Link to my timeline and References

http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/aarons-foundation-of-education

References

Bernhoft, R.  (2001).  Study guide for scopes trial.  Catholic Education Resource Center,

Retrieved from http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/science/sc0056.html

Borrelli, C.  (2010).  Pink floyd’s ‘the wall,’ then vs. now, Chicago Tribune, Retrieved from

http://articles.chigotribune.com/2010-09-17/entertainment/ct-ott-0917-the-wall-2-20100917_1_pink-floyd-wall-roger-waters

Chomsky, Noam. (1995). Education is ignorance. In D. Barsamian, Class Warfare (pp. 19-

            23). Pluto Press.

Elert, G.  (1997, February 20).  Albert Einstein’s letters to president Roosevelt.  Retrieved from

            http://hypertextbook.com/eworld/einstein.shtml#fourth

Hofstadter, R. (1963). Anti-intellectualism in American life. New York: Random House.

“ILHeadStart.org.” (2000).  Head start:  a historical perspective.  Retrieved from

            http://illheadstart.org/historical.html

“Library of Congress.” (2010, July 23).  Brown v board of education of Topeka, Kansas.

            Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html

O’Connell, K.  (2010).  Who was chairman mao, lionized by obama’s white house?  Canada

Free Press, Retrieved from http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/19044

Phillips-Sandy, M.  (2011, March 2).  Ohio SB-5:  the anti-collective bargaining bill explained.

AOLnews, Retrieved from http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/02/ohio-sb-5-the-anti-collective-bargaining-bill-explained/

Ratner-Arias, S.  (2010).  ‘Dora the explorer’ may change a whole generation.  abcNEWS,

            Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=11494277

Russell, B. (1932). Education and discipline [from In Praise of Idleness]. Retrieved from

        http://www.davemckay.co.uk/philosophy/russell/russell.php?name=education.and.discipline

What does this video mean to you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS91knuzoOA

Many different things related to education occur in the video.  What stands out to you?

If we should not teach students to be consumers, nor should we teach them to think for themselves, then why do we even send them to school?

I am standing my ground that students do not go to school merely to contribute to big business.  That leaves with only one other conceivable option:  to give them the tools to think for themselves.

I see many advantages in allowing students to think for themselves.  Upon finishing school, these young adults can make better decisions for themselves, leading to fewer cases of pressure, stupidity, and an all-around awareness of how the society is functioning, how society is wrong, and what they can do to change it.  Some people might argue that intellectualism is a danger to society, but if this is the case, then I cannot conceive of any other purpose of education.

So, why do kids even go to school after learning to read and write?  Would society be better if we didn't even teach them to read and write?

Is the unexamined life worth living?

I was pondering over Socrates's thought on this.  I feel that as a human being that my life is truly going to waste if I do not take the time to interpret my day-to-day actions, as well as my long-term ones.  How does wanting to become a teacher of physics make me feel like a better person?  Why did I choose my course of direction in life?  Am I an ethical person?  Where and when have I done wrong?  What will I have to do to be satisfied with my life in the next 50 years, so that when I am old and unable to continue functioning, I will not feel that my death came too soon or without major woes?  If I am not an educated being, then is it possible for me to reflect on what has happened?  Does being what I consider to be well educated endanger my internal stability?  What is insanity?  Was I meant to serve any purpose in the world?  Should I only look out for myself?  Should I only look out for others?

I feel that these are all very deep philosophical questions that cannot be answered unless I have learned to think for myself.  Without education, I feel that we are doomed into a life of ignorance, and although some might say that ignorance is bliss, I feel that ignorance is also what leads to deception, harm, bigotry, or unrequited love for a system that never gives back. 

Is the unexamined life worth living?  Does education affect one's ability to self-reflect?  Is ignorance the result of no, bad, or incomplete education?

Does society really value intelligence?

I read a book a few years ago, titled Anti-intellectualism in American Life by Richard Hofstadter, a well known historian.  He talked about how intellectuals have always been shafted in society, because people's religious and spiritual views have been attacked by the work of intellectuals.  Think about this.  The religious population took deep offense to evolution because it contradicted creationism.  Evolution is clearly an intellectual product, for it is backed up by solid data, unlike creationism.

Think about the image of the "nerd" who knows nothing about being human.  This person is often caricatured by glasses, pocket protectors, and a belt and suspenders.  Usually, these people use big words, and demonstrate merit in their thoughts, yet they are still frowned upon.

Now consider the predictability of historical disasters.  Scholars predicted Hitler and the Nazi party as a threat to the free world, yet people continued to support the Nazi party, and look what happened.  Intellectuals make wise predictions about world events, are usually correct, yet we continue to ignore them.  Why?  The only possible solution is that we don't truly value the merits of the scholar.

Should schools breathalyze children before school/ school events?

I remember when my high school threatened to handle underage drunkenness that occurred at various events (football games, homecoming) by breathalyzing the students before walking in the building.  At the time, we thought that was absurd and would never happen.  I did some observations at Mentor High last fall and noticed an announcement that students would be allowed into homecoming without submitting a breathalyzer test.  Personally, I think this is absurd, but the argument is that this will potentially lives.  1)   Does this really save any lives, and 2) assuming that it did save lives, is it worth taking away the trust of the students?