EDUCATION:
A View from Inside

CONTENTS

PART I - EDUCATION—A Personal Experience
PART II - The New York City Experience
PART III - The Overseas Experience
PART IV - The Suburban Experience
PART V - The Suburban Experience—The Dark Ages
PART VI - Some Opinions And Comments From Other Sources
PART VII - Evaluation and Suggestions for Possible Solutions
A. On the Financial Aspect of the Problem
B. On the Educational Aspect of the Problem
PART VIII - Social And Civil Rights Changes
PART IX - Teaching A Foreign Language
PART X - TEACHING as a Profession

PREFACE

Education is a topic very familiar to everyone, but not too many people fully understand it. It can be viewed in many different ways by different people, such as students, educators, parents, and public officials and each one of them may have a different idea of what it should be and how best it can be administered. One of the most popular belief is that the more money is spent on it the better are the results. While it is true that money would make things very pleasant to everyone, the truth is that the learning process is not directly affected by it. It is only the desire to learn and the dedication of the educators that makes this process successful.

It has been my experience during my long career as an educator that those people who are interested in learning do so, no matter what is the system in which they happen to be in, and those who do not believe in it, refuse to learn no matter what the school may do for them. Between these two extremes there is a large number of students who are directly affected by the type of education they receive and can be successful in their goals provided they receive the proper education that they require. Each one of them has different needs and it is the job of the educators to fulfill it the best possible way.

The only person that can do this well is the teacher involved with the student, but unfortunately he is under pressure from parents and administrators to do what they think is the best way to do so. It has been my experience that not too many administrators are up to it, and they seem to be much more interested in their popularity and job security, so education comes in last. Consequently no matter how teachers try, a poor administration can destroy all their efforts to give students the best education possible.

Part I-EDUCATION—A Personal Experience