In 1932, social activist and educator Dr. George S. Counts wrote a series of three pamphlets on the state of education and would significantly change the perceived roles of the teacher within this realm. The most notable of these pamphlets was titled "Dare the School Build a New Social Order?" and was given as a challenging speech to the Progressive Education Association in Baltimore.
His message is simple: Dr. Counts wanted teachers to lead society instead of following society. He wanted schools to become a place of community development instead of a place of community coercion. In turn, schools would become places that fostered an environment for children and youth to become leaders in their own right-- informed, educated, and confident members of society, ready to take on and participate in a true democracy (maybe even a government based on the principals of Democratic Socialism? *GASP*).
Counts even goes as far to suggest that teachers should not only be concerned with school matters but also political, economic, and moral matters. The latter is certainly a questionable point, but for the sake of brevity I would like to believe that in today's time it would mean to promote true multiculturalism, respect, and tolerance for those of different races, ethnicities, genders, sexual/gender orientations, classes, etc.
Counts believed that Americans schools specifically needed to pay close attention to the struggles of progressive forces such as labor unions, farmers' organizations, and minority groups which were extremely active in protest during this time. Teachers and schools could be at the forefront of joining groups that wanted to help change society, set the example for their students, and help set the stage for solving major issues that would lead to a new social order. Thinking about the global uprisings of 2011, I can't think of a more pertinent time to start thinking about these ideals again (see: "Year of Global Uprisings, from the Arab Spring to Occupy Wall Street: A Special Look Back at 2011" http://www.democracynow.org/2012/1/2/year_of_global_uprisings_from_the).
I am very passionate about education policy reform, specifically steering education policy in the direction of social justice. By this, I mean that I believe that we should make schools places of welfare for students, their families, and the surrounding communities. Schools should not just be a place where it is mandatory that children go to for six to eight hours a day by law, but more of a family and community center, a place that encourages growth of mind, body, and spirit. I believe that students, to an extent, should be able to take ownership in the classroom (when I say to an extent, I am referring to a case where the child does not want to learn something simply because they don’t like it or find it too challenging). I believe in teaching a broad curriculum, including subjects like arts that allow for self-expression and vocational studies that allow students to learn a trade or a skill (Armstrong and Savage, 2009, p. 266).
This curriculum should be based on worldviews and philosophy, not just content from the Western canon. However, if goals are not put into a tangible plan with some kind of measurable outcomes, the plan for schools to be both a place of education and social welfare can become ineffective. It is very important, therefore, to properly place the roles in the curriculum, classroom, and teacher. I am in favor that schools are a place to teach critical thinking skills that would help re-shape society, not just a place to “transfer” what knowledge, cultural heritage, and moral values that happen to be considered the norm. In many cases, even if they are not consciously done, this is how prejudice of every kind is taught to children, including but not limited to: racism, classism, sexism, cultural imperialism, etc. Students must be given the space to view their surrounding world and make sense of it on their own terms, so that they might be the most effective vessels of change possible.
Ideally, to make the school a place for community involvement and welfare, the school would begin as a place for the family. When students do not have the support of the family, that's when it becomes of even more importance that the school becomes a center of welfare. While I was living in South Africa, I had a chance to visit and volunteer at such an institution near the VVOCF center (check out my 2008 archived posts for more info). Just as a quick refresher, in 2008 I worked at an orphan care center called Vumundzuku-Bya Vana Our Children’s Future (VVOCF), in Zonkezizwe, South Africa. The center provides a number of services to children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS, such as providing access to clothing, health care, and hot meals. There are also organized activities for the children and youth in the area of English, HIV/AIDS prevention, art, and sports.The main goal of the center is to provide a safe place for the children to let loose and just be kids, as well as have access to essential needs.
I would very much like to follow in the footsteps of George Counts, John Dewey, and Paulo Freire, and explore how schools can become a more integral part of the community as well as how education can both serve as a means to raise critical consciousness among our youth. Future research interests of mine include qualitative studies based on some of my experiences with the aforementioned students. I became very interested in the school system in the country after speaking with my children and youth. Most of the South African students are living in abject poverty, and are made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS somehow in their lives. They are all such beautiful, bright, and energetic children with large hopes and dreams; however, their circumstances in life are making their goals hard to reach.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic has had a major influence on every sector in society, but notably a massive impact on South Africa’s education sector. Children and their families are finding themselves turning to schools for help that other social services cannot provide. The school can be a place to learn and grow, to find protection from the problems of every day life. It can be a way to help break the cycle of poverty and disease, and becomes a place that not only nourishes the body, but the soul as well. Those young people who are able to make it through to a higher education have a better chance at helping bringing themselves and their families out of poverty. It is not easy for them because of all their obstacles, but the ones that do the best are ones that have access to schools that act as a part of the community, and provide for the children. I would like to explore how schools can provide for the needs of their most vulnerable children, going past the idea of what a traditional school does, and become a bigger part of the community. My studies would be focusing on some of these potential research questions: How are schools helping these children who are so desperately looking for a better quality of life? What are schools currently doing or not doing in this respect? How does HIV/AIDS get in the way of these dreams, and what are the realities of educational policy today in South Africa? What more can schools do to accommodate learners made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS?
References:
Armstrong, D. G., Henson, K. T., Savage T.V. (2009). Teaching today: An introduction to education (Eighth ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Dare the School Build a New Social Order on Google Books-- http://books.google.com/books?id=834RmjyjK6MC&dq=isbn:0809308789
