Rethinking Education: Chapter 4

     It is interesting to think about the development of schooling in America; Sometimes I forget that schooling as we know it today has not always existed. It is easy to get wrapped up in how the schooling system works today, and forget that it has been changing and evolving over the years to come to be the system that I know today. It was interesting to see the evolutions that took place to "get the ball rolling" and start universal schooling. When I was reading about the history of universal schooling, this quote really stuck out to me, "The invention of the printing press led to widespread development and diffusion of knowledge. As more and more knowledge accumulated, there was a continual increase in what children needed to learn to succeed in the adult world" (pg. 51). So not only has the setting of schooling evolved over the years, but what is being taught in school has also evolved. As the world progresses and expectations are raised, the future generations must evolve to keep up with the progress; If students were taught the same things today as things taught in the early 1900's, would they be able to live and contribute to society? No! The information and the way that students are taught has been evolving over the years and should continue to evolve to fit the knowledge and skills that society expects. Another rather disturbing quote in this chapter was the following, "As the [schooling] system became more rigid, it ceased to evolve as the society around it continued to evolve, and so in recent years, it has become more and more out of sync with the demands of a continually evolving society" (pg. 56). I think that it is a shame that nowadays the educational system seems to be at a standstill, afraid of change. Where would we be today if in the 1900's people were too afraid to try new things especially new technologies? I think that just as the schooling system had to evolve in the late 1800's, to meet the needs of society, so too should it be evolving to meet the needs of society today. (It was interesting to even read about how and why things like compulsory attendance, tests, textbooks, and graded schools were introduced into the schooling system.) The way I like to think about why technology such as SMARTboards and blogs should be integrated into the school system is by thinking about how technology such as blackboards and overhead projectors came into the school system; There was a time when the overhead projector did not exist, but then one day people felt that these tools would aid in the process of educating students. Perhaps eventually people will see the need of newer technologies to assist in learning, hopefully this realization will not take too long so that our students will not have to be the ones to suffer for our skepticism.

     As a teacher, I hope to integrate the use of technology into my classroom. Perhaps I will not have materials, such as computers, readily available, but I will make adjustments so that my students will still be prepared for the ever more digital future. Looking back at how much schooling has already changed since I was in elementary school, I know that I must be ready for change throughout my career as a teacher.