Select a quote or passage from Dare the schools build a new social order? that resonated with you,
surprised you, or challenged you, and reflect on that passage and why it struck
you. What does the passage and your reaction to it say about the purpose of public schools in our democratic society?
Kurt here...adfgadgradfgadsfgagf
ReplyDelete“They have focused attention squarely upon the child; they have recognized the fundamental interest of the learner; they have defended the thesis that activity lies at the root of all education; they have conceived learning in terms of life situations and growth of character; they have championed the rights of the child as a free personality. Most of this is excellent, but in my opinion it is not enough.”
ReplyDeleteAs I began reading, Dare the schools build a new social order? by Counts, I felt a grim tone immediately. Then, I came across the simplified definition, or ideals of what Counts identifies as ‘Progressive Education.’ As I read the list of ideals noted above, I couldn’t help but think of the content and experience(s) of many educational courses I’ve taken at VCU, my own personal sentiments toward education, and goals for my future career. Then, I read the last sentence, and it struck me. Why is it not enough? While I can easily recognize that these listed goals and views of education are lofty and heavily romanticized, I was interested to continue reading to gain a greater perspective, and possibly have some of my closely-held beliefs shattered. As Count went on to talk about the typical proponents of Progressive Education, (upper middle-class folk,) I couldn’t help but think of myself. It’s not that I feel that I want to further perpetuate this described cycle of education, where things are romanticized and frequently very unjust, but it took reading this for it to sink in. With this said, I thought of the Public Goods, Private Goods: The American Struggle Over Educational Goals main points about the purpose of education in [our] democratic society. It seems to me that [we] as educators, and really a society as a whole, are failing to actually provide democratic equality in the educational sector. Until teachers and society come to terms with the concept that schools and education are mostly just fostering social mobility, which perpetuates a very low percentage of the population to achieve any sort of mobility, then things will likely maintain their cycle with little change or problem solving. While it is evident that many people have great intentions when it comes to carrying out public education, making decisions which affect it, and trying to maintain its democratic purpose, it is evident that some of the commonplace tactics and views are hindering many, while allowing others to maintain, or further increase their social standings and class. This is only perpetuating many problems in society that reach beyond education. It seems that the purpose of education in our democratic society is to promote our capitalistic society, and to fulfill jobs that nonetheless preserve inequality.
"If the schools are to be really effective, they must become centers for the building, and not merely the contemplations, of our civilization."
ReplyDeleteThroughout this reading, there were many things that highlighted what education could (and can) look like. The idea of 'Progressive Education' is kind of changing the perspective American society has on education as a whole. The quote I chose to reflect on reminded me of when I studied abroad in Italy and got to experience the Reggio Emilia schooling. When Reggio Emilia first built schools after deconstruction of World War II, the region built the schools at the center of the cities. This was great symbolism in showing that education is the heart of any society. I thought that was very powerful in the sense of showing just how important education is to a society. It begins from the day you are born and grows and grows until you become an adult member of society. Obviously we can't relocate all schools to the center of any city today, but I feel as if we can still capture the essence of what that feels like. The value of education isn't where it should be in society today and that's reflected in the sense of how we teach our children. Counts discusses the different fallacies that underlie imposition of education and I feel like he does a really nice job of expressing how those fallacies are the "dreamy" parts of education that are not literally attainable, but still can be reached through careful implications. There are many things to take into consideration for Progressive Education to be a success such as politics and economics; things that take time and energy to change. The types of things Counts talks about are ideally achievable but they are going to take perseverance.
-Callie Grunstad
"There is a fallacy that the child is good by nature. The evidence from anthropology, as well as from common observation, shows that on entering the world the individual is neither good nor bad; he is merely a bundle of potentialities which may be developed in manifold directions."
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this section of the article, i found it very important because I have been placed with a lot of teachers in practicum that will say "He/She is just an awful child.", and that is not the truth at all. Yes some kids can misbehave, or act out, but they aren't bad children. I remember coming into my third grade placement while in practicum A and being placed in a small tutoring group with two students. One student always had straight A's, never misbehaved, and always participated in class. He had a stable home life with his grandparents, and got along with everyone in the class. I then had another young man who lived with his two parents, and 2 siblings. This boy constantly acted out in class, and had very few friends. She wanted to label him as a "bad kid.", when in reality, he wasnt a bad kid at all. He was just reaching out for the attention he didn't get from his parents at home because they always worked, and didn't have enough time for him. After reading that, it just made it even more apparent to me why we need to stop labeling kids. "She must be a terrible student just like her brother." "He looks like he will cause me a lot of trouble this year." When teachers in todays society say that, we are not giving that student the benefit of the doubt. All of our students will have come from different places, and have different backgrounds. There may be students who do not act the best all the time, but it is our job as educators to help them become the best version of themselves, and help them get on a path that will help their future endeavors. It also talks about how that public schools cannot furnish the materials and the guiding principals of that program. Most of the students who need this program are in schools that do not receive the materials that are needed in the first place, so expected the materials for this program is a mistake. The only way the students will receive the materials they need is if their teachers buy it for them. I really enjoyed reading this article, and i look forward to the class discussion.
-Sarah Pauley
Delete“Reconstruction of society through public schools”
ReplyDeleteMore like reconstruction of public schools through society. I think no matter how hard we try to change society, society is the variable that changes the environment of our schools. The invention of fidget spinners, new technology developments, and social behaviors are all factors that affect the way schools are changing. If we want to reconstruct society through public school, then we need to create these new trends and developments inside the classroom. Think outside the box in a way that draws positive attention to public schools. Make it known to the world by distributing these developments into our society. Children go home to a different environment everyday. They come from different backgrounds and experience different realities of life. We can try to reconstruct society through public schools only to have children go home to what they know and believe in. They see school as a place to make friends and to sit in a classroom all day because they have no other choice. Sometimes they might take away what they’ve learned but, more often than not, they settle back into reality at home. Public schools need to teach children the truth about the realities of life. Children should be exposed to real world situations in order to understand what they are learning and why it’s important. Society will only change if people believe in the school systems. As long as children are exposed to the tools that will help them grow and develop, then they should be able to experience all aspects of life in the public school system.
- Mary Stoots
"An education that does not strive to promote the fullest and most thorough understanding of the world is not worthy of the name"
ReplyDeleteCounts talks about how he spoke with a Soviet teacher about how that teacher taught only the "truth" and that intelligent boys and girls who upheld those truths came to adopt the philosophy of communism. George recalls learning that his Methodist upbringing claimed to teach him the "truths". I really like that Counts questions the extent to which teachers of any kind should inflict their own opinions without giving the child the freedom to form theirs. I think while the author is pointing out the fact that teachers have sometimes unrecognized intentions when teaching, it is our job as teachers to take a step back from how we see the world to try to teach children in a very unbiased way. What also struck me about this was how Counts describes the type of people who are pushing for more progressive schools (the liberal-minded upper class) but how these people are still insensitive to social injustice and who "refuse to see reality in its harsher more disagreeable form". In this imperfect society, it is great to have these idealistic views that Counts is describing these types of parents as having, but as he explains, it is easy to say you want this kind of progressive education for your children, but in order to make sure they get it, we need to reevaluate schools at their very core.
Do not know why this posed as "emerging adulthood" . . . -Maris Mulroney
Delete"In their own lives teachers must bridge the gap between school and society and play some part in the fashioning of those great common purposes which should bind the two together." (page 31)
ReplyDeleteI could not have agreed more with Counts' point on this. We, as teachers, are the people are spend every day with our students, our students learn much more than just the curriculum from us. They also learn how to be a person and they learn how to build up their own ideology through what we teach them in academics and in life. As teachers, we need to bring in the realities of our democracy into the classroom so that our students are informed and are able to build their own thoughts and opinions on matters. I am not saying that we should expose them to every single injustice and wrongdoing that is happening in the country, but we cannot shelter and blind them, either. Especially with older children, we need to start a conversation with our students. Our students are shaped by the society that they grow up in, we as teachers need to reassure our students that they can be (and will be) successful growing up in this society. That can be obtained if we are able to have our students understand this society that we live in. We are preparing our country's future citizens to step into the world.
Another point of this quote is that, as teachers, we must shape our methods of teaching to the society that we live in. We must make learning relatable to our students. If we bring in ideas that our students are familiar with and can recognized, they will be more attentive and, ultimately, learn more from it. Teaching should not be cookie cutter perfect, it needs to conform to who is sitting in our classroom. Our goal at the end of the day to make sure that our students are able to comprehend and apply material, we succeed when they are able to take it into the world with them.
- Lyly Lieu
The quote that resonated most with me from the Counts reading was: “Any individual or group that would aspire to lead society must be ready to pay the costs of leadership: to accept responsibility, to suffer calumny, to surrender security, to risk both reputation and fortune.”
ReplyDeleteEven though Counts was writing about the state of education in the 1930s, I definitely felt that he was calling out all of us give lip-service to the idea of being leaders. In both theory and practice, teachers are supposed to be leaders (and aspire to mold the next generation of leaders), but I think it’s much easier to just go with the flow and collect a paycheck. Schools, by Counts’ standards, should be agents of change, but often become these institutions that incidentally reproduce some of the worst aspects of society. After reading this article, I really began to think about how important it is for schools to be about more than just checking boxes and sending children out into the world. As Counts mentioned, “…a very large part of American educational thought, inquiry, and experimentation is much ado about nothing.” If we, as educators, can start to stand up and lead education reform, we may begin to see more positive changes that benefit students beyond their end-of-the-year tests and well into their adult lives. Overall, Dare the School felt like a call to action for people who see the daily effects of what the education system does to our children.
“We are convinced that education is the one unfailing remedy for every ill to which man is subject, whether it be vice, crime, war, poverty, riches, injustice, racketeering, political corruption, race hatred, class conflict, or just plain original sin.”
ReplyDeleteThe title of the reading by George S. Counts, Dare the Schools Build a New Social Order? suggested bleak reading to be sure. I wasn’t entirely wrong. This passage in particular stuck with me as I continued the reading, mostly due to a sense of utter disbelief and, admittedly, a little wistfulness. The reading goes on to mention Progressive Education as the new idea to challenge conventional and flawed systems that are “…suited to an age that is gone” (Counts, 5). This was written in a time (I believe 1932) where Counts was challenging the purpose of education and the roles that class, race, and poverty played. I reacted to this passage because not only do I question whether or not the people of the time were actually convinced education was “..the one unfailing remedy…” (Counts, 1) to society’s troubles, but I am, perhaps naively, wistful that it were true today. I wish people held education in such high esteem and importance, but I fear for many it is simply mandatory or an over glorified babysitting service. This is not the purpose of public schools, and I cling to the idea that we will return to this idea of education as a solution to society’s ills.
-Katie McMahon
"An education that does not strive to promote the fullest and most thorough understanding of the world is not worthy of the name. Also there must be no deliberate distortion or suppression of facts to support any theory or point of view."
ReplyDeleteI believe this quote speaks volume. I know that this was written in the 1930s, but I think the idea is still very relevant. It really made me think of all the things that textbooks conveniently leave out. Like the fact that people still think Christopher Columbus was a noble man? How did we let that happen? Who and when was it decided that we should leave out parts of history? I understand that discussing parts of Columbus's past would be inappropriate to kindergarteners, but do we need to celebrate him? This quote really gives me anxious about my own classroom. I want to teach my students about the good, the bad, and the ugly, but will I be able to? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, I think that what Counts was getting at here is that it's important to teach the truth. I believe there are a lot of restraints when it comes to public schools, but sticking to the truth as much as possible is what I plan to strive for.
-Ashleigh Ingram
“But if it is to be so, teachers must abandon much of their easy optimism, subject the concept of education to the most rigorous scrutiny, and be prepared to deal much more fundamentally, realistically, and positively with the American social situation than has been their habit in the past.”
ReplyDeleteMany of Counts quotes stood out of me, however, this one more so than others. I find it delivers an extremely important message, especially in today's social climate. As teachers, especially those in public schools, we must not be afraid to stand up for what we believe is right, what practices we believe are best, and we must never stop advocating for our students. The end of the quote rings especially true, "...than has been their habit in the past." Historically, I feel like teachers have always been afraid to speak their beliefs on social justice issues in fear of losing their jobs, receiving backlash, etc. This is something that is still struggled with today, however, it is getting better. Today, many different teachers have formed social justice groups that work towards bettering our social climate.
“There is the fallacy that education is some pure and mystical essence that remains unchanged from everlasting to everlasting. According to this view, genuine education must be completely divorced from politics, live apart from the play of social forces, and pursue ends peculiar to itself… Any defensible educational program must be adjusted to a particular time and place, and the degree and nature of the imposition must vary with the social situation.”
ReplyDeleteAs I read this section of the Counts reading, after reading many of the other fallacies addressed, it reminded me how enormous of a responsibility teachers have in the world of social justice and change. Much of what our students learn about how to feel about and treat people different than themselves in any way will come from what they have seen and heard from their teachers. It may be "easier" or "more comfortable" to ignore our political or social climate while we are in our classrooms, but I believe that will only harm our students. Our planning, curriculum, assessment, etc. all needs to be so intentionally thought through to appropriately adjust to our society. As our society changes (even if it’s for the worse in some areas), our educational systems need to change as well (often to counteract the hate in society). I feel that our schools should be fighting for the wellbeing of our children, and how that is put into action will change based on the social situation at the time.
-Stephanie Liggitt
"If Progressive Education is to be genuinely progressive, it must emancipate itself from the influence of this class, face squarely and courageously every social issue, come to grips with life in all of its stark reality, establish an organic relation with the community, develop a realistic and comprehensive theory of welfare, fashion a compelling and challenging vision of human destiny, and become less frightened than it is today at the bogies of imposition and indoctrination"
ReplyDeletePersonally, I agreed with and go really fired up over the idea that our education system is conservative in nature. When you think about it, not a whole lot has really changed. There is still a teacher who stands in front of the classroom with a blackboard, in a room with desks, in a school house. It has been like this for at least one hundred years and that to me is insane. If we are to change the system, it needs to be modernized not only in structure, but recognize the issues of our world. It is truly naiive to think that our school system shouldn't recognize class structure, difference in community, and the harsh realities of our present society. To put it plainly, you can't change the world if you don't recognize the problems and attempt to dismantle it. We do not do our students any favors by ignoring reality and attempting to coddle them to the point there is ignorance. The reality is that only some students will understand and experience the social injustice and systematic oppressive system that has become the American public education program. Only some students will have the resources to succeed and the rest are left with the "figure it out" mentality. The idea of progressive education challenges the notion that what has "worked for so long" is no longer an effective method nor is it moral in that it is giving each student a "fair chance" to change their destiny. Students in a school with no resources in an area with factors and influences that will determine who they are going to be can't possibly do anything to change it when thrust into a system that gives them no resources, a school that's falling apart, and tired teachers who don't want to be there. As said in the quote, there needs to be an organic connection between teachers and their students. There needs to be a sense of community not only at school, but with the school and neighborhoods as a whole. When you think about it, the school is truly central to a neighborhood. It's where all the kids gather in one place, learn and make friends. It's a commonality that all the students will share and to have that organic connection between the school and the community is imperative to a students' success. It's insane to me that it takes someone writing an article to get you to think about the social implications of a conservative school system and it's systematic approach to education.
-Brittany Nueslein
"Here is a movement which would seem to be to be completely devoted to promotion of social welfare through education." I find this facinating because the idea that a public education could bring us to a higher economic place is one that I find rather comical. It is my opinion that in public education it is often troubling the about of teachers that do not care. I have seen this in action. My old roommate was in RTR and her co-teacher literally put on Magic School Bus videos every day and made up the students grades. It was rather concerning. This isn't always the case but the fact that there is such a shortage of teachers that they need bodies so bad that they let things like that slide is flabergasting. It would be wonderful to think that one teacher can change this system. I was talking to a friend who was in secondary education this weekend and he said that it is his dream to teach at a Title I school, but he feels like he needs experience first in order to be the best teacher he can be in a school like that. I thought that was an interesting thought. I really pondered that later on because my thinking was always the opposite I wanted to do teach Title I before I am old and weathered. I guess that raises the question which is best experience or excitement?
ReplyDelete-Farrell Bishop
"The world is changing with great rapidity; the rate of change is being accelerated constantly; the future is full of uncertainty."
ReplyDeleteThis quote resonated with me due to an announcement made by Trump's Administration yesterday. They stated President Trump is formally ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). A program that protected nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from deportation. The announcement has left thousands of young adults uncertain about their futures and generated fear among many. I feel as though it's unfair to punish the children who were brought here by their parents. I can't imagine how terrifying it is for those in the DACA program to have witnessed the news of removing the program. It's imperative to understand how these changes affect not only the young adults, but also the community as a whole. Personally, it has put into perspective how fortunate I am to be able to have the opportunity of getting an education. It also makes my doubts and concerns about my future minuscule in comparison to what they're dealing with. My reaction to the quote would imply that the purpose of public schools in our democratic society is to create equal opportunities. Being treated fairly also comes to mind when thinking about the DACA and the challenges that have emerged. Counts mentions in order to thrive and live in this world, the individual most possess an agile mind. It will certainly be important to address the concerns of the young adults, but also aid in creating an alternative plan for each individuals future academic and personal success.
-Hannah Chong
“That the teachers should deliberately reach for power and then make the most of their conquest is my firm conviction. To the extent that they are permitted to fashion the curriculum and the procedures of the school they will de finitely and positively influence the social attitudes, ideals, and behavior of the coming generation” (28).
ReplyDeleteAs human beings, I think that everyone is entitled to his/her opinions. As teachers, we are responsible for our students. We are the their role models, acting as leaders. Counts emphasized that teachers to become leaders, not just in the schools, but also in their own local communities. I think that it’s important to stand up for your own beliefs. However, I don’t quite agree that teachers should become a political figure in the schools, as long as they have shared their voice and turn their awareness into action, they have started a social change for justice.
-Frances Marquez
“My thesis is that complete impartiality is utterly impossible, that the school must shape attitudes, develop tastes, and even impose ideas. It is obvious that the whole of creation cannot be brought into the school. This means that some selection must be made of teachers, curricula, architecture, methods of teaching.”
ReplyDeleteIn this reading, Dare The School Build A New Social Order, Counts elaborates the idea of “Progressive Education” based on ten fallacies, in order to emphasize the real meaning of education. Looking through this reading again, I am impressed on the quote above, which comes from the fifth fallacy— “the school should be impartial in its emphases, no bias should be given instruction”. For schools, a straightforward educational direction and goal is the requisition of their existences. For example, teachers should be responsible to make students absorb in knowledge, rather than merely teach all knowledge standing at the platform in the front of all students. Therefore, it is necessary to design specific curriculum, shape ideas and give a push to all students at the expense of absolute freedom and democracy. For students, it seems that they will be trapped into an inflexible thinking under this circumstance. However, they will learn how to control their thoughts and behaviors to achieve a certain goal. In a domestic society, we need to guide, rather than blindly advocate, children’ creation. It is well-known that the education level and resources in public school cannot catch up with that in private school. Therefore, a specific goal (e.g. improving students’ grades, etc.) is much more vital than whole creation and freedom for public school.
-Feifei Xu
"We are convinced that education is the one unfailing remedy for every ill to which the man is subject, whether it be vice, crime, war, poverty, riches, injustice, racketeering, political corruption, race hatred, class conflict, or just plain original sin," (p.3)
ReplyDeleteThis statement addresses many issues that Americans face on a daily basis that are most likely due to a lack of education. Vice and crime go hand in hand. A lot of people that resort to illegal activity, or wicked behavior feel pressured to do those things because they do not have a basic education to help them succeed in life. They basically have no other choice in their way of thinking. People living in poverty usually do not have a high school education. Race hatred is a very touchy subject. There is a sense of ignorance combined with hatred and lack of education that leads to someone being a racist. While a majority of people put all of their faith into education to cure all of the previous ailments listed, I believe society can do more to fix these issues. Of course everything starts with education, but it is what you do with that education that matters. There needs to be a larger effort to educate people once they’ve passed the k-12 years in their life. How many times have you seen someone blasting out false information online with 100% confidence in what they are saying? They clearly don’t seem educated, but they may hold a college degree. Education might not be the sole remedy for every ill to which the man is subject, but it is a very large, important part of it.
-Katie McGrath
“I am prepared to defend the thesis that all education contains a large element of imposition, that in the very nature of the case this is inevitable, that the existence and evolution of society depend upon it, that it is consequently eminently desirable, and that the frank acceptance of this fact by the educator is a major professional obligation” (p. 12).
ReplyDeleteI did not know that there was any form of educated discourse that would argue against the idea that education is a critical component of socialization and one of the greatest forms of social reproduction we have in human society. Counts’ assertion and nigh-proclamation that all education contains a large element of imposition came as a shock because I simply assumed that was understood among educators. One of the keystones of sociology is the understanding of the 5 main social institutions we have that govern our culture—family, government, economy, religion, and education—and only now am I realizing that these forces and those that operate within their sphere to preserve them may not think of themselves as being critical socially reproductive forces. To me, this highlights a huge disconnect between how social institutions are perceived by the outside world and how they are perceived in and of themselves. How can a society rely on an institution to develop the types of members it desires, to “release the energies of the young, set up standards of excellence, and make possible really great achievement” (p. 14-15), if the institution itself does not believe it has or should have the power to mold children for fear of limiting freedom? None of us are completely free. We are all products of our environment and an uncountable number of imposing social forces—public schools are just one of them but they’re a crucial one that I believe can be better utilized if its ability to enhance social and cultural capital was seen as prescriptive rather than an unintended side-effect.
"Any Individual or group that would aspire to lead society must be ready to pay the costs of leadership; to accept responsibility, to suffer calumny, to surrender security, to risk both reputation and fortune"(p. 4)
ReplyDeleteAfter completing this reading, I found myself overtly affected by this singular line. Particularly, that the ideas presented in the reading as a whole were originally published in 1932 yet could easily be accepted as a current review of our social implications in today's society. This quotes speaks to a reality that I believe many educators to this day still struggle with. Among all of the pedagogy we are exposed to, this call to be an activist in our works still persist. However, the difficulty of this road remains a hushed in this our studies. Teachers are built up to do "go out and do great things", only to be left to the wolves our public policy, administration, and regulation of our roles as educators. As teachers, our endeavors fall into a sink or swim mentality. We are left to struggle with incremental, at best, successes or abandoned to monotony of just doing what is needed to by.
“There can be no good individual apart from some conception of the character of the good society; and the good society is not something that is given by nature; it must be fashioned by the hand and brain of man. This process of building a good society is to a very large degree an educational process. The nature of the child must of course be taken into account in the organization of any educational program, but it cannot furnish the materials and the guiding principles of that program.”
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this article, the passage above really resonated with me until the end. Earlier, the author states that “on entering the world the individual is neither good nor bad; her is merely a bundle of potentialities which may be developed in manifold directions.” This proves that each individual’s personality and perception of society can be affected by his or her household, background, and/or culture. Whether a student comes into a school with positive or negative opinions about our society, it is important for teachers to flourish the young minds with realistic facts in a safe way. Although some students will still be molded by other guiding principles and materials outside of the school, we need to provide a safe, open, and comfortable environment for learners to share and discuss their ideas and/or opinions.
-Jin Kim
"This would seem to suggest that our schools, instead of directing the course of change, are themselves driven by the very forces that are transforming the rest of the social order."
ReplyDeleteThis quote really stuck with me as I read the article and reflected on how I see the way public schools are treated as an institution in our current society. Many people, myself included, want schools to be the agents of social change that we believe they can be; many people already believe that they are just that. However, what Counts is saying in this quote, and what I have come to realize, is that public schools in this country are almost entirely reactionary to changes in our society. Take the civil rights movement as an example. While many people hail Brown v. Board of Education as a turning point in that struggle, the schools were actually attempting to stifle social change, they were the antagonist in the story. It wasn't until the Supreme Court ruled against "separate but equal" and ordered the public schools to admit students of all races that change occurred. The schools were no more agents of social change than was the bus that Rosa Parks rode on that day in 1955. The schools, like the state and local governments that control them, sought then, as they do still now, to maintain the social order, to maintain the status quo. Schools have been for the most part merely the backdrop for social change in this country.
However, that is not to say that I don't believe that public schools can not become the agents of social change. It would, however, require a dramatic shift in the current paradigm of how we, as a society, view the aims of education and the role of public schools.
-Marc Heaton
“We should, however, give to our children a vision of the possibilities which lie ahead and endeavor to enlist their loyalties and enthusiasms in the realization of the vision.”
ReplyDeleteTo me, this quote summarizes what being a teacher is. We are there to instruct, support, and encourage children to discover what they want to do with the information we teach them. Teachers are trying to give each student the best and most opportunities they can have in the world to make a difference or follow their heart. As disappointing and dark the world and system may be, we have to keep in mind what’s important and what can make a difference. There is so much in the world that needs or should be changed, but one person can’t do all that. What they can do is aid the children that are put in front of them and show them. A teacher can present the information and tell the children what they can do in response. We want to get them excited for the future, not scared of it. These institutions such as schools are places where change can begin, where minds can be opened, and ideas can spark. We have a duty to instill that motivation into the children.
Jennifer Coronado