A tale of two extremes

As discussed yesterday, the traditionalists and the progressives don't exactly see eye to eye. So who's right?

One way to compare traditional education with progressive is to examine each taken to its extreme.

The philosophy of Traditional education, taken to the extreme, ends up looking a lot like one of our Military Academies such as West Point, Annapolis, or even the Valley Forge Military Academy. These schools turn out students with a classical education in addition to military bearing and discipline.

Yes, the discipline and regimentation can seem excessive to some, but when one considers only the academic side to the education one receives at an academy, it is quite an accomplishment. Not all graduates of the service academies end up serving a career in the military, many become captains of business and industry, and leaders of the community.

Now contrast that with the ideals of Progressive education. Taken to its logical end, you end up with a school like Summerhill. Children are free to come and go, to express themselves, and to discover things for themselves. O Captain, rig thy sails a course for Bohemia!

This is the true heart of a Holistic approach to education. But only those with a passion for literature will be well read and only those with a drive for numbers will learn how to compute.

The rest of the student body is likely to exit as ne'er-do-wells: happy and enthusiastic dullards.