Chapter 14: Education for Choice
Summary
In the final chapter of the book, Mead continues to focus on the education of the youth in Samoa and compares it with American education. Mead once again mentions that the kids in Samoa have to make many choices and decisions at a very young age. Despite some differences, there are some similarities in the American and the Samoan culture.
While talking about American culture, Mead says that people have a wrong idea about American society providing limitless choices while actually that's not true.
Mead finally says that a civilization where there are so many choices and so many different ways of doing things, parents must teach their children how to think rather than teaching them what to think. They should let the children make their choices.
Discussion
Mead makes a good point in this chapter by mentioning how education must be imbibed on children by letting them make their choices. She specifically says that we should teach them how to think. However, today, after about 80 years after the book was written this is actually a reality. Most parents today let their kids make their own choices and choose their own careers. Thus, we can see that civilizations take time to mold. They start off as primitive and then there are slow positive changes like forming the constitution, the bill of rights, forming the education and the health care system etc which convert the civilization into a developed and prosperous one. Who knows, after a few centuries, Samoa might have a very developed civilization.
Mead finally says that a civilization where there are so many choices and so many different ways of doing things, parents must teach their children how to think rather than teaching them what to think. They should let the children make their choices.
Discussion
Mead makes a good point in this chapter by mentioning how education must be imbibed on children by letting them make their choices. She specifically says that we should teach them how to think. However, today, after about 80 years after the book was written this is actually a reality. Most parents today let their kids make their own choices and choose their own careers. Thus, we can see that civilizations take time to mold. They start off as primitive and then there are slow positive changes like forming the constitution, the bill of rights, forming the education and the health care system etc which convert the civilization into a developed and prosperous one. Who knows, after a few centuries, Samoa might have a very developed civilization.
No comments:
Post a Comment