Study group at my house!
First, we drank grapefruit mimosas, called “lilosas”, standing around the bar at my house while I finished making the salad. It was hot yesterday, unseasonably hot, and everyone was parched and worn out from the week when they arrived. Six women in grad school, aged 26 to 31, coming together on a Friday evening to study for orals exams. There was a moment of heady, champagne-induced giddiness when, laughing, we considered not studying at all, just spending the evening like this. But then we settled in to take on the task, feeling the weight of responsibility hang heavier than the need to have fun together.
We talked through topics we’ve studied this year, discussing how the theories and articles we read fit together, what they tell us about the larger themes and historical tapestry of American education. What distinguishes the Common School Movement of the 1800s from the Progressive movement that came after it in the late 1800s and early 1900s? How do the theories we’ve learned this year vary, and how are they similar? Going forward, what do we need to know about class conflict theory, Durkheim, and rational utilitarian theory? What vision of the world does each of these theories represent, how do they explain society and education’s place in society?
My assignment is to look at the history of the Common School Movement and compare and contrast it with the Progressives. Much of the foundation of what our education system looks like today was laid back during these two major periods. Stay tuned, as I’ll work through the ideas here!
March 19th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
I’m impressed with how much we’ve covered this year and excited about hashing out our study group “homework”. We can do it!