The Purpose of Schooling:

Why We Teach

Taryn Parets







Meta-Reflection: Throughout this semester my answers to the course umbrella questions have
expanded and gained credibility. There werent any huge changes between my first
answers and those I provide in this paper, but the readings, discussions, and presentations
we had this semester helped me to learn about why teachers teach the way they dothe
history behind it, the cultural necessity for it, etc. It was also cool to see my personal
beliefs validated and phrased eloquently by credible and experienced authors and
speakers. The question I have learned the most about is how schools transform the
existing order. At the beginning of the semester I knew schools could have an impact,
but now I understand how many problems in society have to be addressed in schools
racism, sexism, oppression, tracking, and privilege, just to name a few. Finally, this
semesters learning has served to reinforce one of my core beliefs about teaching: teachers
must do whatever is in their power to do in order to facilitate the success of their students.
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Taryn Parets
Pat Woodward
EDUC 275
14 May 2013
Why We Teach
Some people hear that I want to be a teacher and say, Oh, thats cool!
Others say, Ugh, why?
This class has definitely been an eye-opener to me, helping me to better understand this
whole teaching thing that Im getting myself into. There is a lot more that goes into teaching
than meets the eye, some of which is good and some of which doesnt sound appealing
whatsoever. And overall, the wealth of knowledge that Ive gain has made many aspects of
teaching way more confusing than I ever thought they could be. However, a few things have
become quite clear to me throughout the course of this semester, and they include the purpose of
education, the role of the teacher, and the way schools can influence the existing societal orders.
The purpose of education in the United States is to prepare the youth for success in the
future. By the end of the schooling processkindergarten through 12
th
grade, and perhaps
collegestudents should be equipped with the knowledge they will need to live and work in this
society. The ultimate goal is that all people who go through the education system will come out
as well-rounded, successful members of the U.S. democracy. The well-rounded aspect is
something that is especially important, yet not always focused on in todays schools. In his book
The Holistic Curriculum, John P. Miller explains that all aspects of nature are very fluid and
interconnected, and that we should work for that too, since we are a part of nature. He asserts
that, If we can align the institutions [schools] with this interconnection and dynamism, then the
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possibilities for human fulfillment increase greatly (5). That human fulfillment is one definition
of the success we hope students will achieve. I would say being successful means reaching ones
full potential, and achieving at the highest level of which one is capable, which will of course
involve using all aspects of ones self. In schools, we want to give students the knowledge and
skills they need to attain this.
This required knowledge will include straightforward facts, such as math skills and
English vocabulary, because these are general requirements for succeeding in the U.S. You may
be able to charge the price of a meal to your credit card without thinking about numbers, but to
leave an appropriate tip you must do some simple calculations. And while stores and public
places may function reasonably well in Spanish, it is unlikely that a student could get their dream
career without a considerable knowledge of English. Also, it is important for students to gain
some knowledge of societal norms, cultural references, and etiquette that will be used in social
settings in the U.S.
Education is about more than just basic fact, however. Students should also acquire
knowledge about how to think critically and learn in a way that works for them. Unfortunately,
many current teachers are not helping their students learn these things, because the education
system has devolved to the point where it is only about preparing students to pass standardized
tests (Linville). In theory, students who have strong reasoning and critical thinking skills will do
well on these tests, but it is much easier for teachers to impart answers than thinking skills, so
often that is what happens. I am sure that in my classroom someday I will sometimes have to
teach my students how to find the answersthats what math is all aboutbut I will also try my
best to help them learn to find the answers themselves by thinking critically and finding a way
that works for them.
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Finally, it is the responsibility of schools, along with families, communities, religious
establishments, etc. to teach children to have what His Holiness the Dalai Lama calls a good
heart (87). In Education and the Human Heart, he discusses the promotion of basic human
values he calls secular ethics (90), moral codes that are not based on any one religion per say,
but more on common human decency. My personal beliefs are completely formed around
Christianity, but I know that it isnt considered politically correct for me as a teacher to discuss
that in my classroom. I still believe that morals are undeniably important in our lives, though, so
it is nice to think that I can still address them in my classroom from the standpoint of secular
ethics.
The teachers role in education is to facilitate the students learning; therefore, teachers
should do whatever is necessary and within their power to make it possible for students to gain
the knowledge they require. This means that the teacher will play many roles. Teachers will not
only teach, but they will mentor, tutor, question, guide, and engage with students, providing the
necessary tools for learning and creating an environment where learning is possible and
encouraged. This may require teachers to offer students extra help after school, or show a
different way to solve a problem, or deliver a lesson in a way that specifically works for students
with different learning styles or cultural backgrounds. Whatever the students need to learn
prosperously, the teacher should be willing to try to offer it. Teachers have to go above and
beyond just delivering lessons. As Mr. Schlehuber, a high school teacher, said, Know your
subject, know yourself, know your students, and have fun! Each of those things is essential to
being able to work with students and help them learn successfully.
Sometimes, the teachers role may be to stand in front of the students at the chalkboard
and lecture, if that is the most appropriate way to teach a certain lesson in a successful way.
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However, another viable teaching method is dialogical pedagogy (Ferndez-Balboa Marshall,
24). Essentially, the purpose of dialogical pedagogy is to help students learn how to participate
in the democracy we have in the U.S. by being confident in sharing their ideas, and feeling an
individual responsibility (29) to engage. Discussion is often a great way for students to learn
because they get to bounce ideas off of each other, while at the same time developing respect for
one another. There are many techniques besides lecture and discussion and it is the
responsibility of the teacher to know about these strategies and how and when to implement
them.
A school can either continue the existing societal orders by teaching and reinforcing the
current values and expectations of the society, or it can work toward changing the existing orders
by teaching new ideasthe results depend on what policies, curriculums, laws, and philosophies
are in place at that school. I think is important for both of these things to happen, because there
are things in society worth continuing and things worth changing. We need to remember that the
whole school system is constantly evolving to fit all the constraints put on it, while also trying to
fulfill everyones needs, so we have to be patient with it. Schooling continues the existing orders
of society because the school system itself is a physical manifestation of those orders. The
school system is formed by the current ways of the culture, government, society, etc., and it takes
time to change those policies.
One specific thing that can either continue the existing order or transform it is the
curriculum. Some curriculums focus on the importance of past events, while others focus on the
present and how it will impact the future. The type of curriculum that is used will be determined
by the teaching philosophy used by the school and the teacher. The two teaching philosophies
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that most directly relate to this topic are perennialism and progressivism. As defined by Grace
Huerta in her book Educational Foundations: Diverse Histories, Diverse Perspectives:
Perennialism emphasizes the belief that Western civilization and its history embody
eternal universal concepts that can provide future generations of students with a
sense of reality, truth, culture, and ethics. (35)
And:
In contrast to perennialism, a progressive curriculum is not focused on a specific
set of concepts of literary canon introduced by a teacher. Instead, progressive
educators encourage their students to analyze questions, subject their own ideas to
scrutiny, and draw conclusions across content areas. (39)
Clearly perennialism is a philosophy geared toward maintaining the existing orders, while
progressivism is interested in letting students make their own decisions about how the future
should be.
Schools are able to play a huge role in transforming the existing orders precisely because
they involve the youth. What the youth is taught is what they will grow up to enforce when they
are the adults making the decisions in the existing orders of future years. There are many issues
that our society is changing its stance on today, such as gender roles, equal opportunity for men
and women, and the acceptability of homosexuality. These are clearly important and highly
impactful current issuestake for example gender: [Gender] is central to the intricate
patterning of social life, and encompasses power relations, the division of labor, symbolic forms,
and emotional relations (Connell, qtd. in Spade, Valentine, 3). Another even more important
issue, in my opinion, is equality for students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. To accomplish
this, it is necessary for teachers to use culturally relevant pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 29), or
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teaching methods that adapt to meet the needs of students from all cultural backgrounds.
However, in accomplishing culturally relevant pedagogy, doing is less important than
being (41): teachers must be fully committed to the transformations in societal order that
they advocate for, to the point that it becomes a part of them and they are leading by example.
The issues that are important in todays society will inevitably make their way into schools, so
teachers need to know how to deal with them accordingly; once again, it comes down to
knowing how to do whats best for your students and their future success.
Overall, class this semester really impressed upon me how hard teaching is because of all
the things that go on behind the scenes: go to Board meetings, join the teachers union, dont get
sued, hopefully get tenured, dont accidentally be judgmental of a students background because
youre ignorant, be involved in the development of the curriculum, make house calls if
necessary, know about how schools get their funding, dont allow white privilege in your
classroom its a lot. And overall, Im still not excited about a lot of it. But thats okay,
because the more I think about it, the more I realize that while those things are important, they
arent really the role of the teacher. The role of the teacher is to be a role model for the students,
and to help them on their way to becoming all that they can be. As Plato stated in The Republic,
The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life. That is what
excites me about education, and that is why I will teach.

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Works Cited
The Dalai Lama, and Steve Glazer. "Education and the Human Heart." The Heart of Learning:
Spirituality in Education. New York: J.P. Tarcher/Putnam, 1999. 87+. Print.

Fernandez-Balboa, Juan-Miguel, and James P. Marshall. "Dialogical Pedagogy in Teacher
Education: Toward an Education for Democracy." Journal of Teacher Education 45.3
(1994): 24+. Print.

Huerta, Grace. "Educational Philosophy." Educational Foundations: Diverse Histories, Diverse
Perspectives. Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2009. 35+. Print.

Ladson-Billings, Gloria. ""Yes, But How Do We Do It?" Practicing Culturally Relevant
Pedagogy." White Teachers, Diverse Classrooms: A Guide to Building Inclusive Schools,
Promoting High Expectations, and Eliminating Racism. Sterling, VA: Stylus Pub., 2006.
29+. Print.

Linville, Carrie. Personal Interview. 17 Apr. 2010.

Miller, John P. "Holistic Curriculum: The Why and the What." The Holistic Curriculum. 2nd ed.
Toronto, Ont.: OISE, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, 1988. 5. Print.

Schlehuber, David. EDUC 275 Class. Colorado State University, Fort Collins. 30 Apr. 2013.
Lecture.

Spade, Joan Z., and Catherine G. Valentine. "The Prism of Gender." The Kaleidoscope of
Gender: Prisms, Patterns, and Possibilities. 2nd ed. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications,
2008. 3. Print.