Of Our Dreams By David James Analysis

As students, we can all remember a time, whether we were struggling with a homework assignment or stressing out because of a test, when we questioned the purpose of school. I distinctly remember asking myself “Why am I here again” and “How does this apply to my life?” It was not until my high school career was over that I began to think about and try to understand the real purpose of education. Public schooling gives children an education that might have not been available to them otherwise. It teaches them discipline and gives them a social life by means of introducing them to many other children. Most schools have excellent extracurricular programs that gather children together and teach them teamwork, leadership, and accountability. These

In “The Poet of Our Dreams” by David James, he strongly emphasizes that as individuals, we are in control of our own lives. We have the ability to define what education, along with whatever else, means to us. To James, it is important that one follows their own path of what they understand to be the most rewarding. He states “The ultimate goal of all education must be to stimulate the individual imagination to seek out one's meaning and purpose in life.” He describes that education is important because of the fact that it can be used to enhance oneself. He also believes that what each individual can relate back and forth from personal experiences to skills and knowledge acquired through schooling is another reason why education is important. According to James, an education equips one with the things that they, and they alone, think is necessary to be considered an educated person. However, I do not believe that an education just educates one to the standards of themself. Students cannot decide what they want to learn by themselves. They have to cooperate and be held to the standards of the people that make the rules, or they will not make it long enough to learn

One extreme is the belief that education should focus more on its contribution to society. Bass and Gatto both agree that education needs to focus on the students’ roles in their society. According to Bass and Gatto, students should be taught the importance of society and community. The other extreme is the belief that schooling should put its efforts into the children themselves. David James strongly shows us that he agrees with this extreme when he discusses how one must seek out their individual purpose and pursue it. Sizer and Boggs fall into a middle category where both the society and individual should be emphasized throughout education. Both aspects are equally important, according to Sizer and