Expectations v. Possibility

This country was founded upon ideas of equality in opportunity.  Britain was filled to capacity, estates had been built and roles were defined.  The estate system created social class, little-to-no social mobility and options were limited.  As an idealist nation, we believe in the power of all of these things. We worship our Rockefellers --- the american dream.  Being innovative, shaping a country, and pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps.

Yet, here we stand, almost 300 years later and we seem to be struggling with the same class mobility that sparked revolution. Our Rockefellers are now the "Dan Gliberts" of the world but has Dan made his money with innovative ideas? Surely not! He makes his money by advantage of others --- just examine the business tactics of Quicken Loans.  Then he builds a casino in Cleveland to fill his own pockets.  Taking the few dollars of others has added up to millions for him.  And we cherish him for it. Is THIS the american dream? Efficient theft?

Class revolution has been sparked, but the fire won't light. Why has revolution become a term to roll your eyes at? Why has dramatic change become a cursed word? "Oh, there he goes again, talking about revolution --- it's an impossibility and conversation for the fictional novel.  The world will always spin in the same direction, the human race will always categorize itself." This is a false ideal, in fact, it is not an 'ideal' at all.  It is appeasement for an accepting world. 

We went from a country determined to make our own way, to one which fights the system until we are jaded enough to accept our respect places, to follow the script written for us.  George W. Bush's quote to a school of Mexican-American students while on the campaign trail, "we need people to build our buildings....people who do the hard physical work of our society," (Educational Foundations, 60) seems to imply that they, the students, need to accept their position in life as the manuel labor force.  Not the thinkers. Not the innovators --- not, in fact, the American dream at all.  

And things are not terribly better than the past, we are a country that demands the proper ideals but looks out only for ourselves. And what choice are we given? As the upper class continues to get richer, the middle class holds onto their pennies to fend of demotion.  

You won't find quotes to back up these claims, but read between the lines. Our world has evolved, politically correct politicians and business men have change the way things are said --- but the underlying implications are still there. The roles of men, women, african americans, hispanics (and many others) are still there.  We cannot simply ignore these issues.  By ignoring them, we are accepting them as fact, and as the rules by which our world works. 

If we continue to label those who attempt to change the world to make it more enjoyable for all human beings as 'liberal revolutionaries' we are doomed to squander our work, time and love to the depths of the deepest seas.  It is not being written, it is not being shared, it is not being considered.  

We are fed what to think and feel by news networks with financial stakes in the outcome. I'm not offering a solution, simply a response to the noise. 

Writing Circle #1, A Reflection

Our writing circle offered a variety of points worth the emphasis of written reflection.  I have yet to find a true direction for my research report, but I do find myself getting a wholeistic view of some major topics.

Let me begin by organizing my thoughts: The organization of education in the United States has been a large and arduous task. Early conversations about the "Common School" go much further than the implications of educating our county's adolescent population.  Issues of: child labor laws, class mobility, patriotism, and generally, a national identity, seemed to play major roles.  Education may have simply been the battle ground for these conversations. Regardless of the missing context we sincerely lack, the ultimate question seems to have to parts: (1) Were do we fit in the history of education? (2) how much control do we have to change the educational system?

Conversation on these topics have been drawn out, fitted and, at times, it feels as though I have a nice base to build my educational experience.

Quick-conversation topic: the growth of private and public schools in this country as a parallel educational experience.  My initial belief about the difference between the two types of schooling was based upon a lack of knowledge, little-to-zero experience, and generalities.  Our group conversation considering the rise of both, and the implications behind the difference in education, offered insight and has gotten the ball rolling for me about this issue.  I am interested in possibly pursuing this topic as a research paper. I'd like to discuss this more in class. 

Are We No Greater Than the Noise We Make?

Edwin Arlington Robinson's 1916 poem, "The Man Against the Sky," paints a portrait of utter illumination. Robinson speaks of man standing at the top of a hill perfectly elucidated by the sunset, starring into a distant 'light' attempt to grasp understanding from the "chaos and the glare" which surrounds him.  Essentially, the poem walks a journey questioning the reasons by which everyman chooses to live their life, the validity of those reasons, and if those reasons are of any value when earthy death claims our bodies to the soil, and our spirits to the unknown.

His poem cruxes upon the question, and the title of this post, "Are we no greater than the noise we make?" Man can create the fastest processors and build the tallest buildings which stand to assert the dominating ability of the human race!  A statue to our own ability.  Yet --- we will all die. Of course, generations will go on, if only in a futile effort to continue the race of men, but eventually the earth will come to close to the sun, or a natural disaster will strike us down. Eventually, the human race will perish.

So, what then, is the purpose of life? Are we only as good as how fast we can create? How much we can ignore that doomed end? How large we can build? We get so caught up in the precision of our own mansions manifesting into the claim "I EXIST!" Perhaps then, we are only as good as those how loud we can scream.

In The Green Monogahela, an essay by John Taylor Gatto [which can be found in Educational Foundations], the author makes note of the Difference between the paddle boats on the river that kept him, as a boy, in a perpetual state of aw "and the truly boring spacecraft of the past few decades, just flying junk without a purpose a boy can believe join," (9). Gatto pleads with his audience, "you can see the difference, can't you?"

While a boat travels the current of the river, always leading, eventually, out to the great ocean, an airplanes wishes to bypass the natural fabric of life --- speed. progress. efficiency. The human race serves a far greater purpose than these keywords seem to indicate. We are far greater than that noise.

Education, as a rule, is not meant to help the human race further itself from one goal to the next, it is instead meant to help those understand what is important, and to not get caught up in the noise, because there is a lot of it, and it is loud.  The foundation of the education I pursue, is one that will helps me, when I am standing against the sky facing my earthy passing, understand and accept my purpose was not simply to make more noise, and find validity in that concept.

WebLog 1: CLASS SURVEY

WebLog 1: CLASS SURVEY
Personal information
1. Shawn Zetzer, Mayfield, OH, szetzer15@jcu.edu
2. Shawn
3. AYA Language Arts (7-12 English)
4. Running, traveling and a great deal of bumper stickers.

Learning Style and more:
5. A fair and complete understanding of our classroom goals our discussions.
6. I consider myself exceedingly active in the classroom, and a student who aspires to always be prepared.
   I prefer for the classroom to be open and discussion based. Although some days we, in frustration, may circle the room, eventually we will find the door we which to open. 
   When I cannot understand a topic or idea I usually spent more time listening, hoping to grab onto the topic from a perspectiveI do understand.
7. N/A

Education Past and Present
8. Spending a semester studying Medivial literature.  I was astounded and its profoudn reliatability to our life experiences. Good teachers point these things out.
9. The balance between a safe and structured classroom enviornment and one that promotes freethinking.
10. (1) We must always be active in class, with one another and with the readings (2) If we are forced to go through the readings in course, we will never have the opportunity to jump into what they mean, therefore we must always be prepared (3) The conversation leader should have a clear and leading understanding of where the discussion should go, before letting it go and flow into what it may become. (4) We should avoid speaking at one another, rather, we should speak to one another in order to create.


About Dr. Shutkin:
11. If you were to ask a few questions we should be able to 'wrap our heads around' after this course: what would they be?