Thomas Jefferson believed that universal education would have to precede universal suffrage. The ignorant, he argued, were incapable of self-government. But he had profound faith in the reasonableness and ability of the masses and in their collective wisdom when educated. As one of the founding fathers, Jefferson in fact set the precedent for American education: reading, writing, mathematics, the Classics, and European and American History. That his beliefs were focused on all male citizens receiving a free education, and a sign of his times for, in 1789, the first law was passed in Massachusetts to reaffirm the colonial laws by which town were obligated to support a school. Jefferson would not have recognized the drastic changes that the 21st century has brought – but clearly, his ideas of valuing the educational process are even more valid in this global world as they were during the 18th century.
Thomas Jefferson believed that universal education would have to precede universal suffrage. The ignorant, he argued, were incapable of self-government. But he had profound faith in the reasonableness and ability of the masses and in their collective wisdom when educated. As one of the founding fathers, Jefferson in fact set the precedent for American education: reading, writing, mathematics, the Classics, and European and American History. That his beliefs were focused on all male citizens receiving a free education, and a sign of his times for, in 1789, the first law was passed in Massachusetts to reaffirm the colonial laws by which town were obligated to support a school. Jefferson would not have recognized the drastic changes that the 21st century has brought -- but clearly, his ideas of valuing the educational process are even more valid in this global world as they were during the 18th century.
One might ask, what is education? What is the value of education? This is a seminal question that has been raised since ancient times. Certainly, the ancient Greeks (Athenians) had an idea of how education worked -- take your upper class males, teach them to read, write, quote literature, play and instrument, and become a proficient athlete. As society evolved, so did the need for education. Of course a pedagogical platform may not be as fixed, enduring, or "solid" as the metaphor implies. Indeed, it may sometimes consist of a fragile nexus of vague attitudes, tentative beliefs, complex and even contradictory dispositions, and ideologies perhaps only semi-congealed. Still, in any belief and value complex, there are certain notions (or planks, if you will) more deeply entrenched and elaborate that have been with me since childhood.
My earliest memories, in fact, are of completing jigsaw puzzles with my Mother. We would spend hours, sometimes days, on one puzzle because we had a very specific routine. I especially loved the idea of emptying all the pieces onto the table and feeling that overwhelming challenge, not of impotence, but of a hill to climb. Together, we would flip the pieces right side up and complete the edges then fill in one line at a time -- in a perfect spiral. And, the more time we spent on a puzzle, the more personal value I felt. Once finished, we would lacquer, date, and frame the puzzle, then hang in my room.
I believe these early experiences were metaphors for my love of the challenge of learning. It is, as Aristotle once said, "not the destination, but the journey" that teaches the most. Life, education, and indeed individual subjects are like that puzzle -- it is all a matter of learning the keys to the puzzle, and the joy along the way, that provides the tools towards attainment of an educational, personal, or professional goal.
Of course, college is the place where the "life puzzle" becomes more complicated and each successive educational opportunity even more so. No longer do we clear the table and pour out the pieces to unravel already pre-cut with a template to follow. Instead, the road becomes murkier as we create our own pictures, figuring out along the way the cut of the pieces, and then visualizing our goals as the opportunity to achieve the desired outcome for the future. Though this is the most taxing, it remains my favorite part of the puzzle of lifelong learning -- the apprehension and challenge is both exciting and motivating for me, often to the point that I can almost feel my brain "aching" to get around a new concept.
Added to this passion for learning is my desire to uncover and share the wonderful diversity travel and experiencing other cultures has to offer. I travelled alone to Guatemala, despite my family's opposition, to study Spanish and volunteer my services. Experiencing another culture helped me begin to understand an entirely new set of paradigms that were vital, energizing and helped me realize I wished for more. It is really amazing, once one begins to pay attention, what materialism can do to cloud one's vision; and then to suddenly live in a culture that has so little in the way of material goods and so much in the way of empathy and goodwill. My homestay was in a small humble home where properties such as electricity and water were scarce. However, one of the aspects I noticed was simple communication. While walking to class in the morning, I noticed everyone greeting each other with "Hello" or "Good morning." An instance like this is unfortunately uncommon in Boston. During dinnertime, it was customary for the entire family to sit and eat together -- a concept not absent in Boston, but infrequent. It was small differences such as these that I noticed -- the simple basic qualities many people in the Northeast either take for granted or do not have time for. Despite Xela's lack of resources, I found an abundance of key values such as togetherness, communication, and culture, which are seemingly deficient, or perhaps just misplaced, in the United States.
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