(Google has a new tool–so I made a quick “ScreenStory”)

We’ve talked in the past about the differences between training and education, and one difference we mentioned (or at least I mentioned it) was that “training” is something for animals. Education is for human beings.

But there’s a deeper question at the core of that distinction, and in this unit we can start to explore that deeper question. What does it mean to be a human being?

One way to begin defining a word or concept is to look at it differentially–to try to define what it’s not. There are several ways to slice up the concept of “human being.” Anthropologists and paleontologists look at our pre-human hominid ancestors (there’s a great timeline here). Sahelanthropus tchadensis (around 7-6 million years ago) really wouldn’t fit what we think of as “human” today. Homo neanderthalensis (200-28 thousand years ago) was a lot closer, and what we used to call “Cro-Magnon” is now pretty much accepted as “early Homo sapiens sapiens.”

So at some point between Sahelanthropus tchadensis and Homo sapiens sapiens some very important things changed.

And we can also slice the concept in terms of species–we have some very intelligent non-human neighbors today. Dolphins and chimpanzees are probably the closest to us, but my dog, Jerry, certainly thinks he’s a human being. And my cats are certain that they are superior to human beings.

Or we can go in another direction–a different kind of neighbors. Is an intelligent alien (probably not a Martian–but what about a Vulcan? A Romulan? an Overlord?) a human being?

And there’s yet another direction. The artificial beings–computer intelligences, cyborgs, androids–are they human?

So if we look at those various slices, we see that there are certain things that the non-human ancestors and the non-human neighbors don’t have, while the human ones do.

And if education is something for human beings–what is it about human beings that education is for?

In Yiddish, as I’m sure some of you know, the word mensch means a lot more than just a human being. To be a mensch is to be what a human being should be (Judaism has some pretty definite ideas about what qualities are included there–but what are your ideas?). And maybe that’s what education is for–to make us what we should be.

How can education take us to the place where we are the best that we can be?

When I see the word “culture”, I can think of an unlimited number of ways this word can be interpreted. Culture is such a broad topic that makes it difficult to tackle all of it. In this reflection, I will discuss culture in the context of “school culture”, and will give my interpretation of “what is school for, if not training.”

When I look back at school, I see it as a place of social interaction. Like Professor Ugoretz daughter’s kindergarten teacher said “the main goal of kindergarten was not teaching kids to count or to read or to know their colors and shapes.  It was teaching them to interact with each other, not to grab, not to hit, how to sit still and stand in line.” Though this was mentioned in the context of kindergarten, I believe that is applies to all levels of education, K-12, including college. School does not provide training for a profession, but it provides a community and education that allow people to interact with each other.

In the beginning years of education when the topics are standardized among all, schools are not training students but are unifying them. Horace Mann was one educational reformer who pushed for common education for diverse populations. Through state run formal education systems, students grow up with the ability to communicate with each other under a common language. This is especially important for communities composed of immigrants as it allows them to assimilate and participate in the society.

Schools build connections and these relations are recognized over the content and rigor of the class. When we look at the great Ivy League colleges, the students that come out of these colleges are distinguished by the connections they have to the college. People recognize Ivy League schools for the social prestige they have, even though an equal education could have been obtained elsewhere. A student may have attended all the lectures given on an open courseware website by such an Ivy League school, but they will not be viewed upon as equal to a student who has attended the college.

An example of schools building unity among students is from my personal life experience. In my early days of school, I remember one of the first things that I had to learn was the Pledge of Allegiance. Everyday in class, we started by pledging to the flag but I did not understand the meaning of the words I was saying. Though they mentioned it was voluntary, I followed along with what everybody else did, and it became a part of my school culture. This pledge is one of the ways that school has connected me to society.

A better example of unification within school would be the “breadth” students must learn. Schools enforce general education requirements in order to make students well rounded. In educating students in many fields, the future politician can communicate with the scientist, thus promoting social progress and unity. A rounded education closes the boundaries that professionals in different fields have, allowing for collaboration.

Another example of the unification process of schools is when professionals, such as doctors, come from other nations into the United States. Though these foreign professionals may be well experienced in their field, they are unable to directly participate as doctors. Instead they must attend school to conform to social practices taught at school. Keeping in the context of medical doctors, students in such schools must go through social psychology classes in order to understand their patients. No matter what the profession, there are requirements to interact with society, and it is the school that establishes this “training ground” for communication. School doesn’t teach students a profession, but it provides them with the education to communicate with the society he or she will work in.

I personally believe that true training exists only when a student comes under the wing of a professional in the field. In order for a premed student to become a doctor, he or she must perform residency. A lawyer also must become a paralegal and researchers work under a principal investigator. In all professions, there is some specialized training involved which prepares the worker for his or her job. School doesn’t provide the special training, but allows for him or her to learn from a professional in the field.