I Don’t Know And That’s Okay
An Education Philosophy Statement By Steven Coleman
When I think of what means to be educated I consider the differences between skill and knowledge. The greatest influence on the way I think about education has been my experience in the Farmington Public School, and the way skills and knowledge are emphasized in different ways. When looking up the definition of skill, it is described as the ability to do something well; the mastery of a given series of tasks. Being knowledgeable is defined by the retention of facts, which can be recalled at will. To be educated, it is my belief that one must be both skillful and knowledgeable: Knowledge being the retention of concrete facts, and skill being the ability complete tasks through the use of such knowledge. For what use is knowledge without the ability to readily apply it, and expand upon it?
In a way, it seems as though the countless hours that students spend studying Maths and Chemistry are meant more to strengthen their ability to solve problems than they are about the actual facts around which the questions are based. While there are definitely going to be students with a clear passion for science and mathematics, the majority of the student body will not retain a significant portion of information beyond their high school career, and into their legal adult life. The thinking skills, however, will be ingrained in the students’ minds simply from their practice of it and not have to be recalled from rote memorization, considering of course that they had put in sufficient effort to practice them. It is my belief that the main reason such classes are mandatory in public school is because the thinking skills needed to solve science and math problems are also needed to foster an intelligent and productive citizenry. Having a population that has proven their ability to exercise logical and ethical reasoning leads to an inherently better society. However, it can be argued that the mastery of any subject requires a certain strength of character that is necessary to succeed in life. But because mathematics and sciences are virtually in continuous development, they also set the groundwork for students to continue to pursue greater knowledge and ways to benefit society as well as themselves. And because these subjects, in particular, give students the base knowledge to pursue financially successful, utilitarian careers, it’s a win-win.
On bringing up the concept of success, I must point out that this is another recurring theme I have noticed throughout my education, both in and out of school. Whether in clubs or in sports, the idea of success has virtually remained the same; yet somehow has also remained somewhat vague to me. Whenever the subject of success is brought up in a conversation with parents, teachers, or counselors, the talk of financial success clearly dominates. The idea seems to usually be that doing well in high school will lead to a good college which will lead to a good job which will lead to a good career which will lead to a good life… which to clarify is by no means a bad thing. The truth is that money truly does make the world go ‘round. But as most people know, money is not everything. Besides just doing well, I believe it is equally important to talk about doing good. When on the topic of success, it is my belief that the entire purpose of education is based on the utilitarian ideal of achieving the greatest good for the greatest number. To paraphrase what I said before, the main purpose of school is to give students the skills and knowledge needed to be intelligent and productive citizens. So in order to be truly educated, a person must have developed a capacity to benefit humanity as well as themselves.
If we move back to the topic of knowledge, I now recall a quote from Socrates: “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” I often come back to this quote because of the ways in which it can be interpreted. At the current moment, I interpret it as meaning that there is always more to learn, that the infinite expanse of worldly knowledge makes whatever we have learned thus far to remain comparatively insignificant to that which has yet to be discovered. Usually, I take this quote as a hyperbole because while everyone knows at least something about something, the truly stupid lot are the ones who outright refuse to expand their knowledge and develop their thinking due to their arrogant belief that they somehow know everything about everything there possibly is to know. Perhaps education is not just merely about how much we have learned, but rather how much we are willing to learn. To relate this back to the topic of education being defined by the development of skills and knowledge, in order to have the drive toward furthering their own education, students must have this sense of self-awareness.
The belief that education exists on a strictly linear path seems a lot less accurate if not downright fallacious. This may be why the more I seem to learn about something, the more work I see in front of me; for every one answer, there seem to be ten or more questions right behind it. But for those with a natural curiosity and a passion for figuring things out, this challenge is not a hindrance. It may even be the source of motivation needed to push them even further. So to more holistically evaluate the quality and extent of one’s education would be to find a reasonable balance between how much someone has learned thus far as well and how willing they are to learn more.
In the previous paragraphs, I stated that that the main purpose of education is for people to develop the capacity to maximize their positive contribution to humanity. From gaining the ability to benefit the world derives the individual satisfaction of knowledge and skill. In order to have a society built on progress and innovation, people can never stop having this drive toward the advancement of their own learning, which would explain why professions based in science and mathematics are generally more stable due to their continuous advancement and effect on human life. Even if a person pursues education for entirely selfish motives, society would never tolerate their use of power were they not to have at least some sort of positive effect on the world. And it is my personal belief that no one is ever truly a villain in their own mind. To sum up this education philosophy statement in a single sentence, the purpose of education is based on the development and advancement of an intelligent and productive citizenry, motivated by their potential to ensure the pinnacle of civilization to those in the future, and by consequence themselves. But then again, what do I know?
