Recently, as some of you may know, I have taken to re-reading my old college textbooks. I have been revisiting my last formal education. The last doctrine of the educational world that I had to read, study and basically, accept as fact. I was tested on all of this information. I was still unfocused as a student, at the time that I took the class I will be referencing in this blog: Sociology.
It was an introductory class, and I believed, at that time, that being a sociologist or a psychologist, or at least having familiarity with the topics, would help me in life. I have always loved people, so I knew that I would be dealing in some sort of a people profession. I had even taken sociology in high school. Looking back, I probably took this course believing that I would enjoy it as much as I had my high school sociology course.
As I have been re-reading this rather dry text book, I became fascinated with the sections on American Schools. Of course this textbook was printed in 1977, thirty years ago this year. It is a totally secular viewpoint, as all educational materials were by 1977, but with all that is going on in our American schools today: Columbine, VA Tech, etc., I thought a blast from the past might really open our eyes to how far we have fallen from grace, in our American Schools today.
Something is very wrong. We are failing our children folks. What is different today, from 30 years ago? Could it be something that happened about 40 years ago?
This exerpt is taken from Sociology, An Introduction; by Reece McGee (Editor) and Contributing Authors in chapter order; copyright 1977 by The Dryden Press, a division of Holt, Rinehart and Winston; Chapter 13, EDUCATION, p. 407-408.
The Function of American Schools
Like all formal educational systems, American schools perform the general functions we have described above (refers to section on Social Mobility). In addition, schools in the United States reflect the social, political, and economic forces characterristic of American society and culture. In the remainder of the chapter, we will consider the way in which American schools have been affected by and, in turn, have helped shape their society.
The character of the modern school in the United States has been molded primarily by a combination of the waves of immigrants that swept into the country during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; by the demands of constitutional government; and except during sporadic economic downturns, by a shortage of certain vocational skills that persisted up to the 1960's. Responding to these conditions, the schools concentrated on three functions: Americanization of all students, providing "equal opportunity, " and supplying vocational training. These three factors influended the kind of socialization that still occurs in many american schools, socialization emphasizing good citizenship, practical or useful education, and the traditional American values of success, competetion, hard work, deferred pleasure, and sexual modesty.
-end of exerpt-
The italics are from the text itself. The bold printed areas are things I, personally, want to call your attention to, as food for thought. These school violence episodes are clearly reflecting back to us, the deterioration of our values, our mores, and our spiritual bankruptcy. I am very concerned. Are you?
truthsayer
copyright 4/20/07 by Truthsayer
