Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A Personal Response
Roberta Nauman
Administrator for Curriculum and S~ujfDevelopment ar Larkin
Admirlistration Center
Member of School District U-46 Instrucfiorial Council
'y initial reading of A serous investigation of gods are worthy ends for learn-
Postman occurred after learning is both a technical or ing, thus, he draws a distinction
.hearing him speak at engineering question-how between true and false gods. A
the College of DuPage while 1 should learning take place?-and true or worthy godnarrative
was actively i n ~ a l v c das a a metaphysical one--how can "tells of origins and envisions a
teacher of teachers and future learning be a transformative ex- future, a story that constructs
teachers. My second reading oc- perience for the learner and what ideals. prescribes rules of con-
curred after I had retired from type of transformation is desir- duct, provides a source of author-
active teaching and was seming able? Postman contends that ity, and above all, gives a sense
on the District Curriculum Over- way too much attention is paid to ofcontinuity and purpose. A
sight Council of a large urban the technical aspects and way too god, in the sense I a m using the
school dismct. Both readings little to the metaphysical aspects. word, is the name of a great nar-
had profound yet different im- rative, one that has sufficient
pacts; both readings gave me 3 credibility, complexity, and spm-
greater appreciation for my own bolic power to enable one to or-
education. I share wit11 ganize one's life around it " (pp.
The title of the book creates Postman the 5-6). Allhough he uses the lower
its interest from dual possibilities unshakable faith case g in god, his description rz-
of the meaning of end-the fi- minds the reader of many of the
nale and the purpose for which that a liberal great religions of the world and,
something is undertaken. Post- democracy offer$ indeed. his belief in the possibil-
man invites the reader to think of the best o ~ ~ o r t u n i t v ity of education spreading de-
;
4
both ends and suggests that if mocracy and weaving the social
schools and the public which to build viable fabric r e n ~inded this reader of
necessarily must support then1 community and John Dewey.
cannot agree on one or more to realize Some of d ~ false
e gods Post-
compelling purposes for which man attempts to dethrone gave
the educational enterprise is un- lr uman potential me concern-not because I dis-
dertaken, then the finale will not agreed with what he said, but be-
be long in coming-"there is no cause they corrlmand so much
surer way to bring an end to Postman devotes much of his allegiance currently. Among the
schooling than for it to have no text to an exploration of the gods false gods or those that fa11to
end " (p. 4). In fact, he points to that serve and gods to serve, i.e., serve are: the god of ~narket
some disturbing trends which the reasons for learning, which econo~rlyand the related god of
may foreshadow that end. he contends are embedded in sto- consumership, the god of
ries or narratives. Not all these
- .
i References
Posman, N. (1996). The end of
education: Redefining the value of
school.
- - New York: Random.
A A ? >
i
Thresholds in Education (May and August, 1999)
I n class, I stopped giving second chances, made them believe that an essay
should have more than a head, body and feet -- that it had to have blood and liver,
something like agility. And at home, my wife and I had sex more often, my daughter
was learning to talk.
My streak didn't last. One night, my own s m e pokked off the wall and hit me in the eye.
After that, my body rattled, there was a wince in my knee, 1 couldn't hold enough air.
You said. "I am definitely in Love7'and went on to sweep all three on aces.
From that day on, you'd take two sets for my every one. You had found a corner
I couldn't get to, and you planned to stay there till you caught me. I decided
to quit and move to Kansas, where I had friends nearby and a day job if I wanted it.
My center-court serve grew flabby and pale, my bullet down the right wall plopped
in your lap. I had to steal your comer shot to score. My classes collided,
great continental plates grinding together, pushing up mountains of paper, destroying
the landscape, I lost my patience with Tabitha and Brianna. In late November you swept
again. W e were tied.
Scott Coykendall
Writer-al-Large