A few weeks ago I stumbled upon this interesting piece about Ivy League Schools, and it was, well, interesting. It helped me view the American Education System a little differently.
While explaining the cons of Ivy League schools, Deresiewcz also points out the amount of injustice and inequality that America displays through its education system. He concludes: We recognize that free, quality K–12 education is a right of citizenship. We also need to recognize—as we once did and as many countries still do—that the same is true of higher education. We have tried aristocracy. We have tried meritocracy. Now it’s time to try democracy.
While I understand Deresiewicz's viewpoint, this is also rather controversial and debatable. He supported his final statement incredibly well, but a problem does remain: different people have different capabilities. In his conclusion, Deresiewcz seems to assume that everyone is equally capable of great intellect and education, but unfortunately, this is not true. There are different kinds of intelligence: mathematical, artistic, pragmatic, philosophical, etc. Everyone has their own unique manner of thought and abilities; however, assuming that we are all in fact equal in terms of ability is erroneous and even detrimental to American society. It can lead to conformism, and if we force everyone to learn the same things at the same rate and in the same way, then there will be no leaders, no people who are stronger and more capable that can take charge. As a result, American society will not be able improve. Human beings will not be motivated or allowed to be successful. Equality is a great idea, but it cannot be enforced on society to the point where the society stops improving. We need stronger, smarter, and more capable people who can take lead. As a result, better schools of learning are required to hone the skills of those who are more capable. Nonetheless, Deresiewcz's essay is excellent and makes some important points. I support many forms of equality, but equality to the point where nothing is better or worse sounds like a terrible idea, and even dystopian.
