Partners in Learning

Few would argue against the statement that America’s educational institutions are in a sorry state. In his essay “The High Cost of Ignorance,” William F. Buckley claims that “the American education establishment is bankrupt” (The San Diego Union, 25 April 1987, B–15). Mr. Buckley does not assign blame for the fiasco, but does close his essay asking teachers to “tell us what they propose to do about it.” In order to find solutions, though, one must identify causes. Furthermore, an analysis of the forces behind the decline in educational efficacy can also help reveal the terrible consequences of that decline. Yet, those who seek a singular cause for our educational malaise are likely to become frustrated, for education is a collection of partnerships. Without cooperation among educators, students, students’ parents, and society, efforts to educate are bound to fail.

One of the most visible partnerships in the educational process is that between teacher and student. Yet, even this most apparent relationship is often misunderstood. Mr. Buckley, in reference to the failure of students to appreciate the need for education, states “Still, the teachers are there to teach, and of course the difficulty in answering the question [about the value of education] is a part of that ignorance the teachers have not succeeded in coping with.” The attitude that the blame for a failure to educate necessarily rests with teachers or the educational institutions they represent ignores fully half of the problem: students participate in the educational process as well. In a partnership, both parties are expected to contribute more or less equally toward the achievement of the desired goal. If students do little more than sit in their state–funded seats, waiting for wisdom and knowledge to be bestowed upon them by some cosmic god of education who can drop the scales from their eyes with a wave of his mighty chalk, their experience with education will, in all likelihood, be less than enlightening.

The family can nurture inquisitiveness and zeal, but eventually the student must see a practical reality to a continued education. Here society forms an alliance with the student it is educating: diligent studies will produce an individual capable of effectively contributing to society; society must make sure that that individual can expect a reward for such a contribution. Societies where individuals are not recognized for their efforts and contributions — “from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs” — fail to hold up their end of the student/society partnership, and both students and society suffer as a result.

There are other partnerships in education: in exchange for funding, institutions are expected to turn out graduates who meet the needs of society. At early levels, parents are expected to work with institutions to enhance the opportunities available to the student. Should one or two of these relationships fail, strength in the others can compensate. When weakness pervades much of the system, however, we have begun a downward spiral toward ignorance: as the educational system breaks down, so will the relationships between students and their society, institutions and their students, students and parents, all contributing to further erosion in the quality of learning.

Where can students find the desire to learn and the motivation to seek out their own education? Punishment and reward systems (grades) can provide some incentive to learn, but the real quest for knowledge must come from within. Ideally, that drive is the result of the first partnership students encounter in the educational process: the student/parent partnership. It is this early relationship which can prepare a child to take full advantage of whatever resources and opportunities present themselves. For example, I was able to glean a relatively useful education from a nightmarish secondary school system that featured illiterate track coaches for math and history teachers, ancient textbooks, and a budget that allocated more money for fences than for libraries. I was motivated to succeed because my family taught me early the joys of reading and learning, and the wonder and richness of the worlds found in books. In the absence of a suitable family environment, a particularly proficient educator or friend can sometimes supply the missing insight, though the process becomes tougher with time and distance. And the partnership works both ways: to the family that bestows the magic of curiosity and diligent thought upon its children go the rewards of seeing those children mature into wisdom.

By examining the causes behind the poor performance of American educational establishments, we begin to see the consequences as well. The learning process is a two–way street: if we fail to educate our young, they will fail us. If we fail to learn, we will lose the ability to teach. As each of the educational partnerships begins to break down, the resulting erosion of the whole educational process will make those partnerships even more difficult to establish in the future. Mankind has dragged itself up from the muck of ignorance by its own boot laces, but those laces will not hold if we allow the rot of indifference to invade them.

-- RonRisley - 16 May 1989