One thing that philosophy does especially well is to empty the mind of preconceived notions and then to examine ideas as if for the first time. I can think of no concept that cries out louder for re-thinking than the concept of education. What is education? What is the meaning of this word used as if we all know what we are talking about and that we all mean the same thing? But for all the concern and debate about budget constraints, standards of learning (learning what?), charter schools, pay cuts and loss of programs, keeping the U. S. competitive with other countries, the most basic question goes unasked. What does it mean to be educated? What is the purpose of becoming an educated person? I think that if we begin again, at local and national levels, with this essential question, our way out of the thicket would appear and we could move forward in the best interests of us all.
Two stories serve especially well to illustrate my point. Wherever I share philosophy with children, at some point I ask them why they are in school. They eye me with suspicion and wonder what I'm doing in their classroom! I ask again: you spend 6 hours a day here, 5 days a week, do homework, carry heavy backpacks...can't you tell me why? No, they can't. Invariably when a child ventures an answer it is always some variation of this: "I am in school to get a job." We laugh together when I ask what kinds of jobs are available for 7-year-olds, but the point is clear. A first step was overlooked: an explanation and discussion of the value of an education. In my summer workshops for teachers and all those involved in the educational lives of children, we thrive on our discussions of the ways in which philosophy, the art of clear thinking, can be the underpinning of a meaningful, an exciting education. Teachers, librarians, guidance counselors, club sponsors, all are buoyed not only for the future child philosophers but at the energy and enthusiasm that talking about the meaning of ideas will bring to their vocation. I met the child philosophers pictured on this page when they attended my talk at the Library of Virginia; their club sponsor, Allison Williams, from the Collegiate School in Richmond, Virginia, was a dynamic participant in my summer workshops in 2008 (For information about this summer's workshops, please go to www.mariettamccarty.com and click on "Meet with Marietta").
On another occasion, I visited a premiere Ivy League university to discuss sharing philosophy with kids and the practical uses of philosophical analysis at all ages. We began to talk about what education meant to them; the roof of the building barely held! The thought that their education belonged to them was a brand new one. One student, third year, said that she felt "bullied" by her educational experience; since kindergarten she was told that the point of school was to be accepted by this institution. She said with emotion that the possibility of owning her own educational experience was "dizzying and liberating." So many of these college students were as perplexed by the meaning of education as the child philosophers. One student told the increasingly-animated group that he loved all the excitement of the dialogue about the meaning of education and exclaimed: "In my philosophy class this semester (two/thirds over) all we've done is talk about the meaning of the word ‘the'." When someone asked what "the" meant, the student admitted that they hadn't figured it out yet. Sure, there is a place for this sort of abstract philosophizing, but once again, that first step was overlooked: what is important about what we are studying, about what we are doing here.
The root of the word "education" means to "lead up, to lead out." I am reminded of the darkness of Plato's Cave with people imprisoned by their lazy assumptions and lack of curiosity and mental stimulation. But though the climb up and out of the Cave is arduous, the light of questions and wonder and a mind ready and mobile is bright indeed. If we hold the concept of education up to rational and heartfelt scrutiny, what will we uncover? Is education meant to produce compliant students who will say "yes" to the status quo? Students who will conform to things as they are? Is education an assembly line? Or....
Is education the process of enriching an individual's unique humanity to its fullest extent? Does education feed the mind and the soul food for growth and exploration? Does education equip students of any and all ages with the tools to discover who they are and the means to carve out their own lives?
What does education mean to YOU? Let's start talking in our communities and country now. Then, we can make unimagined strides as we nourish our inner lives, all of us.
