The Lu article is all about the struggles between traditional classroom settings and the home. I found the stories and examples used interesting because they showed (especially the Marxism scenario) how even government and political ideologies affect literacy. However, I was most intrigued by something towards the end of the reading.
Later in the article, Lu talks about how both her and her husband are proud of how their daughter is doing in school, but they are worried that her very fluency will “silence” her in the scene of reading and writing beyond the classroom. I found this part interesting because (as a young college student myself) it makes me think how much classroom time is needed to perform your intended job later in life. So, my question is, what is more important, the ways of the classroom or more “on-the-job experience?” What is more important in developing into a white collared worker? Explain.
My opinion on this question is that it really depends on the type of job. Speaking from my own experience as an engineer and the experience of my friends who have already found jobs in the engineering fields, it is the on-the-job experience that is most important. This is because of how specialized engineering jobs become. Ill also give an example of this both. I have two friends both who graduated with a mechanical engineering degrese from Pitt, but one of them is a sales engineering at Areotech and the other is a mud engineer at Schlumberger. These are two very different jobs and they both required additional months of on the job training.
Our schooling introduced us to a very broad array of engineering topics and we developed basic tools in all of those fields. College was also a testing ground to prove that we can do the hard work that it takes to be an engineer.
Im sure that this is not true of all jobs though. I am not a medical student but my speculation, due to the years and years of schooling needed to become a doctor, is that schooling and what was learned may be even more valuable than on-the-job experience.
I found this question very interesting because most of my classes require an “on the job” portion, as a grade for the class. In my Foundations of Special Ed class we were assigned a school district and had to visit with them five times, making observations as well as helping the students. While I believe that learning in a classroom setting is important, without experience within the field, you will never be able to improve your skills or learn for yourself. A large portion of Special Education today is diagnosis. Someone could spend their education memorizing the DSM-V, yet would have a very difficult time when actually sitting across from a child attempting to diagnose.
Being in school is obviously important, and I think college acts as a great separator between high school, where you live at home with your parents, and the “real world”, living on your own with a job. Although college is encouraged for one’s education, I believe that education cannot be complete without true time spent in the field.
I honestly must agree with “jleja” it truly depends on the job! Think you may want a future chef to use trial and error to create unique delicacies in the kitchen but I would have to pass on a future doctor using a trial and error method during even the most minor surgeries. I personally am in school to become a teacher. I think the education profession is a career path that requires equal time in and out of the classroom. It is important to learn and understand the material being taught so that you gain a level of comfort enough to teach it on your own. But without practice instructing in the classroom no matter what level of comfort you have with the material you are asking for a disaster. So in short I think my answer is that it depends on the career path– for some occupations you need more time to be “on-the-job”, others you need more time with your head in the books, and for some you need the perfect balance of both!