Response to Cronon

When I began reading “Only Connect,” I did not enjoy the sentiment of the article; I stumbled through the wordy interpretation of a certain type of education, and came upon Cronon’s findings, “Objects of a Liberal Education,” and found that I did not agree with his repetition of what the institution considered a liberal education.  While I agreed that each premise was correct, I found that each aspect listed was not quite deep enough.  These statements hardly scratched the surface of what I understand the basic theories of my education to be, ideas quite indescribable.

I strongly agree with Cronon’s definition, that a liberal education is one that grants the ability “to see connection that allow one to make sense of the world and act within it in creative ways.”  Education gives us knowledge that allows us to associate and bond with others on more than a superficial scale.  It lends the ability to intelligently converse with peers and make lasting as well as meaningful acquaintances. 

I disagree with his statement regarding the measurement of the success of schools based on the adherence of their graduates to his 10 principles.  My disagreement is not based in an opposition to a measurement of schools, but instead on a technicality: that it would be almost impossible to measure a person’s acceptance and pursuance of these listed attributes. 

Also, by training a child or young adult to “aspire to these ten qualities” are we not forcing them into a way of life, not giving them the freedom of education and general human freedom that Cronon applauds?

When we were younger, our friends were based on proximity and age.  We were friends with the kids who lived nearby and were not too much older or too much younger than us, because that was all we knew.  However, as our education increased, it spurred friendships based on commonalities far less superficial, such as shared interests and hobbies.

Cronon’s theory, while not directly connected to that of Friere, reflects some of Friere’s banking method in his idea of training a child to pursue the specific ten attributes.  However, Cronon also rejects the banking method by detailing that there were certain classes that once signified a successful liberal education, that have since been proven unnecessary and discarded so as not to mislead the liberal student.