Hello!
My head is a total blur right now. I wrote this research essay for admission to the Ryerson RTA program today (the Einstein question), and I have to submit it by tomorrow, as I leave to Quebec tomorrow morning. Is my sanity intact? Do these words make good sense?
Feedback is appreciated!
ONTARIO EDUCATION SYSTEM - ACADEMIC RESEARCH
Albert Einstein, the man who possessed one of the greatest minds ever to have existed, once said: "The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education". Although it's not clear if these remarks were made right after demonstrating the existence of molecules, or redefining the study of physics, or even asserting the equivalence of mass and energy, it is a forgone conclusion to suggest that Einstein had a tendency to challenge typical thought. On the same fold, Einstein's unique drive to go beyond the conventionality of standardized teaching reflected a mind within that was simply exceptional. However, in present times, the importance of gaining an education is unquestionable to the rest of us average-thinkers, as it remains to be one of the most important contributors to a healthy, thriving society. While some may believe that standardized education is limiting to the creative thinking process, others say that it is necessary in effectively fostering the incoming generation, through means of discipline and structure. This paper will analyze the history and success of public education within Canada, address the education process of Einstein himself, and provide personal, anecdotal perspective into my experience with this province's publically-subsidized Catholic education system.
A prime example of public education can be traced back to the humble beginnings of the Ontario education system. Prior to the 19th century, education was usually an informal process, which involved the generational inheritance of skills and values within the family (The Canadian Encyclopedia). Few children in what was then British North America were educated in formal school environment, rather than the then-customary household setting. As a result, instruction for females was usually quite strained in any skill set that did not include needlework (TCE). By the 1840's, however, the concept of public schooling became an increasingly prevalent conversation, led the way by pivotal figures in the activism for public education, which included a man with a particularly familiar and significant surname: Egerton Ryerson. By becoming the Superintendent of Education for Upper Canada in 1844, Ryerson laid the groundwork for the building of the Ontario Public School System that continues to stand to this day (Ryerson Archives). Ryerson's goal of free education was finally reached in 1871, when a bill was passed that mandated education until the age of 16 (Ryerson Archives). To this day Ryerson's passion for public education, combined with his masterful skill of compromise has proved to be universally acclaimed throughout the world today. In fact, a Globe and Mail article published in late 2010 found that:
"Although Ontario earned one of the highest rankings - its school system is rated as "great" - the province manages to spend thousands of dollars less per pupil than countries including the United States, Denmark and Iceland, which all earned a rating of "good."
Therefore, the raving success of the Ontario education system, as brought to fruition through the monumental works of Egerton Ryerson, can definitely attest to the importance of public education, in its essence of free and accessible learning for all citizens, on today's society.
Albert Einstein obtained his early education in Munich, Germany, where his teachers were quick to label him as a "poor student" and borderline "mentally retarded" (NotableBiographies, 2012). Due to the highly regimented German education system, his non-mathematical skills were slow to develop. In fact, it was his mother who encouraged him to take up the exercising of his mechanical skills with the playing of the violin - an instrument that Einstein was quick to master. (ABC Science, 2004). Einstein found regular schooling to be inordinately strict and very oppressive to his learning process. Many of his teachers, evidently, thought that this otherwise lazy, cynical, sloppy student would never amount to anything (About.com). The question that I pose to Einstein's less-than-ideal educational upbringing: is the function of the public education system simply incompatible with a mind such as his? Should we sympathize with Einstein's lazy, miserable demeanor throughout his early years, knowing the monumental scientific advancements he managed to achieve without exemplary marks in school?
In speaking of my experience of being raised in a publicly funded Catholic education system, I can attest my academic success to a largely positive, open attitude to both the teachings of the curriculum and the ideas that surpass it, and in particular, doctrinally. For instance, the gradual fruition of my atheism was, clearly, not a result of my high marks scored throughout the four years of obligatory religion class. Rather, it was merely a process of simple logical deduction, through well-informed, extra-curricular education that I wouldn't in my wildest dreams hope to find within the curriculum. On the same fold, I am thankful for my Catholic education to have instilled in me a propensity to contemplate. Being the average-minded person that I am, the presence of structure and discipline in our education system has proved to be of great importance not only to myself, but to the countless numbers of students who need a system like the one we have in place in order to learn of the necessary skills required to thrive in society. Therefore, it is my opinion that a due amount of respect be held for the process of standard education. It is due in part to the works of legendary figures such as Egerton Ryerson, that millions upon millions of us non-Einsteins are able to gain an education in the perpetual pursuit of lifelong happiness.
