This quote from Lyotard stood out the most to my group: “The transmission of knowledge is no longer designed to train an elite capable of guiding the nation toward its emancipation, but to supply the system with players capable of acceptably fulfilling their roles at the pragmatic posts required by its institutions” (48). Basically this means that now college is viewed as the “next step” or “what’s expected”; whereas, college used to be beyond the norm—it was where the thinkers went to learn and grow and emerge to make a difference in the world. Now it has become a sort of trade school- you go, get a degree to do a job instead of going to learn. Yes, you do have to learn to get a degree, but it’s a specialized program—linear thinking instead of deep thinking. Instead of reaching up for ideas and hazy dreams that just might change the world, the focus is more on reaching out and grasping physical skills that have already been proven over time to get the job done. I think that’s why I enjoy Honors so much… it’s not part of my degree. I could take regular English and meet the requirement, but the challenge of Honors allows me to reach up, to dream, and to discover things that I never would’ve seen if I only focused on nursing and learning those skills to do a job. I’m learning that college is about so much more than getting a degree to do a job… it is about life and the pursuit of truth. Thank you to my Honors family and my professors for this wonderful year… I have learned so much and grown as a person. I cannot wait to continue this search for truth with you all next year, thank you for electing me to serve as part of your Council. Keep searching for truth, my friends!
Tantum e tenebris receptum constabit
P.S. Commented on Rachel’s “Nursing Major Nerdiness”
Wow. I just wrote my blog post and was looking for someone else's to comment on and found this. Our posts are extremely similar...haha... We discussed the same idea, therefore I say that I agree with pretty much everything you said... :)
ReplyDeleteIn Brit Lit we read some Dorothy Sayers and how she looks at education and I feel like it sort of fits into this. Even in elementary-high school students are being taught to just memorize instead of actually learining. It drives me crazy because the students are prepared for their standardized testing but they aren't being given tools in which what they're being taught can be applied to their actual lives. It's interesting to me just because the education system seems to be so flawed in that. Not only are colleges teaching subjects for the sake of subjects but it's the entire education system.., I hope this makes sense. I took my first EDU class and all this has me thinking about No Child Left Behind and it gets me heated to the point I can't form complete thoughts at times.
ReplyDeleteHere Here to nursing majors in honors english (:
ReplyDeleteI have to say I am so thankful I chose to step out of my comfort zone with this class!
When Cond.Rice came to speak she talked about pursing things that you aren't the best at so that you can learn. And I have to say I think I have the most fun and learn the most from the things I suck at-
OH and Lyotard- He said some cool stuff too (:
ReplyDeleteTrue Story! I am typing this comment blindly because blogspot will not let me see what I'm typing. So, the first line of this comment might be funny if legible. My apologies. It's blogspot's fault. Anyways, as I was saying, your blog is so right. Knowledge now has become so practical that one could argue it is not education. You go to college to learn skills not how to live. Education teaches a person to think for himself and I’m afraid our education system is lacking in this area.
ReplyDeleteSo what you are really saying is that graduate school is the place of true learning now? Kidding, but I don't think the problem is colleg itself. The problem is what we have done with the system, what we have allowed it to become. Perhaps we have not demanded enough of the system.
ReplyDeletecollege*
ReplyDelete