Alfie Kohn What Does It Mean To Be Well-Educated Summary

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Socrates would have loved Alfie Kohn’s theory of “What does it mean to be well-educated?” (Kohn, 2003). Kohn rehearses all the definitions that one hears over and over again, and, cliché by cliché, shows them to be without form and void. One can almost hear the old philosopher cheering him on. In the final paragraph, Kohn reveals his answer: to be well-educated is to “…have the desire as well as the means to make sure that learning never ends” (Kohn, 2003). Albeit provoking, my reaction to this is that he is candidly right: to be well-educated is to be capable of further education, and needing and desiring for it. At the same time, I found his general sentiment toward the education unduly cavalier as he seem to disregarded the circumstances …show more content…

Watching paint dry is, by contrast, a whirlwind of hilarity. But it turned out to be a source of revelation when I came to the states and start over again….start from learning A, B, Cs….the basic English. Labeled as “failure” in Korea, things were no different in a new place only my depression and sense of rejection thrust my heavy soul into a detrimental state of mind. Then one day, there was revelation. My revelation was not from anyone, nor was I taught….I received it from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:12, New International Version). That moment on, not only my perspective on “being educated” has changed, but I have also regained self-confidence and desire to further my education, only this time with a clear purpose and undeniable self-mindedness.” Of course, those who labored to teach me diagramming never thought to explain why it might be useful; that I was left to figure out for myself, which I did not mind. Fact the matter is, education is much more than just a test score. Kohn is in a way right in saying that the current emphasis on testing provides little room for a teacher to generate excitement in the classroom (Kohn, 2003), however aren’t there already growing reactions to excessive standardized testing and the restraints imposed on teaching? The balance Kohn wants may be closer than he wants to

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