Assignment:
What Should Education Teach?
W.E.B. Du Bois was the first African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard. He fought for African American rights and cofounded the NAACP. Du Bois sought social, economic and political reforms to expand equality and access for minorities (Pullman & Van Patten).
Watch the short biography of W.E.B. Du Bois on Bio.com. Then reflect on the following quote:
"Education and work are levers to uplift a people. Work alone will not do it unless inspired by the right ideals and guided by intelligence. Education must not simply teach work-it must teach life." - W. E. B. DuBois, The Negro Problem, 1903
Although this quote is more than 100 years old, the words still ring true for our society today. Please explain what you think "Education must not simply teach work-it must teach life" meant then and what it means now.