I would be a liar if I claimed that I have fully enjoyed
reading John Dewey’s book Democracy and Education. However, I have gotten a lot
out of reading it. I have highlighted many quotes
and passages that resonate with me, as well as passages that have really
agitated me (regarding his perspective, not his delivery). I have highlighted the bloody hell out of my
copy! There are so many deep points, and
philosophical ideas, that I have spent a great amount of time thinking and
talking with others about how it makes me think about the perspectives he
covers. With all of that said, I will
feel a great sense of accomplishment when I finish it. Then I can reflect on how I can hate a book
so much that has made me think so intently about education, training, and the
present and future instructional methods of where I would like to see education changed.
Lately, I have been thinking about how the education experience
I had when I was younger has made me into who I am.
From the age of 4 through 16 I attended 8 different schools
(not including Junior Colleges). I
worked from a very young age and I had a very large amount of my schooling
accomplished one-on-one (or very nearly, in small groups of students) with a
teacher. For a very brief period I was
“home-schooled”, and the last year of High School that I finished was 10th
grade. I took the High School
Equivalency Examination when I was 16, was emancipated at 17, got a real estate
license and attended my second semester at a Junior College. In light of this, I would conservatively
estimate that from ages 5-16, I was taught
school by over 150 teachers. With
all of this mentioned, suffice to say; I had a very unique learning experience
while growing up.
Specifically I make mention of these things because they
have shaped the way I learn, the scholastic interests I hold, and past
experiences I reflect on. All the
learning I did while in school and working when I was younger made me an
analyst of a large number of things.
I am guessing that reading John Dewey’s Democracy and
Education is a rite of passage for the MALT program.
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