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The United States And Its Cultural Myths

Decent Essays

A Return to Principles The United States is shaped by its cultural myths. Cultural myths are widespread views or notions that are held and propagated by a nation to enforce its values. Among the great American cultural myths is the cultural myth of “educational empowerment” (Mann 110). It is the idea that the quantity of schooling is the yardstick of intelligence and the singular predictor of success. The notion that children fed into the machinery of education at an early age will be extruded further along the process equally and efficiently educated. However, like all cultural myths it is misleading, if not outright false. Problems in education throughout American history have made access to a good education difficult, if not …show more content…

Early educators considered religion and politics important. Now paranoia about inappropriate indoctrination prohibits such topics. The implication that teachers would seek to indoctrinate students and that those students would be unable to discern their own opinions via critical thinking, points toward a huge lack of confidence in both teachers and students. The urge to control every facet of the educational process inhibits the process of learning and great progress could be made if teachers could simply be empowered to teach all pertinent information. Trust in the relationship between students and teachers would let teachers teach, and children learn. Preconceptions about students and teachers tend to be unflattering. The general assumption is made that neither students nor teachers would choose to be in the classroom. Consequently the ideas persevere that children are likely to be unruly, lazy, disrespectful, or mischievous, when presented with a lesson. Teachers are worn down and frustrated by their work. Michael Moore, an Academy Award winning documentary filmmaker and social activist and commentator, highlights these presumptions. In his book Stupid White Men . . . Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation! Moore details his own experience with education, and also discusses problems plaguing education. While he does make the concession that there are people who really should not be

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