I read an article about a community college that is thinking about starting a program for students that are undereducated and not ready for college but still want to attend college. They plan to use non-conventional teaching methods like gaming technology or simulations and it would be for people who have a middle school or low high school skill level/education. I am not necessarily against the program, as I believe that all people should have a chance to be educated and succeed. I do, however, have a problem with what the director of this program said. He said, "Our real goal isn't for us to get them educated. It's to get them employable." Going to a liberal arts school, I was taught about the liberal vs. the servile arts and how education should be for its own sake and not necessarily for the sole purpose of getting a job after four years. I believe in a balance of both. It is important to be an educated human being and learn how to think, contemplate, and discern the good, the true, and the beautiful. But, most people don't get paid to sit around and read and contemplate all day, so it is also important to get a job and work, hopefully in something that you enjoy and that elevates and edifies you as a person. It is important to have both aspects to an education, and that is why it disturbed me when I read the above statement. If a program is only caring about the servile arts and how to get someone a job, then they are leaving out a very important aspect of life and humanity: the ability to think, reason, and contemplate. Not everyone enjoys reading great literature or learning about important persons and events from the past or the underlying ideas in our society, culture, and heritage, but I believe that these things are essential for a person to know to be a good citizen. To be a good citizen, one must make informed and good decisions personally as well as collectively. And to make those decisions, a person must be well educated. If a school only seeks to teach a skill so students can get a job, then they are neglecting the soul and "inner self" of those students. I believe, however, that a modern secular education, even if it is a liberal arts education, does neglect the soul and "inner self" of the students because it does not provide them with a source of morality and truth.
It has gotten very November. Rain. Snowy rain. Complete cloud cover. November is my least favorite month. Fall is over but winter has yet to begin.
2 comments:
I think it is important to remember, however, that the liberal arts were originally meant for people who didn't have to work. Let's face it, some people aren't going to be motivated to learn for it's own sake, and they could care less what they do in school...their goal is to get a job. I think this com. college program, while not for me, will be beneficial to people such as these.
Reminds me of when we discussed Idea of a University with Dr. Cuneo....
I'm most concerned that the program won't really help people get employable skills. Let's face it: most employers want to see that you have a GED. If this doesn't help them reach that end, then it's not a useful program.
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