John Dewey: A Failure Of Democracy

Superior Essays
It was a year ago that I was first hit with the utterly shocking realization that I was on the brink of adulthood, with no conceivable plan for the navigation of such. I was driving my car alarmingly fast down an empty country road when my back tires hit a remarkably slick patch of ice, and proceeded to spin quickly into a ditch. Sitting in the ditch gifted me a peaceful time of contemplation, allowing me to come to the realization that I had absolutely no clue how to get myself out of the dilemma. Reversing wouldn’t work, driving forward wouldn’t work, and my door was pinned shut by a tree I had side-swiped on my way down. Two years behind the wheel had taught me the basics of the road; I knew what different sign colors and shapes meant, the …show more content…
Schools undeniably lacking in the formation of “a course of study of criteria which are broadly human” hinder the functioning of democracy as a whole, being an institution “peculiarly dependent for its maintenance” on the study of such. Heavy emphasis on core classes, such as the expectations found in our own high school, serve as prime examples of this. Students are quick to experience this educational burnout, as the repetitive memorization of seemingly useless facts dully fills their days. It’s a basic psychological concept, the introduction of unnecessary incentive strips from the individual the self-motivation to complete the task unrecognized. In addition classes fail to acknowledge and teach upon “problems [which] are relevant to the problems of living together”, leading to students, like myself, who will leave high school feeling as if they’ve simultaneously learned everything and nothing. In this regard, to what means do we rectify this injustice? Dewey and Emerson argue that the upheaval and reorganization of this systems is the method needed for reformation, if we are certain of our determination to maintain the functioning of our democratic society. Prose calls for a return to classical studies, while focusing less on the burdens of political correctness. And while these all present valid plans for educational improvement, they fail to account for the core driving force behind human innovation, the source of creativity in its

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