Education and Transcendentalism Essay

Education is an important necessity that all people should have. Individuals need education for choosing their path in life and living on their own. People must possess the right knowledge and reason to do those things. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Tupac Shakur have both written articles with their views on education in the United States. Emerson’s â€Å"On Education† and Shakur’s â€Å"On the Topic of Education† have generally the same ideas. Emerson and Shakur convey their strong opinions about education to show that people should learn from their own experience and should not be learning unnecessary information. The best way to learn is from one’s own experiences. Learning from books is important; however, they don’t give an individual the full perspective of something. Emerson states, â€Å"This function of opening and feeding the human mind is not to be fulfilled by any mechanical or military method†¦ in education our common sense fails us, and we are continually trying costly machinery against nature† (Emerson). Individuals should be learning more from nature and personal experiences. This generation is too connected to technology to the point where people lose sight of the world around them. Nature gives one the knowledge they need. It makes it easier to learn when one visualizes and sees the world. Similar to Emerson, Shakur wrote that schools are â€Å"not getting us ready for today’s world†¦ that’s why the streets have taught me† (Shakur). Students generally don’t learn about life lessons in school. In other words, an individual gains the most knowledge from â€Å"the streets† or being outdoors and experiencing life through their own eyes. It is important to have book smarts but also street smarts and common sense. Without street smarts and common sense one will have a difficult time living on their own. A Transcendentalist theme that is similar to these ideas of Emerson and Shakur is valuing nature. Nature and the outside world give us knowledge that we can’t learn from books. Schools fail to teach students things that are truly important. Instead, they tend to repeat the same information. Shakur points out, â€Å"After you learn reading, writing, and arithmetic, that’s it. But what [teachers] tend to do is teach you reading, writing, and arithmetic, then teach you reading, writing, and arithmetic again, then again, just [making] it harder and harder† (Shakur). Once students learn the basics, they shouldn’t keep learning them over and over again. They should be learning other important things that exist in the world. Students should have classes for drugs and alcohol, crime, racism, and other important topics that exist in America. Shakur says, â€Å"I think it should be like college where you can go and take the classes that you want. I think that Elementary school should be that way, where they give you the classes you take, for the basics. And then Junior High School and High School should be the classes that you need, in order to choose your path† (Shakur). First, students beginning school should learn the basics. Then as they get older, students should learn the things that they need to help them decide what they want to do when they are on their own. But, schools today do not follow this method. Students should not be learning what they have already learned in the past. Basic information will always remain in individuals’ minds. In addition to not teaching the right and necessary information, teachers rely too much on memorization. Emerson states, â€Å"Nature loves analogies, but not repetitions† (Emerson). Learning comes from deep thought. Students should not be tested on their ability to memorize information. In most cases, memorizing information is not actual learning. Learning is acquiring knowledge not only through studying but also experience. Furthermore, nature learns in different ways rather than the same way. Therefore, students should not be learning things in the same way. They should be learning information in different perspectives. In other words, students should learn by reading, listening, visualizing, and experiencing to fully understand things. Emerson also said that students have â€Å"educated eyes in uneducated bodies† (Emerson). This means that students are not absorbing the information they are given. This information is being forced into the minds of students through reading books and listening to lectures that are usually boring and uninteresting. This is not the best way for students to learn. A Transcendentalist theme that is similar to these ideas is not only valuing nature but also simplifying one’s life. Simplifying one’s life is a theme because students should be learning only the things that they need and the things that will be useful to them later in life. Students should not acquire or possess unnecessary information just as people should not possess or be attached to unnecessary items. The minds of individuals should contain only the important things that will guide them through life. In â€Å"On Education† and â€Å"On the Topic of Education†, Emerson and Shakur express their opinion about school and education. Emerson believes that students should be learning more from nature and their own experiences. Also, memorizing information is not the proper way to learn because students don’t absorb the information well this way. Comparable to Emerson, Shakur believes that people gain the most knowledge when they are experiencing life and interacting with others. In addition, students shouldn’t be taught the same things repetitively but instead the significant things that will help them later in life. It is crucial that students are getting proper education. Most importantly, teachers have an obligation to help students obtain the necessary knowledge they need to succeed in life.