School interviews and synthesis

Interview with my mom:

What major ways has education contributed to your life now and do you think they are important?
Well, I think it has broadened my thinking. It has given me skills that I use on the job. It has given me a love of learning which I think is important, always. It is all important because it has helped me get a good job and a wonderful career in HR. My new career now, teaching at the garden. But I think more importantly it has helped me be more broad minded and aware of whats going on the world and how things effect my life personally that might be global issues like the environment, politics, etc. i think just overall a good education helps you decide what your values are and what's important to you in life and what kind of life you want to lead.

How do you feel with having no control over anything in school and having everything decided for you, from your schedule to what you learn?
I feel that, I don't think that is an appropriate way to teach. I'm more of an inquiry based learner and teacher where students direct themselves towards the kind of things they would like to learn and what they are curious about. I think teachers should provide the infrastructure and guidance but learning has to be self motivated.

Can you create an argument for or against the idea that school is like a machine which conquers and puppeteers a population?
Well, I don't believe that school in the pure sense is a machine which conquers and puppeteers a population. I think it can be abused to those ends like the third Reich in Germany that taught students values they should uphold for the good of the government. However, generally I think that education is to better civilization. it's a sharing of ideas and skills to ensure that we continue to be the best we can be. Education should be about each of us being curious and learning and sharing.

When you were in school how was the social aspect? and in your life today do you still see the same behaviors from people?
In school I think that those that had common interests drifted together to socialize. the dynamic is very social in High school and to be cool and it's risky to go out of those social groups. So for me in school i socialized with my sports team and those students that i felt comfortable with. i knew all the other students because it was a small high school and it was an all girls school. I'd say there were smart kids groups and cool kids and generally all the groups socialized separately. I do remember some tough nasty girls that most of us steered clear of. during college i worked and lived at home. i didn't socialize with my fellow college students at all. i had neighborhood friends i hung out with.

as a working adult, i had groups of friends.... friends from work, old friends and friends i met thru different groups. sometimes the groups would cross, but i generally kept them separate. At work which i think is a lot like school in that there were coworkers that were favored by the boss, those that could be very cut throat that you had to watch your back, the political people who always seemed to know what to do and knew what was going on behind the scenes. Generally, I gravitated toward those people i could trust, had a mutual respect for and collaborated well with.

How has your views about school changed since you went?
well when i was in school, it was dreadful. so much memorizing, boring lessons. i really didn't like school at all and i hated to read. but by 8th grade it all of a sudden got social and interesting. high school was better because i was involved in different clubs and teams and it seemed to make the learning more enjoyable. college was even better because i got to choose the courses i was interested in. but all in all now i think that most educational institutions have a better handle on how to inspire kids and adults to get the most out of learning. so much more hands on and enjoyable now than when i was in school.

Interview with Kevin (Mom's Friend)

What major ways has education contributed to your life now and do you think they are important?
The obvious contribution would be knowledge - but just as important would be social skills and confidence. The ability to relate to all sorts of people and a confident attitude in the workplace has been invaluable in my profession.

How do you feel with having no control over anything in school and having everything decided for you, from your schedule to what you learn?
I wouldn't have taken much interest in deciding my schedule or the courses I took. As a matter of fact, I did much better as a student in grammar school and high school - when I had no choice in either. When I did have the ability to decide for myself in college - it didn't work out for me at all. I was someone who needed things laid out for me.

Can you create an argument for or against the idea that school is like a machine which conquers and puppeteers a population?
I think it was a bit different when I attended school. I was a product of a Catholic school education in the early 60's. For the most part, you weren't taught to think for yourself, but to "toe the company line", so to speak. The more you DIDN'T stand out - the better. There were a few teachers who definitely encouraged the individual to emerge, but for the most part it was better to just sort of fit in. Nowadays, from what I see - education and the attitude of the teachers encourages individuality in a way I never experienced.

When you were in school how was the social aspect? and in your life today do you still see the same behaviors from people?
When I was in school there were definitely different "groups" - the popular kids, the not so popular, the athletes, etc. During school, we didn't have much of a choice who we attended class with, but we spent most of our after school hours within our respective groups - and that was pretty much our entire social life. I don't think this translates to the workplace - you really have to work and socialize with many people who you probably wouldn't if it weren't for the job. As far as I can see with kids
in school today, the "clique" thing still remains - probably always will.

How has your views about school changed since you went?
As a parent, you realize that education is incredibly important - and do whatever you can to make sure your child gets the best possible. When I went to school, I don't think our parents really spent as much time worrying about our education - just that we went to class, got decent grades ... and after high school either got a job or went to the cheapest college we could find. That was CERTAINLY not my attitude with my son's education - nor with most parents that I know. I think most of us now understand the importance of a good education and what kind of life in can lead too.


Interview with myself:

What major ways has education contributed to your life now and do you think they are important?
Education as my mother has said has given me excellent thinking abilities. School is the perfect environment to broaden people's minds. But I do realize that it is not always the case. School has both the potential to help thinking and to hamper with it. I think that most of the classes gave me a general education with knowledge that I would use in my life. But Andy's class really stimulates thinking. Not only that you actually get taught about life and the things you learn and discover for yourself you will keep with you throughout your entire life. Now I think that is important. People should learn about hoe the world works and from that create ideas about it on your own and not believe the ones people try to give you.

How do you feel with having no control over anything in school and having everything decided for you, from your schedule to what you learn?
Often at times I am torn between two answers. I think it is bad that students do not have the opportunity to choose topics of interest to them and actually learn something that they are interested in. But this also has a fault. Who is to say when we are old enough to make these decisions for ourselves and who is to say that the subject matter we choose will actually be beneficial to our learning and growing up in the world. I think there are certain aspects of school which should be decided by others though it pains me to say it. Teachers and higher ups are there for a reason and that is to create courses that will help us as we grow older. I think it is up to the teachers to give leniency to their students and learn what the students are interested in. In terms of my interest like art and just being creative and active I feel like the school system has failed. As we grow older and move up in school, there is less time given to art and gym and more for those core classes.

Can you create an argument for or against the idea that school is like a machine which conquers and puppeteers a population?
Even though I like this question I would say it may be the hardest for me to answer. Not that I do not have an answer it is just hard to formulate it all into an argument. Well I would say that school is a machine which uses students as putty and shapes them into "civilized" citizens. School is like a breeding ground. Students come to learn and the school sets certain curriculum for them. These subjects and topics are pre-approved. Something like our government. It spits out lies every now and then and school is a way where they can easily fit them in with out any of us knowing the difference. Free thinking is approved but how often are we actually thinking for ourselves and coming to new ideas.

Part B:
I found what my mother said was interesting how a "good education helps you decide what your values are and what's important to you in life and what kind of life you want to lead". I figure most of what she said is true. But I think it is not only based on a good education, school is so much more. I find that the people you meet in school such as your teachers and class mates help you figure what your values are. These people also help in finding what's important to you and to know what kind of life you want to live. There are so many options and we all come into school thinking about a certain career that we would love to be in. And truthfully i doubt most of us will wind up in that job or if even by the end of the day we still want to be it. School subjects help us decide what we like to learn and in doing so create a good field for us to know what other options are out there.