MODULE 3 – ESSAY 1
DEGREE PROGRAM THEOLOGY/TURABIAN

PRESENTED TO
PROFESSOR KEVIN HARTLESS

FOR

ENGL 101 – DO9

BY
REV. JOSEPH T. WHITAKER, III
LU23755920

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
LYNCHBURG, VA
JULY 6, 2015 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………2

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Introduction
The question of what does it mean to be well-educated is addressed by author Alfie Kohn. Mr. Kohn expresses, “It’s not enough to memorize facts or score well on tests but a good education is hard to define.” The author shares some personal reflections about his wife Alisa, as an illustration in building a foundation to help provide the answer to the question, what does it mean to be well-educated. Mr. Kohn outlines his wife’s educational background, her current employment, and certain perceived deficiencies in her education. The author’s conclusions are markedly different than my own, inasmuch as I am convinced that to be well educated means to possess a balanced education that exhibits orthodox academic achievement, and practical knowledge that contributes to the fulfillment and enjoyment of daily life. The author shares:
When I met Alisa, she was at Harvard, putting the finishing touches on her doctoral dissertation in anthropology. A year later, having spent her entire life in school, she decided to…apply to medical school. Today she is a practicing physician…She will, however, freeze up if you ask her what eight times seven is because she never learned the multiplication table. And forget about grammar (“Me and him went over her house today” is fairly typical)…I continue to be impressed…by the agility of her mind as well as by how much she doesn’t know…So what do you make of this paradox with whom I live? Is she a walking indictment of the system that let her get so far – 29 years of schooling, not counting medical residency – without acquiring the basics of English and math? Or does she offer an invitation to rethink what it means to be well-educated because what she lacks hasn’t prevented her from being a deep thinking, high-functioning, multiple credentialed, professionally successful individual? Of course, if those features describe what it means to be well-educated then there is no dilemma to be resolved…The problem arises only if your definition includes a list of facts and skills that one must have but she lacks…Who gets to decide what it means to be well-educated? 3
Even assuming that you and I agree to include one criterion and exclude another, that doesn’t mean our definition should be imposed with the force of law – for example, taking the form of requirements for a high school diploma…More to the point, the fact that so many of us don’t agree suggests…that one definition may never fit all; and therefore, that we should leave it up to local communities to decide who gets to graduate…Less obviously, the idea of making diplomas contingent on passing an exam answers by default the question of what it means to be well – (or sufficiently) educated: Rather than grappling with the messy issues involved, we simply declare that standardized tests will tell us the answer. This is disturbing not only because of the inherent limits of the tests but also because teaching becomes distorted when passing those tests becomes the paramount goal…For that matter, any set of intellectual objectives, and description of what it means to think deeply and critically, should be accompanied by a reference to one’s interest or intrinsic motivation to do such thinking…To be well-educated, then, is to have the desire as well as the means to ensure that learning never ends.

I agree that to be well-educated cannot be exclusively measured by the memorization of facts, or to score well on tests. I also agree that a good education can be difficult to define. However, it cannot be denied that a certain degree of factual academic memorization that is authenticated by tests is absolutely necessary to ensure that a person is well-educated and professionally prepared. It is painfully obvious that Mr. Khon’s wife Alisa is a clear example of a person not possessing an adequate education in the knowledge and use of the English language, that is absolutely required and necessary in her chosen profession. Her lack of knowledge in basic English and mathematics reveals a serious credential deficiency that calls into question if she in fact, did meet the scholastic requirements to obtain the degrees awarded to her. In my own college experience, I have encountered the reality of having to adequately accomplish the academic requirements of achieving a passing grade in mathematics before I can be awarded my desired degree in theology. In my chosen field of education, I believe that being required to grasp college math is not in harmony with the concept of a well-balanced education. 4 Contrary to Mr. Khon’s views of what constitutes being well-educated, I can see and endorse the absolute necessity and wisdom in obtaining a fluent use and understanding of English. For English speaking people, true and complete communication demands a certain level of mastery in the English language. An adequate grasp of English is essential in the exercise of every professional field. In my particular case, I strongly disagree with the academic requirements for me to take a math course, when in reality, as a theologian I will never need to use college level math. In the account given by the author Alfie Khon, he clearly reveals that his wife’s deficiency in English and math do not equal the reality of a person being well-educated. It is true every educational situation is different. In the case of Mrs. Khon, she exhibits a lack of basic English skill that is essential in her chosen professional field. In my situation, being required to take and pass a college level math course is not a required skill to serve the community as a pastor and theologian. The author, Alfie Khon, answers the question of what does it mean to be well educated, by stating, “To be well-educated, then, is to have the desire as well as the means to ensure that learning never ends.” I answer the same question by stating, for a person to be well-educated, they must experience a balanced education that not only satisfies academic requirements, but also, the scope of one’s education must include practical and useful knowledge. This knowledge must contribute to their professional occupation, and to their personal fulfillment and enjoyment of daily life.

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Bibliography
Kohn, Alfie. “What does it Mean to be Well-Educated?” March 2003. Accessed July 6, 2015. www.alfiekohn.org/article/mean-well-educated-article/.

Outline I. Introduction A. What does it mean to be well-educated? B. Thesis: For a person to experience a balanced education accomplishments must be achieved not only academically, but also, the scope of one’s education must include practical knowledge that contributes to the fulfillment and enjoyment of daily life.

II. Opposing viewpoint by the author Alfie Kohn A. “To be well-educated, then, is to have the desire as well as the means to ensure that learning never ends.”

III. Conclusion A. An examination was made of the personal life experience of Alfie Kohn and how that experience has contributed to his conclusion concerning the question of what does it mean to be well-educated?

B. I reveal some of the flaws in Mr. Kohn’s conclusions. I also contribute a portion of my present educational personal life experience. I share a more balanced approach in my understanding of what it means to be well-educated. “For a person to be well-educated, they must experience a balanced education that not only satisfies academic requirements, but also, the scope of one’s education must include practical and useful knowledge. This knowledge must contribute to their professional occupation, and to their personal fulfillment and enjoyment of daily life.”

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[ 1 ]. Alfie Kohn. “What does it Mean to be Well-Educated?” March 2003, accessed July 6, 2015, www.alfiekohn.org/article/mean-well-educated-article/
[ 2 ]. Ibid.
[ 3 ]. Ibid.
[ 4 ]. Ibid.