I also found the word common to be interesting. As I kept reading I read that the word common refers to the "common moral education based on the general principles of the Bible and on common virtues..."(Spring, 85).
The last idea that caught my attention was the one about if you really want to provide a common education where all children are receiving the same instruction across the board send them all to a boarding school. There the children would sleep in the same bunks, eat the same food, wear the same uniform, and so on. I thoguht this was interesting because in my morning class we were talking about knowing the child and where they come from. The child's environment can change drastically as soon as they leave your classroom, and you may not always know what is happening at the child's home, or if the child even has a home. Do we as teachers treat children differently based on the clothes they wear or what street they live on? Or if the child is acting out do we just assume they are a bad kid or are they acting bad for another reason?
Bibliography:
Spring, Joel H. (2011) The American School New York
Your comments on the common school, especially the dorm option strike a number of points. First, it is a noble option for a nation to educate its citizens in a common moral code so that they can speak to each other in a common "language" for the development of the society. The first major wrinkle in this is that a growing number of people in the country didn't even speak the same actual language (English). As immigration increased through the 1800s, not only were there differences in philosophy, but actual language barriers were present that prohibited the goal of the common school from being realized: German, Gaelic, and later Italian, Yiddish, Russian, Greek, and the Slavic languages all converged to make the immigrants' first goal to get by and survive in the new country. Most of them didn't have time to think about philosophy and lofty goals, they were just trying to survive in the first generation. Philosophy would have to wait for future generations.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of having students go to boarding school immediately sent a shiver up my spine when I read that in the text. Nice idea, but the implementation is ripe for abuse. How did the Communists and the Nazis and the Fascists promote their ideas and solidify them into the minds of the next generation? They did precisely this! They removed children (at least many) from their parents and put them in schools or institutions that permitted no opposing opinions or discussions and formed them into the citizens they wanted. The results have been chilling, as World War II footage will tell you.
No institution or government should strive to create an educational reform that stifles differing opinions. Freedom of speech is paramount to the American way. Parents are the first educators of their children and good parents are a precious resource for any nation. The nurturing role of parents must be promoted by a nation, not destroyed, by removal to a government institution to make all citizens alike. Variety is the spice of life, and it is this choice that challenges us individually when mature to make our own decisions, the think independently, and to take responsibility for who we are, what we do, and what we say.