An Ideal Education

A Collaborative Manifesto*

By Students of Phil-Soc 202 T355, Spring ‘22, York College, CUNY

At the end of the semester, students wrote about their visions of an ideal education in final philosophy papers. Students had the option to share a key idea or representative image in this manifesto. Here is what they had to say…

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THE IDEAL SCHOOL SYSTEM

I believe that the ideal school education should be one where the teacher has a topic (Current climate, event related) that they teach, but also encourages discussion and question asking from their students, even if the question is unrelated. Students should be guided by their teachers to ask questions about the topic and related topics surrounding it, and the state should be limited as to what they influence and control about a students education. Students should all have a basic understanding of the concepts that the state asks schools to teach, but teachers should not be limited to the topics that the state wants. I believe that this allows students to learn what they want to learn about, build the necessary understandings they need to be effective as a student/civilian, and also grow their own understanding of the world around them, and its ever changing state. The things that I grew up learning were not the things I was interested in and I felt questions were not encouraged. 

– McKayla Engleton-Riley

I feel an education system should be based off the change that happens in everyday life. Change happens all the time and I feel in 21st century technology is only growing as well as social media. A lot of different issues go on around the world but schoosl limit those issues in educating the students about it. A school system should focus on all around education about race, gender, technology, etc.

I believe that the current ideal school system should change because students as young as should be introduced to social, economical, and political issues along with learning the basics or basis like math, science, english etc. because i feel like it would be better in the long run for them when these kids or young students become adults and navigate themselves within the world. So I think that the ideal school system should change because it would be better for the students in the long run or later on in their lives. 

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THE STATE’S ROLE IN EDUCATION

I believe that the state’s role in education should be pretty limited. The state will never know each student as intimately as the teachers will get to know them. And that’s important that the teachers learn how their students learn. The style of teaching should be completely left to the teachers. I do believe that there should be statewide standardization though and this is to ensure that everyone is receiving and equal education. 

– Jamie Haskell

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EDUCATION FOR THE IDEAL CHILD (PARENTING)

I believe that the ideal education for a child is based upon what is relevant for them to learn and understand in a certain time period. For example, classes taken by developing children should not be based on what was important to learn a year prior but what would enhance their knowledge in popular topics today. Topics such as the internet and social media, historical topics to day and day to day news stories. I also believe it is important to teach children about money and how the economy works. This world is at a fast pace of change and I think that education should change with it. 

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GRADING/UNGRADING

I believe that schools should change the grading system from standard letter for each grade level, such as per-K-5 should have no grades because it is their first time in the education system and being away from home, they should improve on their social skills, be able to work with others, and be able to receive feedback from teachers for improving. In high school, I believe that passing or fail should be the grading system because subjects get harder, and students have other things to worry about such as work or personal issues. In college, I believe that high pass, regular pass, or fail should be the grading system because students would still benefit from high passes and get recommendations from professors for work purposes or graduate school.  

I believe that the school system regarding grades should change. The system gives students an overwhelming amount of stress. For starters, K-5 in my opinion should have a simple pass/fall grade. I understand that these are innocent children, coming into society and there’s things they have to learn like how to read, to talk, to socialize, do basic math, etc but if there were no grades at all for them, it will be hard to determine if they actually grasped anything. In order to move on in life, learning the basics are required. For middle school, I’d say the pass/fail option should remain the same. For high school, it should be upped a notch and it should fail, pass or high pass. As for college, the standard grades should remain. 

– Andrea Wright

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IDEAL EDUCATION FOR THE 21st CENTURY

I believe technology has advanced drastically within the last couple year’s or so. I remember in Kindergarten we had computer’s to just play games with our friend’s. We had computer’s more to play around with rather than doing work on them. In middle school I remember we had a small computer lab but not many classes were being held in there to teach students on how to use a computer or how to navigate a computer. In todays 21st century advanced technology has come about. Children/baby’s are able to navigate an ipad/phone on their own without any help which surprises me. I feel there should be courses on how to navigate technology since there is something new everyday. I know there are some courses in college that teaches students/parent’s on how to type/navigate on a computer. Though I feel like courses should be taught in middle school. There so much new things to learn about technology sometimes even myself I’m not sure how to do. Since we’ve been in covid, parents had to teach themselves on how to use computers to help their children be in virtual classrooms. 

I believe technology plays a big role in children’s lives. If we society and parents are not careful enough, the children could learn negative aspects from online. Parents and teachers have to contribute in a way to control what the children see online. For example,

Parents must observe what their children see online and as well as social media. Social media tends to play an effect on teenagers. Teens tend to change who they are to fit the image social media portrays. By minimizing technology in children’s lives they could become more socially active with another and productive. 

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AN IDEAL EDUCATION IN RELATION TO GENDER ISSUES

I believe that for an ideal education, students must be fully informed and that ideas can not be cherry picked for them based on the preferences of those who are in control. I think children should be made aware from an age they can fully comprehend it, perhaps 9th grade. They really need to learn about sexism. I think they should learn about gender discrimination, equality and the fight for it, the gender identity spectrum, the different struggles that those of different gender’s face, and about gender dysphoria. More than half of trans kids attempt suicide at some point in their life and an all-encompassing and informative education could go a long way. 

-Angelise Roman

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AN IDEAL EDUCATION IN RELATION TO RACE/CULTURE ISSUES

I believe that schools should incorporate both cultural and racial issues in the classroom because school is a place where children of numerous racial and cultural backgrounds come together to socialize and obtain knowledge. A course that covers race and culture issues would allow the students to gain insight on what exactly is going on within society regardless of race and culture. Such as gaining an understanding of stereotypes and how it plays a role in effecting an individual’s opportunity in receiving a successful education. I feel that a course like this could be taught in any grade due to children of all cultural backgrounds and races having to interact with one another in one setting (the school). I also believe that having one teacher for this course would not be accurate due to one person not having knowledge or experience when it comes to issues someone may encounter on a daily basis due to their race or culture (The course should have a roster of rotating teachers who all come from different cultural backgrounds as well as being from different racial groups). 

-Anthony Ward

Critical Race Theory (CRT) – I believe that students, starting in elementary school, should learn about America’s history with racism and how racism has taken part in how the country is currently.  By avoiding discussing and teaching those topics, I feel that it’s like we are not acknowledging things that happened in the past and issues that are currently happening.  Some may feel that elementary school students are too young to be learning topics in relation to CRT.  However, the reality is that many people, including children that young, unfortunately experience racism as a part of their life.  So, who’s to say that all children are too young to learn about it if many are already experiencing it.  

~Rebecca Carroscio

I believe that students from high school and up to 9-college should be educated in warfare, this country has done so much damage and almost none of it is really discussed.By not discussing these topics, we are keeping the future of this country ignorant and blinded by biased education and not really properly. As a future teacher and someone who possesses knowledge on the effects of warfare It will be my honor to speak about the horrors of war and to wake up the world that is so eager to send soldiers to the front lines to die in a war that is not theirs, only political games. Some may say high school is too “young” But this is a time where your brain is developing and you are asking questions, it is a ripe time to learn about wars and why they should be avoided at all costs. It should only be fair to teach these topics to people who are also PAYING for their education since they are giving their own money gained from working for an economy that is too busy playing their monopoly other than actually aiding students. I know I would have liked to learn about the effects of Agent Orange, and the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, The japanese concentration camps in WWII, the prejudice against Asian Americans…etc 

~Emely Fuentes

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Contributors to manifesto:

• Veronica Paulino
• Anthony Ward
• Annmarie Veeria
• Carlos Vargas  
• Angelise Roman  
• Latanya Hewitt
• Andrea Wright
• Suzan Almardahi
• Emely Fuentes
• Rebecca Carroscio

*  Idea for Collaborative Manifesto courtesy of Bruce Mao’s 24 Principles for Designing Massive Change in Your Life and Work.This manifesto exercise can be adapted for a variety of means, including kickstarting department-wide change. Cathy Davidson and Shelly Eversley used it to kick off the Transformative Learning in the Humanities’ Summer Institute with 51 faculty from 17 or 18 different campuses.