Interview Transcript

Julia Foote
Education & its Discontents
Interview Transcript

Interviewer: Julia Foote (JF)
Interviewee: Dr. Andre Foote (AF)
Interview Setting: The interview was conducted via Skype on Saturday, September 27, 2014 at 1:30PM.
Affiliation with Interviewee: Father

JF: Could you describe your education?
AF: I was educated up to professional school at Howard University, Washington D.C., where I attained a doctor of dental surgery degree (DDS) in 1987. Three years after graduation I pursued an MBA at Nova University, Florida. Prior to all of this, I attended a public boarding school in Jamaica.

JF: What did you expect from your education?
AF: I expected that my education would allow me to be gainfully employed with a great degree of independence.

JF: What is one thing you would change about your education and why?
AF: I only did two and a half years of undergraduate school in order to complete my basic science requirements for Dental School so I took 19 credits per semester. I wish I had taken my time, done less credits per semester and had majored in Philosophy versus Zoology as my undergraduate major – I was so focused on the end result, that I didn’t pursue subjects that would round me out as a person but rather stayed within the sciences.

JF: You said that you attended Howard University, could you describe your experience at an HBCU1?
AF: Coming from Jamaica in 1983, I had only ever heard of Howard because it is an HBCU so I attended there by chance. However, because it is an HBCU, I found the environment to be very much like that of my home and so I easily adapted. In other words, for me, the HBCU was very conducive to my learning.

JF: What were your favorite and least favorite qualities of your education?
AF: My favorite quality of my education was that it allowed me to be an independent professional. My least favorite quality would have to be the fact that as an undergraduate student, I was too focused on the sciences and so completely ignored the arts and humanities.

JF: Was there an aspect of your education that you found particularly enlightening?
AF: Yes, the courses I did in Philosophy.

JF: Could you elaborate on that point please?
AF: I took Intro to Philosophy, Metaphysics and Afro-Caribbean Philosophy – I found that my mind was opened to the basic tenets of reasoning and if I were not a dentist, I probably would be a philosopher. However, at the time, my goal was to be financially independent so this was rather impractical for me.

JF: Speaking of your goal, what do you believe are the overarching goals of education?
AF: The goals of education should be to prepare individuals to take their rightful place in society, foster independence of thought and make the world a better place.

JF: Do you believe that everyone ought to receive an education?
AF: Yes, everyone should go to school to learn to cope in a complex world and to add value to their lives.

JF: How did you choose your path after high school?
AF: I was science oriented in high school and wanted to become a professional to direct my own path, however, I did not want to be burdened by the responsibilities of medicine and so I chose dentistry.

JF: Was alternative education such as the arts available to you?
AF: Yes but I was not inspired by my teachers of the arts in my formative years and hence, sadly, had no interest.

JF: With that in mind, could you describe your favorite teacher?
AF: My favorite teacher was one of my professors in dental school; I felt a ‘connection’ to his personality and so enjoyed conversing with him about matters not necessarily related to his course – this in turn, increased my appreciation for the course.

JF: What was the importance of education on your life priorities? Where did education fall in your overall life plan?
AF: Education was my single most important life priority. I desired to be educated so as to become independent, which resulted in me becoming a medical professional. You could say that education was my life plan.

JF: With that in mind, if given a choice, would you guarantee your child an education or a job?
AF: I would guarantee my child an education, as it would provide them with the necessary skill of perseverance in study, which would also round out their character – this would allow them to (hopefully) have the means and tact to seek out or give themselves a job.

JF: As education was your most important priority, what role would you say that grades played in your motivation to learn?
AF: Grades were the most important motivational factor as the better grades I got, the better I felt about myself which increased my liking for the subject.

JF: What else would you say motivated you?
AF: The fear of failure; becoming an independent (by means of education) was my life plan – I had no other choice but to succeed.

JF: What are your views on the idea that the education system simply fosters academia rather than the entire individual?
AF: I am of the view that the education system first and foremost develops the individual and, in so doing, benefits the society. The notion that the education system simply fosters academia is true only to a very small minority of persons; however, academia is a necessity in education as it promotes research, development and new ways of thinking, which continuously improve upon our society.
JF: What was one thing you have learnt that school could never have taught you?
AF: As I said before, I had never taken the time out during my time in school so I would have to say that it never taught me how to be still and reflect/ live in the moment.

JF: Do you believe that education is more liberating or a means to an end?
AF: For me, education was a means to an end as it determined my career path – however, as I stated before, I wish that I had taken the time out during my education so as to fully immerse myself in all the disciplines made available to me. I wish I had seen my education as more liberating during my time in college.

JF: What is one thing you believe that everyone should learn? Why?
AF: I believe that everyone ought to learn Sociology so as to have a greater understanding and tolerance of different cultures resulting in more cooperation between nations and less conflict. A lot of the conflicts in the world today are as a result of ignorance of others’ cultures, norms and values. I believe that the educated should make every effort to bridge this cultural divide – this is only just my opinion though.

JF: Thanks so much for your time.
AF: You’re welcome.