"Education is more than facts and skills it is a socializing experience that helps make the people who make society."

IRA SHOR 

EMPOWERING EDUCATION 

For my last blog entry on Shor I chose to do quotes. Shor made a lot of good points in his reading. That I think will help me in during my teaching career. Shor’s reading talked about how education is politics. Education is sometimes blinded by politics which is why a lot of students drop out of school and go in a different direction than education. Shor taught me something that I wished all my teachers did for me, especially in high school when I started getting stressed out. Shor said, “for an example it’s very important to start the school year with discussion of why we go to school.” If all my teachers did this and gave us all a good idea of why school is important, I am sure most of the students who dropped out wouldn’t have droped out. We are never taught why school is important, we are just taught how important it is to memories math equations and study our brains our of a history test. I had very few teachers who connected why it was important and how the topic we are learning will help us in our future. For an example, If I was taught more of why Columbus sailing to America was so important and will help in my future, I think my history classes would be more interesting. This also goes along with Shor’s comment about following a curriculum to engage students. “A curriculum that does not challenge the standard syllabus and conditions in society informs students the knowledge and the world are fixed and are fine the way they are, with no role for students to play in transforming them, and no need for change.” When a student doesn’t feel challenged or learning something that will help their future they will not be engaged in school.

“Politics reside not only in subject matter but in the discourse of the classroom in the way teachers and students speak to each other.” In the classroom there should be interaction not just the teacher preaching to the students. The students should have a say. The students should be interacting with the teacher and their peers. If the classroom is a place where just the teacher talks and doesn’t let the students share their ideas and thoughts, it is not an engaging environment, it’s a boring environment.

“Education is more than facts and skills it is a socializing experience that helps make the people who make society.” When I read this quote I totally agreed with Shor. School is not just a place where facts are supposed to be memorized. It’s a place where we grow and learn how to be in society. It’s a place where friendships are made, where friendships are broken, where we figure out ourselves, where drama takes place, and most importantly where we decide if we want to continue with school or go a different direction. When I graduated last year I looked back at my 12 years in school. I learned a lot about myself. I learned what I wanted to do with my life. I learned who my real friends are. I learned how to have trust for someone or something. I learned everything that made me the person I am today. I believe that education is a socializing experience that helps us make society the way it is for our future.

Check out this website on how socializing being taught in school has it's pros and cons.

http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/school-impacts-childs-socialization-16255.html