422B-Reading Reflection #2: One Man's School is Another Man's Prison

One Man’s School is Another Man’s Prison

            The article “One Man’s School is Another Man’s Prison” questions the purpose of our education system and argues the position for increasing the quality and diversity of education rather than the quantity of education. The argument that children should be in school six days a week twelve hours a day was introduced by the U.S. Secretary of Education,  Arne Duncan, and ignited debate over what our education system needs in order to encourage and sustain a leading economy and society in the world. The argument for increasing the quantity of education in our schools asserts that students should not have three months off in the summer and vacations if students are falling behind as a nation. The U.S. Secretary of Education claims that to compete with China and other nations, students need to be in school longer and participate in more rigorous testing and assessment to catch up to other nations in the subject areas of math and science. The counter argument for increasing the quality and diversity of children’s education arose as a response to the Secretary of Education’s comment. Clearly, many people within the field of education did not agree. Their position argues that students don’t need more time spent in schools doing the same things that are not working or more standardized tests or assessments, but rather students need a more diverse education from teachers who are more qualified to increase the quality of the students’ educational experience. They argue that increasing teachers’ professional development and students’ educational experience through introducing a wider variety of subjects is more likely to increase the quality of education within our society, which would influence our educational standing around the world. Overall, education is a key component of our society and as a society we have to decide what the purpose of education is in our society and what we want to gain in providing education to our society.

            I completely agree with the position of the article that children don’t need more time spent in a classroom but rather more qualified teachers in the classroom along with a more extensive curriculum that covers a broader range of subject areas, such as art and music. This introduces them to the subject matter of a wide range of disciplines, helps them develop a broader perspective by integrating different learning experiences, and increases their range of knowledge. This foundation of diverse experiences will help students find a subject area or discipline they feel passionate about, which will increase their overall interest in school and learning. Educators should encourage this personal growth and passion within students to explore new ideas. This will help students in their future to keep exploring new areas of interest and further their education, which will increase their commitment to lifelong learning. Encouraging students’ exploration of their interests and supporting their personal growth to create educational experiences is one of the most important roles of educators in our society.     

            The ideas in this article debating whether students should spend more time in school or not and the purpose of our education system does not specifically identify any NETS-S standards. However to better our education system and find out the purpose of our education system, students’ education should encompass all the NETS Standards. The position that is supported within the article connects with NETS standards #1, creativity and innovation, because instead of spending more time in school practicing rote memorization, this article supports spending less time in school to support creativity and innovation in various student and teacher led activities. Innovation and creativity are supported through learning a variety of subjects and providing a well rounded education that introduces many different subjects to students at an early age. Students spend time applying existing knowledge to new ideas to create new processes and products as a result. This helps students develop a broad perspective and keep an open mind when they encounter new situations. The position in the article also supports NETS standard #2, communication and collaboration, which supports socialization skills and communication skills among peers and even students and teachers. Supporting collaboration and communication between peers opens up new opportunities for students’ growth and interest in new ideas. Students also develop social skills and learn effective communication by interacting in group activities with their peers. By increasing the quality of education, this article also connects with NETS standards #3 and #4  by requiring students to support their opinions and positions with research and through requiring critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making skills to evaluate their research and develop conclusions. In school, students should be involved in critical thinking during every activity instead of mere rote memorization. The article’s views that quality of education outweighs quantity supports why students are involved in critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and activities that support creativity and innovation in school rather than rote memorization or long hours in school. Overall, education is a continuous process that requires educators to be highly qualified to teach a quality education and requires students’ motivation and interest to create a quality educational experience.  

References

Fingal, D. (2009). One man’s school is another man’s prison. Learning and Leading with   Technology,               36(8), 40.