While posting Colleges ignore life’s biggest questions, I was reminded of Neil Postman‘s The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School — a book which I believe after a dozen years still remains a must read for those involved in education. In my review of The End of Education, I conclude:
Postman’s The End of Education provides an excellent critique of the current approach to schooling and education, but fails to assert a compelling alternative for the follower of Christ. In the end, a sense of the divine underlies our theories of education and makes religiously neutral education impossible. Contrary to Postman, we should not seek to create our own broad narrative or return to the American Experiment, but instead boldly explore our place in the narrative of the God who is there and is not silent.
If you’re interested in reading my full review, click here. Anyone have thoughts on Postman’s book or the general topic of The End of Education which they’d like to get out onto the table?
Note: If you’re unfamiliar with Neil Postman (1931-2003), University Professor, Paulette Goddard Chair of Media Ecology, and Chair of the Department of Culture and Communication at New York University, visit the Random House author spotlight which includes links to a number of his titles. Personally, I found Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology hard to put down.
Tom enjoys daily conversations regarding living out the Biblical Story with his wife Theresa and their four girls, around the block, at Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church (where he teaches adult electives and co-leads a small group), among healthcare professionals as the Northeast Regional Director for the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), and in higher ed as a volunteer with the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN). For a number of years, the Christian Medical Society / CMDA at Penn State College of Medicine was the hub of his ministry with CMDA. Note: Tom served with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA for 20+ years, including 6+ years as the Associate Director of ESN. He has written for the ESN blog from its launch in August 2008. He has studied Biology (B.S.), Higher Education (M.A.), Spiritual Direction (Certificate), Spiritual Formation (M.A.R.), Ministry to Emerging Generations (D.Min.). To God be the glory!