Against School
This essay, I find to be the most interesting yet, and sadly, the most true. Everything in the essay I can relate to seeing, or knowing of, or experiencing. Somehow, we as a society let this happen, listened and obeyed when the powers at be lined fed us the reasons and we ate it up. Created the machine in a sense, e were the parts, and they assembled us exactly like they wanted. Looking back now at my education, I remember thinking when I was in high school that this is a waste of my time. I can honestly say that I put forth little effort and still was considered “above average” whatever that means. I the essay, I especially agree with Ingli’s six functions of education. If we look at high school, and even college, critically, we find them all to be true. Why bother with school at all other than it being mandatory? Why not just go to work, learn in the field, experience something useful. Most people don’t even get a job in the field they went to school for anyway, so why not just eliminate that from the picture. The powers at be would probably loose money, so that is not likely to happen.
Yes, sadly and as Freire would say, school teaches students to memorize "the right way" of doing things (showing up on time, prepared, compliant to authority) and then practice that "right" way until it becomes ingrained, so that the bulk of the population will be ready for work, not questioning their place as cogs in the wheel. If we think back to Ben Franklin's education narrative, though, we do see a time when formal schooling was not at all the norm, and kids were apprenticed out at an early age (as young as 7) to learn a trade or profession. Can you use any of your ideas here for the 3rd paper? (I'm thinking of how Escalante gave his students lessons in reality to get their attention and cooperation.)
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