“We wage war in order to have peace; we work in order to have leisure.”
This was another spirited article by Lewis in which he writes about education and his thoughts on attending the university. He gives both views on getting an education. He also gives his thoughts on the purpose of education altogether. On one end education seems to be a good thing to get because it brings with it knowledge about a multitude of subjects. If one enjoys learning then a university is the perfect place for that person to be so they can soak up as much knowledge as they want. However vocational training, which often takes the mask of education, turns the person looking for an education into a worker. Lewis talks about how humans are the “amateur animal” because we work for leisure. Animals such as the cow, lion, beaver and bee cannot stop their routine and do not go through their daily routine to gain leisure time.
“In their original institution they are homes not for teaching but for the pursuit of knowledge”That to me is a perfect example of a proper institution that fosters a good learning experience. Anyone who wants to go to college usually wants to go to become more knowledgeable and not just get an education as a means to get a job. Often when parents send their children to college the children do not want to be there and so they usually learn very little because they do not care. They go to a university to “get through it” and get a job.
“His business is to pursue knowledge”If our job is to “pursue knowledge” then those who go to college for their parents or as a means to an end, the end being a job might want to reconsider their motive to attending. If a student does not want to be in an institution they are not going to pay attention, put time into studying or contribute to a class. They are going to take as many short cuts as they can and not work to the best of their ability. In my opinion, not everyone is cut out for college and I think that it is becoming me widely accepted that not everyone should attend college.
Since the real reason to attend college is to learn and gain knowledge then how much should grades matter? We say in theory that they do not matter because it’s the knowledge you that you carry with you the rest of your life. However, so much pressure is put on grades such as in testing, future jobs, and graduate schools. Does this seem hypocritical to anyone? I have mixed feelings about testing. I can see pro’s to it but I can also see many cons that can permanently hurt people with their future dreams. What do you think about testing?
I like what you said in your last paragraph. Its true about how if a student doesn't want to be there or be a part of an institution then they aren't going to pay attention or contribute. But I'm not sure I agree 100% with you that it is becoming more widely accepted not to come to college. In todays economy its is harder to find a job without going to college, so going to college is sort of a way for a student to ensure that they could have some sort of a better future.
ReplyDeleteI also agree on your view of testing - it seems hypocritical at times. I do understand why we have testing, but i don't think it is completely fair to judge the amount of knowledge a person has from a test.
Good comments - you are right, each student will have to go for what he sees he should do.
ReplyDeleteHowever, IF he does his best, even though he is not after grades, do you not think that he will have the best grades possible? As such he will satisfy both the learning and the educational objectives?
adriana
Adriana,
ReplyDeleteI think that if the student did their best and put the worry of grades aside then yes that student would get the best possible grade. The stress of taking tests quite often makes a persons final grades worse. People have test anxiety, perhaps they haven't figured out the best way for them to retain the information for the test etc.
The student would surely satisfy the learning objective if he soaked in as much as humanly possible. It is questionable about the educational objective though. Perhaps the student has higher grade standards for himself but his grades are not the best of the best but he learned as much as he could. I would say that is acceptable and a student should be happy with their grade because of their level or knowledge after the class is complete. This depends on who the student is though.