Introduction
Schooling is always controversial because the current system has obvious areas for improvement. The value of education and its role in preparing children for adult life are perceived differently. The education system needs to be revised to adapt to children’s needs and provide them with new opportunities. Stephanie Wynne offers an idea of how schooling should be organized based on the value of teachers and curriculum change.
Differences
First, Stephanie Wynne points to the failure of the current educational system in public schools, speculating on why it is the way it is. She points to the significant disadvantage of long hours, lack of freedom to choose activities, and homework assignments that make students anxious. Wynne states that “the average American reads at a 7th- to 8th-grade level”, and this is the problem of the system of education (Wynne 3).
Secondly, Wynne shows teachers’ current position to become babysitters for students and tolerate any display of their unstable character. Wynne empathizes with the teachers because they are adults for whom the school is a job, but they do not have the freedom of speech that others do.
This empathy leads to a third distinction from the current system. Teachers must become capable leaders and strive for new career accomplishments instead of outdated curricula with summary information (Bozkuş 507). Wynne points to the need to review the qualifications and skills that teachers have at their disposal because “It’s time the teachers take their power back and stop acting like squirrels” (Wynne 5). Until they can develop themselves, they cannot teach students valuable skills for their future jobs.
In the current public education system, students spend time in school, and elementary school lessons are already nearly an hour long. Such time is too long, so students’ attention is scattered, and teachers are forced to spend time getting children in order and calming them down (The Learning Network). Students should stop using mobile devices and disrupting the classroom and listen to the teacher in exchange for no homework and no pressure. They should treat the teacher respectfully, listen to the material, and not get into arguments. In turn, teachers should stop wasting time on nurturing instead of teaching.
The purpose of the school is to provide a base, and then the students and their parents should evaluate the appropriateness of the training themselves. Wynne argues, “If the parents want the students in school, they should pay for it based on the parent’s income” (Wynne 8). An essential difference from the current public education system would be reduced hours and materials needed to master the program. Wynne speaks of only 50 pages for each discipline, which is considerably less. Among the disciplines will be computer instruction, health, communication, reading, and politics (Wynne 7). Wynne believes in possibly including lessons similar to those in higher education disciplines.
An essential point of the author’s proposal is including parents in their children’s education and their critical attention to school education. Wynne proposes to oblige parents to take care of their children for at least 2-3 hours of educational activities (Wynne 8). She puts the role of parents as key in preserving the rights and freedoms of the teacher, who will stop serving as a babysitter for students and focus on explaining the material (Bozkuş 510). Schools now only encourage parents to be involved in their children’s education, but it is not mandatory and can result in problems (Lowrey). Efforts are needed to strengthen the parents’ role in their child’s education and parenting.
Approval
Paulo Freire Concept
Paulo Freire’s idea of education opposed the traditional structure of the educational system. He called the current system a “banking concept of education” with no room for students’ development and involvement in active learning (Freire 2). Teachers are dominant in schools because they impose choices and thus limit students’ freedom. Freire would somewhat disagree with Wynne’s position on teaching methodology.
Wynne sees teachers as adults first and then as objects of the educational system. Freire states, “The teacher teaches, and the students are taught,” so the author is wrong in his view (Freire 4). Freire believes teachers are too dominant and that a banking system in which children cannot actively pursue knowledge should be avoided.
Freire views education as a majority and minority and, following Marxism, argues that students are oppressed. He says that “the oppressed are not ‘marginalized,’ are not living ‘outside’ society, ” so students are not seen as part of society (Freire 5). They need more freedom and critical thinking, but the author does not fully agree. In her opinion, “many of them (students) are distracted with their cellphones, and many teachers are irritated because the students aren’t listening (Wynne 3), so it is the teachers who are oppressed by the environment. Wynne argues that students can have freedom, but “for the extra ‘freedom,’ the students must shut up, turn off their cell phones, and listen to whatever the teacher says” (Wynne 4). Teachers have to deal with out-of-control kids who don’t want to get critical thinking, so students have to pay for freedom.
Freire and the author are both critical of the current educational system but approach the issue differently and, therefore, cannot agree on a decision on school reforms. While the author advocates restricting students’ freedom in the classroom and strengthening the role of teachers, Freire opposes such a system (Freire 12). The different social experiences and levels of education are the reason for this radical division of views. Freire and the author agree on the need for reform and change in schools, but they see the meaning of schooling differently.
Teddy’s Case
Teddy is the main character in J.D. Salinger’s short story, which discusses Buddhist concepts of being. Teddy’s intelligence is already much higher than his peers. It is difficult to imagine him among the collective that Wynne describes – unruly and spiteful because Teddy’s opinion of himself is much higher. You can observe his dissimilarity from other children at some points, but on the other hand, he is just like all the other children. Wynne states that parents are oblivious to their children and do not want to understand them. Teddy is alienated from them and does not listen to them: “I want you to get down off that bag, now. How many times do you want me to tell you?” (Salinger 2). He is deep in his thoughts, and his parents are not an example he can use in his personal development.
The dialogue with Bob Nicholson reveals Teddy as a person who understands the purpose of learning and its meanings. Wynne mentions one of his phrases:
I’d first assemble all the children and show them how to meditate,” and she probably accepts such thinking as correct (Salinger 18).
Teddy would most likely have appreciated Wynne’s desire to give concrete and explicit freedom in education, namely to choose to what point to receive enlightenment. At the same time, Teddy’s idea is similar to Freire’s because:
If you tell them the grass is green, they start expecting it to look a certain way—your way—instead of some other way that may be just as good and may be much better… (Salinger 18).
In Teddy’s understanding, disciples are those in whom others impart knowledge, and a sense of truth is only possible through dialogue with God. He takes the side of disciples who would not be ignored if they did not know something (Salinger 18). In this regard, Wynne’s proposed program, with its consistent, simple, and concrete approach, might appeal to him. Teddy would have accepted it as another reality that might find conscious meaning in students’ perceptions.
Opinion
The system Stephani Wynne proposes has a combination of strengths and weaknesses. A decisive advantage is the redistribution of resources and their organization: some subjects are necessary, but textbooks of more than 50 pages per discipline are required (The Learning Network). The idea of free choice after 9th grade can help teens develop motivation because moving on to high school will give them more opportunities to pursue higher education. The Wynne plan can positively affect personal and professional motivation by providing freedom of choice. Strengthening the teacher’s team will create vital basic lessons that will always be useful. While no homework is a bad idea, the Wynne plan could otherwise be an excellent alternative for increasing the quality of schooling.
Conclusion
If this Wynne plan is implemented, society can better understand and develop the school’s goals. More is needed to teach knowledge correctly and help children and their parents understand its value. The Wynne idea needs refinement, but it can help parents engage more with their children and promote their professional success like Kelley Williams-Bolar (Lowrey). Having restrictions may be confusing initially because it is a reasonably strict framework. Nevertheless, it will be a great way to solve some of the school system’s problems.
Works Cited
Bozkuş, Kıvanç. “Examining the Problems Faced by Teachers: The Case of Şanlıurfa”. Journal of Theoretical Educational Science, vol. 13, no. 3, 2020, pp. 505-529. Web.
Freire, Paulo. “Chapter 2”, in Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum Books, 1993.
Lowrey, Annie. “Her Only Crime Was Helping Her Kids”, The Atlantics, 2019. Web.
Salinger, Jerome David. Teddy. New York: The New Yorker, 1953.
The Learning Network. “What Students Are Saying About How to Improve American Education”, The New York Times, 2019. Web.
Wynne, Stephani. Teachers are not Babysitters: Why Education Should End at the 9th Grade. 2022.