The Power of Education

Lorena and Myles are both strong-willed individuals who want to see change happen and are eager to be involved in making that change occur. Lorena comes from an underprivileged, minority background and has had to make a life of her own, on her own. She is set on finishing school, because after all, she believes knowledge is one of the most powerful things one can arm themselves with. For Lorena, she believes her job as a human being is to do whatever she can to help those in need or without a voice, especially the farm laborers who, as she has seen and experienced, are treated very poorly and for many, are dehumanized and reduced to animals, “If you put any kind of animal in that type of dwelling, there would be riots,” (194). Because her family, her parents specifically, worked as farm laborers to help support her and her siblings’ future, she feels that it is now her job and opportunity to give back to them and others who live that lifestyle. She says, “I’ve always reminded myself that the only reason why I’m in school and have a job is because my parents did backbreaking labor so that I could go to school. I’ve always felt that I need to give back to those people, because those laborers out there in the fields are like my parents,” (190). This is what she feels her job or purpose as a human being is, and from where she comes from, it hasn’t been an easy journey for her. But in the end she figures out how to make it work. Because of the heritage she has and where she is from, she experienced a lot of the social issues that can unfortunately often revolve around this community of people. The social issues she targets in her work revolve around minorities in society and the unfair treatment of them. She engages herself with these topics because they are so relevant to her and her family and how she grew up. Now that she is becoming educated and has a bit more of a platform, she wants to utilize it in the most powerful way she can to benefit others. These issues are so important to her and because of the opportunities she has been given to take a stand on these issues in the US, she has actually shifted the way she identifies. Towards the end of the interview she states, “It’s really hard for me to keep my identity of being Mexican. I’m very proud of being Mexican, but being Mexican now is almost taboo… I really don’t know what to call myself now. I’m Mexican… Or, I guess I’m Mexican-American,” (198–199). Most of the change she was able to make was because of her parents’ decision to find a better life and opportunity in America, so she finds herself deeply attached and thankful for what America has brought her in her life. All of the work she has done thus far has given her life a lot more meaning and she knows that with the hard work she puts forth everyday she can make a difference in the world and for her family.

Myles Horton finds himself caught up in a different dilemma. His work revolves around education and his thoughts on the educative process. He says, “My job is to try to provide opportunities for people to grow, to provide a climate which nurtures islands of decency, where people can learn in such a way that they continue to grow,” (133). So, through reading this I found to believe that his job as a human being is to help alter the way we approach education and learning. He strongly asserts that, “The educative process must be organic and not an assortment of unrelated methods and ideas,” (130). He talks about how the education problems he sees don’t just come down to the students and young individuals who are currently in school but it branches out widely to affect people socially and politically. He speaks further to note that ultimately, where there is a lack of education, this can prevent voices from being heard and decisions from being made. He discusses the issue of the way many education systems do not properly address the way every individual learns differently and that a big factor in learning is also experiencing, “since we learn to do by doing, we learn to make decisions by making decisions,” (142). A major part of what he had to say was about the importance of making decisions and how a lot of people do not make decisions either simply because they can’t or they don’t know how. He helped create a program called Highlander, which helps foster individuals who are older and less educated, in fields where education is especially needed to ensure their rights are being protected and their voices are being heard. Highlander relates to the individual and first learns from them to better develop a way to teach them, and again one of the most prominent features of this program is experience. They create situations where they have to apply themselves and actively make decisions. The work Myles does relates to his identity as a teacher and educator because he wants to, from what I took from this reading, encourage education systems to shift the way they teach to better suit the student so the student can more effectively learn the subject and be able to apply it in a practical way. This gives him a sense of meaning because it allows him to reach a broad range of individuals and help them have their voice heard and help them practice techniques for them to better their lives in the environment they live and work in.

I believe there is a huge connection between education and taking a stance for the benefit of others, especially in our nation right now. Back home, teachers in the Los Angeles school district have been going on strike in an effort to get better payment and smaller class sizes which ultimately would be beneficial to all the teachers and the students as well. I think there is constantly an ongoing sense of “taking a stance” when it comes to education and speaking up for what we believe is right and what we believe are necessities as we further our education. Even currently, within my program, my peers are always sure to use their voices if something isn’t right or they believe something is missing. Because education is such a crucial element of our upbringing, development, and growth as human beings, it is essential that we continue to stand up against inequalities, any level of discrimination, and injustices that we experience, to ensure that we are receiving education that will serve us well in the future.

Extra Credit:

The robot experiences many struggles, especially revolving around his identity and the ethical choice of taking on his new job. There is an obvious disconnect between robots and humans that Miles explains saying things like, “they don’t know what I like,” and “I can only say three things out loud,” and would talk about things he is “supposed to be/do.” These statements were subtle but set a very depressing tone, especially now that this robot is personified and is speaking to us like he is human and has feelings just like we do. The main ethical dilemma I found he encountered was when he got assigned a new job/function. He liked his old job because it didn’t involve hurting anyone, so it was difficult for him to comprehend the idea of his new job, but he ultimately had to take it on anyway, because you have no choice when you’re a robot. I feel this speaks to larger social/ethical issues in society because it can relate to the way many of us may feel in our day to day lives. Maybe we are forced to do something or be a part of something we don’t necessarily enjoy or agree with, yet we have to do it either because society tells us to or because we need to in order to survive. This can further branch out into relating to different cultures, or minorities being pushed around by society and how things are “supposed to be.” I think it can be difficult for many to balance the idea of not having a choice to do something and being faced with the ethicality of it. Through his story, he reveals a truth about humans when he talks about how he would see “you had one job” written on things that weren’t done correctly. He didn’t find it to be funny, and instead took offense to it. I think this part of the story reveals how humans can be blatantly rude and not know how it affects others. I think especially in society it may seem okay to do or say such things because it is “supposed to be” funny but it ultimately speaks to the nature of human beings and how often humans lack consideration for others.