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What was my reason to go to college? Frankly, at the time of the entrance exams I did not think much about the reasons, but I knew I had to do it. I knew that all of my friends were going to go, and I did not want to be singled out or lag back behind them. Also, my parents, from point zero were determined that I am going to have a college education. It seemed that I did not have much choice back then. Not long ago, now in college, I have had a revelation about life in general and the part that college education plays in ones life.
I have found a reason that I had followed unconsciously all this time to continue my education. The main reason was this: I wanted to establish myself among my peers in this world, find my niche, and come out of college at the top (or near so) of the social ladder. After some hands-on practice in the job market, I realized that it is not enough to prove you have the education and skills to do the job, the important thing to realize is that it is, first of all, important to fit the job. That means being on the same terms with the boss, first of all, and other people in power to affect my career. One has to have the same background and values, as well as vocabulary if he / she wants to fit with those on the top of the status meter.
These values and vocabulary for this group are taught through the canonical or the Great Books approach to teaching. Despite the modern liberalization of education all over in the United States, the overwhelming majority of those in power had a formal education to a large extent. By formal I mean studying the canon as opposed to skill training. These people read Plato, they know Kant's three categorical imperatives, and they value Shakespeare's plays more than John Grishams novels. Regardless of the initial reasons and the debatable intrinsic value of these works, the reality is that most of the notable congressman, religious, political, and business leaders either studied in private high schools or have an ivy-league college education. If I aspire to among those mentioned, I should better start speaking the same language.
As Mike Rose writes in his Lives on the Boundary "There is much talk these days about the value of a classical humanistic education, a call for an immersion in the humanities, a return to great books. These appeals raise lots of suspicions, for such curricula have traditionally served to exclude working-class people from the classroom. It doesn't, of necessity, have to be that way. Why no one told me this years ago? To be honest with myself, reading Shakespeare was never quite fun for me. The language is hard, the story is nothing compared to the twisted plots of contemporary suspense or science fiction novels.
Without the proper introduction and understanding the cultural, historical, political, economical, and social backgrounds to Shakespeare's work, as well as for the works of any other author, reading is for the large part, meaningless. On this I fully agree with Mike Rose who argues that the canon is important to study, but it should be presented in the appropriate way for an audience to understand. Have you seen the movie the Renaissance Man? Thats what I have and Mike, if I understood him correctly, have in mind. Mere instructions and a race for grades never solves any of the problems, according to the book.
In fact, it is more often a turn-off from studying than an encouragement. The student teacher relationship is especially important when teaching humanities. Unlike mathematics, humanities shape the students worldview and, undeniably, the teacher transposes his worldview through the presentation of the course material on the students. In Lives on the Boundary, Mike Rose talks about the benefits of student teacher relationships when trying to teach a difficult and cold curriculum, taking into consideration that the canonical works belong to this category for many. Devising professional and non-biased presentation methods would greatly improve the level of interest in the classical literature. The rewards of developing good relationships between students and teachers, and devising flexible approaches to presentation of the classical literary works are unimaginable.
It is in the power of the teachers, undoubtedly, to lead students through this curriculum, and they need to make the most out of this opportunity. Works Cited Rose, Mike. Lives on the Boundary. The Presence of Others: Voices and Images that Call for Response.
St. Martins. New York: 2000.
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