A Great Way to Get Ahead in Life

He says there is a need for better education, and I have no doubt in my mind that there must be a good reason for teachers to reform schools, or else, this could not still be relevant today.

But, there must also be a new way of perceiving things. I guess he needed to quantify an understanding of how things must be ingratiated into a person’s life so as to be relative to their causal needs–

But let’s stop for a second. Isn’t this getting a bit too complicated for the purposes of a school with very little to teach but what’s gone on in the teacher’s mind the previous night?

I myself went to school, and had to drop out. There was no need for me to go back anyway. Many times I wanted to go deep–really deep–into something that astounded me, but time ran out. I was often left irritated with a void that had faded into the outer world, including everything that may have been there to begin with.

Several weeks passed after I fell out of the old high school system. I wandered into alternative schools and ended up hiring a tutor, taking several tests (forgiving myself kindly that there was no measured place for me to go), and finding not very many locations to go to in order to find someone beyond myself with a keen eye for knowledge–basically, a good teacher.

I really needed somebody who was different until I found out one day who it was I was looking for: myself! I found in myself the needs and the wants, the desires to strive to achieve beyond myself and through myself, through life itself, and seeing the art of it all.

So in the end, what does education really want? I for one think that we should have less intervention, in whatever way possible. Because there is that part of us still believes we know more about the world than we ever will. But is this part of us wrong? Ultimately, there are many ways to break free from the surface of our thoughts. By giving up our ideas of ourselves, and understanding reflexively our lives, our changing shades, we can come to a conclusion that’s definite that the world and the school of our lives are interconnected, as all the reasons for learning come back to us, and always as one.
Rating: 3 / 5

I first read this book in 1972 when I was in undergraduate school and it was “news.” It still affects how I think about teaching / learning to this day.
Using the truths found in Postman’s book will help foster a fundamental change in the way our children learn – a change which could (literally) change the world for the better – one person at a time. It is as fresh today as when it was written and whether you are a student or a teacher – I recommend you find a copy and read it NOW.
Rating: 5 / 5

Although it was published nearly forty years ago (1969), this book should be *mandatory* (I really want a stronger word) for everyone who is even considering a career in teaching, educational administration, homeschooling, or choosing a school (K-college) for their children. The basic idea: learning must be internally motivated, that true education entails learning what questions to ask, and how to think about how to discover/develop answers. After a devastating critique of the educational establishment, the authors suggest what should be done and how: teachers need to learn to get out of the way of their students’ learning, to stop identifying teaching with “getting through” or “covering” their agendas, to raise questions that will help their students raise and begin to answer good, worthwhile questions. Anyone who dismisses the authors’ concerns should question his or her own commitment to genuine education and learning. Sorry, words are too weak.
Rating: 5 / 5