Category Archives: Religion, Values, Separation Church & State

This chapter really appealed to me because it dealt with the different teachings of children.  i hope to one day become a teacher and reading about all the different factors that affect children are really interesting.  The idea of this common school still exists today.  To me that is what the public education system is for.  In the bronx where i live my sister does attend a public school that consists of elementary and middle school classes.  But a few years ago they did away with honors classes.  Classes are just now mixed at random.  In a way this is good because it promotes equality among their peers but i also do feel that it can sometimes hold back gifted students. 

Also this idea of children being life wax figures is an intresting idea.  I do feel it is true because studies have shown how at a younger ago it is easier to sculpt a childs mind and often it is easier to learn.  but one wuestion i have is: is the education system using this idea of children being wax figures to their advantage and brain washing our youth to conform to their ideals? 

 And with this idea is it ethical and moral for the school systems to teach the children their morals?  School to mean always was what I needed to get ahead in this world and create the life that would be best for me. But my parents, family nd religious education programs were the leading factors in my life that promoted morals.

I think that the distinctive features by which the common school movement was established were important in helping maintain some form of social order and providing equal opportunity.  I agree with the notion that educating all young children, regardless of religious or cultural background, was important in making sure that these individuals stayed away from a life of crime and poverty and also maintaining stability. Yes, it may have been the case that the upper classes were only interested in educating these individuals to make life more pleasing for themselves, but it was still important for all young children to be educated. Even in today’s society there seems to be is a correlation between high levels of crime and poverty and low levels of attained education.  I’m sure that everyone in today’s world would agree that everyone should have equal access to education.  I would also agree with the belief that educating children in common, regardless of ethnic, cultural, or social differences would promote tolerance and reduce hostility.

However, from reading through the chapter, I found myself continuously disagreeing with the belief that the schools should be in charge of teaching children proper morals. Of course children should learn right from wrong, but as it was mentioned in the book, the major problem that arises from teachings morals is exactly whose morals should be taught? What may be considered good and just morals for one group of individuals may not be considered good for another group, and by group I mean religious groups because religion was the main motivation for this push towards teaching morality. Horace Mann’s belief, as described in the Twelfth Annual Report, was that the teachings of the Bible and of Christianity should be integrated into the school curriculum, and I believe that is a serious problem and a major flaw in the argument for moral teachings. It is nearly impossible to distinguish morality from religion as much of the arguments, such as Mann’s, stem from religious beliefs. I would even say that many of the individuals, who have argued in favor of moral teachings in schools, are only hiding their true desire to integrate religious teachings into schools which would go against the principles of the separation between church and state.

I believe teachings of morality should be left to parents and families. It would be a mistake to allow for other members of a society to instill their beliefs and ideas on one’s child. As Jefferson argued, the main purpose of school and education is to teach young individuals to think freely and develop their own views and ideas of the world around them. With that being said, will education reformers and policymakers today continue making a push for moral teachings? Will it be possible to incorporate moral teachings without any religious influence?

After reading this chapter I realized that Horace Mann left a very sour taste in my mouth. Maybe it was simply my interpretation of him, or the way the book made him seem but he just seemed to be scared, he had this unreasonable fear of people and social disorder. His idea that educating children on what is right and wrong at an early age will keep them from committing crimes and in general become law abiding moral citizens, in a way I can see his point but I also think that placing such pressure and power on the schools can lead to brainwashing children.

The ideology of the common school was very interesting since it dealt with the same issues that are still being dealt with in schools.  I can imagine it was even harder at that time to separate church and state since religion played a larger factor in people’s lives.

While reading this chapter a few questions arose in my mind. The first being do you that schools nowadays if they do teach values still do it in a biblical or Judeo-Christian way?

The latter goes off topic a little bit but there was this idea in the chapter about textbooks in the high school and how everything in the high schools was taught only from textbooks to create a general curriculum, do you believe that is something we can implement in the US teaching every grade and school from the same textbook? Would this lead to less inequality both socially and religious or would it lead to public outcry in more conservative states?

This chapter reminded me of our discussion in the previous class questioning if the U.S. has one culture and if the education system is responsible for teaching patriotism. The chapter mentions that in the early period of common school reforms,” it primarily protected a Protestant ideology against an influx of Irish Catholics, African Americans, and Native Americans.” But the book continues on to say that “in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Americanization programs for immigrants in the public schools served the same function.”

It was interesting to learn that highschools only became institution in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Isn’t this the time of the Great Depression? In the section of “The Birth of The High School” it mentions that “A high school education would lead to obedience to the law.” My question would be, to what extent is the high school institution responsible for their student’s obedience to the law? I am actually pretty curious about the steps the school system or government took to have more kids stay in school today.And regarding another  supporting arguments for creating a high school, is that “high schools would promote the idea that achievement depends on individual responsibility.” To me this just shows American’s individualistic state of culture.

Lastly, it is also interesting that the chapter goes on to talk about the promise of the American life being an improved economic opportunity for all people. This has sparked the question of: How much of an improvement is there for the non-whites in America and if that promise holds true for the immigrants that continue to come here?

Some links:

hornbook picture

New England Primer

Documentary on School Prayer

NY Times article on Teaching Evolution

PTA Guide for Parents on Religion in Public Schools