The metaphor of the "ivory tower" has always interested me. Whenever I hear the phrase, I picture something out of a fantasy novel. When I walk the halls of Helen C. White (the location of my particular real estate in the 'ivory tower'), however, I think that the phrase doesn't quite capture my day to day reality. The flickering fluorescent lights are just too real.I suppose the metaphor is more about isolation than any specific image (in my mind this suggests more "tower" and less "ivory"). In fact, according to my not very reliable Internet source, the metaphor alludes to a passage from the Songs of Solomon that suggests purity. The same source suggests that in the nineteenth-century, the phrase could have been used to refer to towers in Oxford. Now this I believe.
To the extent that the metaphor suggests isolation from the world, I think it is valuable because it helps us question our own academic practices. Yet, it is also valuable to remember that it's not all or nothing - the ivory tower and the world can be related in complicated ways.
I also found this to have more of an emphasis on the "tower" versus "ivory" because I could sense the loneliness that the professor felt. One point that caught my attention was when he was examining the subjectivity of writing as opposed to a multiple-choice test. He wondered "whether the college [would] send [him] a note either" with approval or disapproval of the number of students failed his course. Nothing actually happened, there was no encouragement, no disappointment. No one patted him on the back, encouraging him to keep doing what he was doing or tell him something needed to change. In that sense he was alone, he felt no direction from anyone but himself.
ReplyDeleteAnother idea, completely separate from the previous one, is brought up later in the text. He says, "everyone wants to triumph. But not everyone can - in fact, most can't." This brings up the idea of the the American Dream. Is it possible? According to this professor, it's not possible for most of the ones who want to achieve it. If it were, it wouldn't be such a great accomplishment.
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ReplyDeleteProfessor X brought up a point about the current generation of college students being those who, in the nighttime, busy ourselves “with such regular extracurricular pursuits of higher education as reading Facebook and playing beer pong.” While other, older individuals attend and fail at the college level. It would seem that both of us are somewhat removed from the academic system. But while one maintains a solid grasp on the education, it seems that time has led to a distancing of the older generation.
ReplyDeleteIt’s concerning that the woman, Mrs. L, in the anecdote, was unaware of her own incompetence. When she was alienated from the education system, we can assume, that with time brought depletion of acquired knowledge, among other changes, more complex ones, namely technology. While it would be ideal to assume no fault on the part of Mrs. L, it is my opinion, that engaging in ‘academic-like’ activities would have forced her mind into a greater state of competency. For example, becoming familiarized with a newspaper or the local library would have kept her mind active and learning, if even only on a subconscious level. It becomes easier for one to write well if regularly exposed to written material.
The difference between the distance that our generation and Mrs. L’s have seen is the perpetual influence of academia on ours, for we’ve yet to experience the distancing that comes with time. Though we expose ourselves to a ‘world’ outside the academic parameters, we are continually feeding our minds, or have only recently stopped, leaving the material fresh. Time is the enemy in these instances.
The professor struggles between recognizing her student's own hardships and knowing that she can't change their grades to help them pass. This moral dilemma strikes home. As I read the article I found myself realizing how incredibly twisted the system of education the author describes is. We are definitely all encouraged and entitled to a college or secondary education. We've all been told this. There are funds and scholarships for the less fortunate to receive a higher education as well job incentives for those who already hold employment. But once those who are unqualified finally make it to their college or university, who's to say they will accomplish anything meaningful towards getting their diploma? Without a solid educational background it appears close to impossible to accomplish these goals and get students to graduation.
ReplyDeleteThe situation this professor is struggling with is surely happening across the country. I believe the problem is rooted in adolescence and childhood education and family life and encouragement. I fear the cycle will continue as the parents fail out of college because they're trying to balance family, work, and school. Their children will likewise struggle to get what they need to get through childhood and the system may start over again. Elementary and high school education needs improvement in order to help those in the future succeed through college level work.