Skip to main content

Module 1 Part 1


After reading part one of the book, “School: The Story of the American Public Education”  I was able to discuss and compose many ideas about how the public school system has impacted my own life and the country as a whole. As a twenty-one year old student, I don't remember a time that I wasn’t in school. This part of the book shows how it is in the “American Culture” to receive an education. By having a public school system not only are people able to receive an education, but they were able to do this free of charge. On the first page of the introduction there is a quote by Adlai Stevenson that states, “The free common school system is the most American thing about America.” While I have been able to experience the public school system on my own, I can say that I am thankful and proud that I live in a country that has given me this opportunity. However, the public school system is not perfect and has only gotten better as time has passed by.

  There have been many shameful moments in the history of our public schools systems. To begin with, the public school system was built off of politics. Although our citizens were benefiting from getting an education, the school system was pushed because “the survival of democracy depended on educating all Americans''.  Keeping this quote in mind we then proceed to another issue, the public school system was not always as accessible as it is now. Thomas Jefferson believed that women were not able to become geniuses in contrast to men, therefore they were only allowed three years of schooling. This education would prepare them for when they would become wives and mothers. Also, during this time slavery still existed and slaves were not allowed to receive an education. Getting an education was considered a dangerous act for slaves. Even once slavery was abolished African Americans still faced many difficulties and were not automatically accepted into America’s public school system. 

Overall, many of us have been able to receive an education because of the American public school system. Through the system's faults we have been given this amazing gift and it is important that we take this into consideration. This system has been able to bring individuals of all cultures and backgrounds into a common place and thrive off of learning. It is crucial that we don’t forget about the past mistakes this system has made so it never gets to the place it once was. The public school system is not perfect and still has potential to grow in present times. From my own experience, I have seen growth within my time in the public school system of this country. It has taken years for public education to be an great option and accessible to all. At this point, it should only continue to grow and become an even better option in years to come.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blog Assignment 1

  Hello everyone! My name is Naomi Andujar. I am currently in the final semester of my senior year in NJCU. I am a Psychology major and am looking to become a counselor in the future. I chose this class because it was a requirement, but I also do think it was the most suitable for my future career. Once I graduate, I would like to work in a school environment and focus on counseling children and adolescents. As a counselor, it is crucial to know and understand the students, so literacy can have a big impact on a child’s life. I currently do not have many hobbies because most of my time is taken by school and work, but whenever I get a chance, I love to read. This alone shows that literacy has impacted my life tremendously.  From a very young age, I have always enjoyed reading. I was born here in the United States, but my parents are from the Dominican Republic. My first language was Spanish, and it is still what is primarily spoken in my household. Due to this my older brother...
Post a Comment
Read more

Module 3 Part 3

 I personally believe that we should definitely not be striving to incorporate separate but equal into the school systems today. Although there are still issues with racism in today's world, this will only continue to set us back as a community. This is not only a major setback, but it is giving into the idea that we are not able to live in harmony with everyone. We are all human beings and we need to learn how to help each other grow.  Our differences should not make us go against each other because our differences are how we can learn. In the videos and part three of our reading I realized that even as someone who comes from a completely different community you still have the potential to grow in a new and different community. This gives the individual a chance to grow and also the community to grow. By making our communities diverse we are essentially learning about the entire world. We all have different backgrounds and even those who come from the same backgrounds still h...
Post a Comment
Read more

Module 4 Part 4

  In the process of reading the book “School: The Story of American Public Education” I was able to look at the public school system from all points of view. The main takeaway that I’ve had is that no matter what the public education system is life changing for its students. We have made a lot of progress from where the system once was. Public schools were not always accessible to everyone. Due to this being the case people were able to see how important it is for everyone to have the same opportunity of an education. Now that we have fixed this issue and have made the school system an important part of every child’s life, we still need to continue to progress. Although we are nowhere near the place we once were with the public school education system, we still need to improve this system every day. In the book there are many points where we are able to see that the public school system was not made into a priority. It may be a huge part of the country today, but it needs to be one...
Post a Comment
Read more