What True Education Should Do

Shawn Frasier
Thursday March 8,2009
Professor Kolkmeyer ENG 91

In the Article “What True Education Should Do” by Sydney J Harris talks about what is education means to others. An average of people thinks that education is a moving sausage casing that the teacher must use to stuff into the student brain. But many people such as Socrates in the article disagree with the stuffing facts into a person, on the other hand rather draw out the skill from the student. Harris thinks that the teaching job is not to equip the students then close them up, but to help the students to unlocked the riches within. I agree with Sydney J. Harris’s article because I can relate two experience that I witness in my life. My first experience is how I improve in math when I enter New York school when I was in Saint Martin school I was failing my math class. My final experience is how I watch the children I tutor started to improve in subjects that I did not help them. When I was in Junior high school in Guadeloupe I did poorly in math. My math teacher was extremely strict, instead of helping students that were failing their math exams, including me, she would assign our seats in the back of the class. While the others that did very well, she would sit them in the front row seats. I really hated math and did not find any obligation to study for any of my exams because of the way my teacher was treating us. However, when I came to New York, I fell in love with math. I thought the English mathematic was very different from the French mathematic. It was clear to me and very easy to study. French mathematic did not have many possible ways to show me different and easy method on anything such as geometric, algebra, fractions. In contrast to English mathematic, there are many possible ways to search for an easy method on different mathematic topics. For example, in addition there are different ways you can find an answer quickly by using mental math, picture problem n etc…My first math class, I receive a ninety three and it remains the same average or lower until I graduated from High school. In the article, it talks about how Socrated took a slave boy without a day of school proves that the boy knew geometry. Also he said that “Because the principle and axioms of geometry already in his mind, waiting to be called out.” This quote means that the slave boy already had math knowledge in his mind and it was waiting to come out, to be free. I agree with this quote because in my own experience with math, many students from my old math class told me that I was smart in math, but I haven’t realizing that I the potential to succeed in math. But I realized it was true the day I achieve a ninety three average in my math class in New York. I love math because of that love, I begin to tutor children who have difficulty in that subject. I tutor five children, so far three out of those five passed the New York State math exam with a high grade. But I also witness that one of the children I tutor have a passion for reading. His teacher recommended that he should read nine grade books because the sixth grade books were not his level anymore. But what amazed the teacher, his family and I was that he was only in six grade and because of his remarkable skills, the teacher send a letter to inform his parents that he is a bright student and recommend that he should be placed in a principal class for gifted students. In the Article, a Harvard philosopher William Ernest Hocking says that “Look into your own selves and find the spark of truth that God has put into every heart and that only you can kindle to flame.” This quote means that we must search deep into our heart to find out what God has store in us that can make us succeed. I agree with this quote because I always encourage the children I tutor to always try to do their best in school. Also because I always encourage them, one of them search deep into his heart, find what he is capable, work hard and now he is in the top class in his school. Up to this day, that child has been an example to the others, so all of them are trying to do their best to achieve in school and trying to see beyond what they can do because they all want to succeed.

In conclusion, Education is the main important part in all of us. From a child to an adult, everyone wants to know what true education would and should do for us. No matter what, we should always strive for the best and never think that education is not the answer to a succeed life.