Just say no
Learning to question authority is part of education for citizenship
By Hannah Naiditch 07/02/2009
This is the time when school is winding down for some, while kindergarten registration for next year is in full swing for others. This is also the time of proms, when parents spend hundreds of dollars for evening gowns and tuxedos, and sleek limousines become a common sight.
But what about the school they are heading to? What is its educational philosophy? After the kids graduate, will they be critical and creative thinkers? Will they have the self-confidence to question authority?
What about a curriculum that inspires kids to go beyond the three Rs? Will they have developed a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world we humans live in? Will they be able to contribute toward a peaceful world and help save mankind from self-destruction?
After World War I, a group of educators believed that a more humane educational philosophy could help mankind to settle its differences without slaughter and avoid the horrors of future world wars. Here in the US it was John Dewey who started a small private school in his home. That was the beginning of the progressive education movement in this country.
Progressive educators believed in educating the whole child by meeting his or her intellectual as well as his or her emotional and social needs. They recognized that individuals differed in their abilities and interests and that methods used in traditional education, such as fear and punishment, often resulted in anger, frustration and a sense of alienation that could produce vandalism, bullying and worse.
Teachers engaged their students in many cooperative activities, believing that each child should only compete with his or herself and reach for his or her own maximum potential. The curriculum in the early grades had to be relevant to the students’ own lives and interests. Teachers were to be facilitators only, and not the focus of attention.
“Sit still, be quiet and do as you are told” was replaced by an informal atmosphere and social interchange. Rules were kept to a minimum and were the result of cooperative planning between teachers and their students. Rules were evaluated, and if found unfair or unworkable, were changed or discarded. Student involvement was considered crucial toward educating for participation in a free society.
Dewey was a strong believer in relating educational philosophy to the needs of a democracy. He knew that democratic ideals could only be taught by allowing students to participate in a free and fair environment where their civil liberties are respected. He did not believe that obedience and conformity were values that helped a society remain free.
While our public schools call for more tardy sweeps and more discipline, it is worth remembering that kids who feel connected with their schools are not likely to be absent. So what’s wrong with our schools?
In the post-World War II era, German schools were involved in a study of authoritarianism, the willingness to submit to authority and the need to dominate others. The goal was to avoid another event such as the Nazi years of horror.
In the United States, psychologist Stanley Milgram carried out an experiment on obedience with very disturbing results. He found that most people will do almost anything to another human being as long as a figure of authority urges them to continue. His experiment offers insight into the My Lais of the Vietnam War, Nazi Germany and the Holocaust and other crimes against humanity. In each case there is the struggle between the personal conscience and the need, even duty, to follow orders and obey.
In the memorable film “Dead Poets Society,” teacher Robin Williams accepts a job at a rigid, emotionally cold and highly controlled British boy’s school. He liberates his students from this stifling environment by teaching them to disobey.
By its very nature, education will always remain a controversial subject. What we teach, how we teach it and how we define our final goals makes all the difference. Hopefully, graduating students do not just memorize the Bill of Rights but are allowed to act on it. Hopefully, graduating students don’t just know how to read but comprehend and are turned on to the joy of reading.
Hopefully, graduating students can question, analyze, weigh consequences and have developed principles, values and a point of view that they can back up. Hopefully they will participate in the search for the ideal society. There is so much more to education than passing tests.
Horace Mann, father of the common school, declared, “If there are no two things wider asunder than freedom and slavery, then must the course of training which fits children for these two opposite conditions of life be as diverse as the two points to which they lead.”
Author and physician Benjamin Spock added, “I still believe that humanity is potentially loving, idealistic and creative, but also potentially vicious. What makes the difference is how children are raised and how societies are led.”
Hannah Naiditch recently published “Memoirs of a Hitler Refugee: Activism and Issues Define My Life” ($19.95), which is available directly from the publisher, Xlibris, by calling (888) 795-4274 ext. 7876, or from Amazon.com.
“Naiditch will always enlighten and reward any listener. Heed and grow.” – Ed Asner
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Comments
It is great to teach students to question, however we must also teach them to think critically and have valid points to back up arguments. There seems to be a widespread notion in the USA that all opinions are valid and deserve to be heard equally. That is not found in any philosophy. Opinions made by experts who have been studying the field for years hold a lot more weight than the person who got their information from Google U in a few hours.
Question Authority? The authority of "global warming", "cap and trade", "free" health care? Naiditch's columns are a collection of 75 years out of date Stalinist aphorisms and faded bumper stickers found on '68 VW Micro buses.
This boob Naiditch brags about the "improvements" in U.S. education. In a recent study 96.5% of Arizona's public school students flunked the basic test for U.S. citizenship.
http://www.abc15.com/content/news/phoeni...
I'll bet they all know about Marylin Monroe, Michael Jackson and Al Sharpton, but nothing whatsoever about the Declaration, Constitution, Bill Of Rights or founding fathers.
Why would you print columns written by dopey ditz like Naiditch?