John Dewey Beliefs

John Dewey dedicated his life to improving the education system through his philosophical beliefs. Some of these beliefs include freedom of the mind and strong bonds between students and teachers. He believed that high schools did not prepare students for the real world by simply teaching the fundamentals of learning: reading, writing, and arithmetic; instead, teachers must prepare students for real-life situations. Dewey suggested that in order for students to perform to the best of their ability they should be exposed to an environment that resembles the real world. These goals should be taught in a democratic environment in which the teachers and students should have equal voices. Also, the needs of the child should be placed above anything else. Through an interdisciplinary curriculum, students could explore their environments through a curriculum that focuses on connecting multiple subjects and choosing their own paths. Unfortunately, high schools do not acknowledge Dewey’s ideals, which often results in students becoming useless members in society, receiving jobs that only have pecuniary benefit.

Sadly, high schools are limiting students’ experience

in the real world by holding them hostage in a building all day long. According to Leon Botstein, “young Americans are prepared to be taken seriously and to develop the motivations and interests that will serve them well in adult life. They need to enter a world where they are not in a lunchroom with only their peers, estranged from other age groups and cut off from the game of life as it is really played” (Botstein). Opportunities are lost in high school; teachers are not presenting real-life situations to students, and it is negatively affecting students’ lives. However, this issue could easily be eliminated if teachers were not entirely focused on the fundamentals of learning, such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. Instead, teachers should develop a relationship with their students instead of feeding useless knowledge into their brains. It is crucial that educators place the act of building student-teacher relationships above facts.
In addition to high schoolers having limited opportunities, students are not being offered a strong liberal arts curriculum. Students need a break from teachers shoving instruction down their throats. The perfect solution to this is enrolling in strong liberal arts classes. “When information piles up higgledy-piggledy — when information becomes the noise of our culture — the need to teach the lessons of the liberal arts is urgent. In a high-velocity culture, the liberal arts have to say, ‘Take your time’” (Gitlin). Faculty members of the liberal arts must teach students to relax and see things in their own ways. “A strong liberal-arts curriculum could teach them about their history, their social condition, or themselves” (Gitlin). Liberal arts makes students think and teaches them why everyone in the world does not have the same opinion as them; it prepares them for the real world. It provides a higher education that is useful in our democracy and creates useful citizens. Therefore, it is crucial that an emphasis is placed on the liberal arts.
Lastly, high school teachers do not develop relationships with their students. This, in turn, increases their chances of failure. If teachers do not have relationships with their students, the chances of high school dropouts increase. In the article “A Model for High Schools,” Jessica Smidt states that her old classes were full of kids and most of the teachers did not want to be there. In the strict schooling program for drop-outs, she does not get lost in the crowd (Broder). If teachers would adhere to a democratic education system, just as Dewey had suggested, students would feel included. Dewey felt that if teachers were to work as one with their students, they could learn together. This would create a domino effect in which students would want to learn and understand the curriculum being taught, because they would feel important if they were given an equal voice. A democratic education system sets students up for a successful future to be valuable citizens in society.
In conclusion, John Dewey’s important educational beliefs are ignored, which creates a detrimental effect on society.

The limited experience that a high schooler receives does not give them the opportunities that they deserve. Also, the general information that is taught to students does not apply to their needs; this information does not allow them to find their path in which they want to live their lives. In addition, a democratic education system is not portrayed throughout high school. Relationships between students and teachers are nonexistent, and students are dropping out of high school as a result. Our society is full of unsuccessful human beings that have no idea of how to live their life. This is what our education system has created. Now, we must make the change and stick to Dewey’s educational

beliefs.