’s had more of a dictatorship philosophy of what was supposed to happen in the world and what was deemed inappropriate. I do not agree with this solution as it is too extreme and unreliable, because if you leave out information that your child needs to learn, can lead to very harmful results.
In conclusion, the best way to educate a child is through multiple uses and not a single sided solution. The child should be educated through school to learn the basic principles and have an understanding of how to act in society around fellow classmates. The parent should also encourage their child to find a new way of thinking and solve problems on their own. Utilizing both the school system and the parent’s teaching, is the best way to educate a child.
Work’s Cited:
"CLASSICS: Words of Wisdom with Doc Paskowitz." The Inertia CLASSICS Words of Wisdom with Doc Paskowitz Comments. Alexander Haro, n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
Gatto, John T. "Against School." Against School. John Gatto, n.d. Web. 05 May 2014.
Giang, Vivian. "16 Of The Smartest Children In History." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 15 June 2011. Web. 06 May 2014.
Hunt, Jan. "Why Unschooling?" Why Unschooling? - The Natural Child Project. Jan Hunt, n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
Pray, Doug, Graydon Carter, and Dorian Paskowitz. Surfwise: The Amazing True Odyssey of the Paskowitz Family. United States: Magnolia Home Entertainment, 2008.
Ryan, Julia. "American Schools vs. the World: Expensive,Unequal, Bad at Math." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 03 Dec. 2013. Web. 03 May 2014.
Children stumble into the world not knowing the mechanics of how it truly works. In order for them to understand how the world works, they have to be educated just to understand the basics. Education is essential in the modern world for not only understanding the world and society, but also to improve it and help others benefit from their knowledge. Some parents believe children should be taught through experience and only the parents teach their child, while others put their trust in the school system and hope their child pays attention and studies hard. In reality the children need both of these choices to understand society and be successful.
Although school is effective at teaching children what they need to know, it’s not enough if they want to succeed in life. Parents should also teach their children what they know to encourage them to think differently, and accomplish what the children wish to achieve. This gives the child the [[#|best education]] they can acquire.
One example of the effects of education in school is in an essay named “Against School” by John Gatto. Gatto informs the reader of the school system in the United States and it’s effects on children. Gatto argues that the school system is teaching kids to be mindless consumers, practically robots, in society. For instance Gatto states, “School didn’t have to train kids in any direct sense to think they should consume [[#|nonstop]], because it did something even better: it encouraged them not to think at all “. Kids are expected to memorize facts and take in information thrown at them and to be obedient, but never question why they must study a certain subject; they are shaped to only be consumers and not [[#|inventors]]. John Gatto suggests that the parents should teach their children a thing or two about the world to give them a “more meaningful life”. As a solution for children to achieve a more successful life, Gatto asserts that the children should “manage themselves” in order to fulfill the highest education and success the child can get.
Gatto’s essay makes an excellent point saying most children are unable to reach their full potential because of the U.S. school system. In fact, according to “The Atlantic” states “Massachusetts, which is a high-achieving U.S. state and which averaged above the national PISA score, is still two years of formal schooling behind Shanghai”. Not only are children not reaching their goals through education, but they are also falling behind compared to the rest of the world. Although, there are some very bright minds that help society and these are the children who have gone above and beyond to reach their goals.
There are several examples of children reaching extraordinary goals at an early age, despite problems with education. One example is Benjamin Franklin, one of our Founding Fathers who was self educated. He invented many things and became a very valuable and respected man in society. A more modern example is a man named Michael Kearney, who graduated college with a bachelor’s degree when he was 10 years old.
“Surfwise”, a documentary about a family named the Paskowitz who travelled around the country for nearly 20 years without sending any of their children to school, takes the extreme approach of parents self educating their children. In the documentary, Doc Paskowitz believes that his children will not benefit from school and Doc declares, “Why get an education by sitting on your ass, where the more you memorize the more educated you are? Wisdom comes from intent, experience, and finding courage”. He wanted his children to succeed in life by actually participating and experiencing the world first hand.
The Paskowitz’s philosophy is not the most responsible way to raise a child, although it can have very beneficial results. For example, an article called “The Natural Child Project” talks about raising a child through the means of unschooling, a version of homeschooling. The article explains that the child can attain better problem solving capabilities and have more interest in the subject the child wishes to learn.
“Against School” and the documentary “Surfwise” both have very different solutions to the problem of educating children. Gatto’s solution offers that the parents should have influence in educating children, while school explains the basic principles to the children. I agree more with this solution, because the child is gaining a larger amount of knowledge through school and also through the teaching of their parents. The Paskowitz’s solution is an extreme idea of Gatto’s solution of the parent having most of the influence. The Paskowitz’s had more of a dictatorship philosophy of what was supposed to happen in the world and what was deemed inappropriate. I do not agree with this solution as it is too extreme and unreliable, because if you leave out information that your child needs to learn, can lead to very harmful results.
In conclusion, the best way to educate a child is through multiple uses and not a single sided solution. The child should be educated through school to learn the basic principles and have an understanding of how to act in society around fellow classmates. The parent should also encourage their child to find a new way of thinking and solve problems on their own. Utilizing both the school system and the parent’s teaching, is the best way to educate a child.
Work’s Cited:
"CLASSICS: Words of Wisdom with Doc Paskowitz." The Inertia CLASSICS Words of Wisdom with Doc Paskowitz Comments. Alexander Haro, n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
Gatto, John T. "Against School." Against School. John Gatto, n.d. Web. 05 May 2014.
Giang, Vivian. "16 Of The Smartest Children In History." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 15 June 2011. Web. 06 May 2014.
Hunt, Jan. "Why Unschooling?" Why Unschooling? - The Natural Child Project. Jan Hunt, n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
Pray, Doug, Graydon Carter, and Dorian Paskowitz. Surfwise: The Amazing True Odyssey of the Paskowitz Family. United States: Magnolia Home Entertainment, 2008.
Ryan, Julia. "American Schools vs. the World: Expensive,Unequal, Bad at Math." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 03 Dec. 2013. Web. 03 May 2014.