The prompt we were giving for blog number 3 is:

Choose a quotation related to education (choose a quote that is actually from an educational theorist, not just a famous figure speaking about education in broad ways). It might be a quote from lecture or a quote you found independently. In a post, unpack that quote. Think about what it makes possible and impossible in education. What does it say about the teacher, about the student? How does it relate to your own understandings of curriculum and of school? Take this as a dry run for your first assignment!

I have chosen to discuss the educational theorist John Dewey. This was an easy decision for me, because we talked a lot about Dewey last semester in my ECS 100 class. We looked at Dewey as a man of progressivism. Progressivism is defined as support for or advocacy of social reform. From the beginning, we saw the traditionalists and then came the progressivists. In the early 1800s Progressivism did begin to take over, but it has a short coming because we then saw Tyler’s Rationale by the late 1800s. I have decided to talk about, or break down the quote; “Education is not preparation for life, education is life itself”. This quote really stood out to me, because we as a society focus so much on the “real world” and by real world we mean after school like school isn’t real at all.

John Dewey focused solely on the students, making them good citizens with feelings and good educational backgrounds. As we see in the quote Dewey obviously feels that education and time in the class room is just as important as time after school. We as teachers need to focus more on feelings, experiences, and learning, rather than math, science, and working for the “Man”. Progressivism is about growing as people. They believe in child development and creating good humans; rather than preparing children for life after school. Dewey and others focused on the students first. It isn’t just about who can fit the most information in their brains and remember the facts. We need to focus more on other areas that contribute to life after school. Teachers are there to guide the children. They are there to guide them into being better citizens, making experiences, and creating a child that can contribute to society.

I believe this way of teaching is crucial. We have to have a happy medium. Yes, we do need to prepare for life after school which will most likely be work, but making experiences and becoming better people can be equally important. We still see progressivism today. In elementary health classes, we talk about how to respect each other, and help each other whenever it is needed, but we still see that traditionalism in the classroom when we learn about math and sciences. We focus on math because “we will use it in everyday life” or that’s what I heard in every math class till grade 12. We have engraved this attitude into children’s minds, so frequently that when a child is not great at math they are considered weak in school or even dumb. This child may not be strong at math, but they could be the most caring child around and that is what progressivists would look at with a deeper understanding. We spend most of our lives in the classroom so how is education not life. Why do we as society down grade school to just be an easy time-consuming part of life. When really it is the time in your life when you grow, have life long experience, and become crucial citizens for society.