Alternative Education: A voice from the past
Here is an interesting bit of historical support for alternative educational pathways.
In June of 1744, commissioners from Maryland and Virginia invited the Six Nations of the Iroquois to send a half dozen youths to William and Mary College for a ”proper” education. The next day, Canassatego, speaking for the Iroquois, had this response :
We know that you highly esteem the kind of learning taught in those Colleges, and that the Maintenance of our young Men, while with you, would be very expensive to you. We are convinced, therefore, that you mean to do us Good by your Proposal; and we thank you heartily. But you, who are wise, must know that different Nations have different Conceptions of things; and you will therefore not take it amiss, if our Ideas of this kind of Education happen not to be the same with yours. We have had some Experience of it. Several of our young People were formerly brought up at the Colleges of the Northern Provinces; they were instructed in all your Sciences; but, when they came back to us, they were bad Runners, ignorant of every means of living in the woods, … neither fit for Hunters, Warriors, nor Counsellors, they were totally good for nothing. We are, however, not the less oblig’d by your kind Offer, tho’ we decline accepting it; and, to show our grateful Sense of it, if the Gentlemen of Virginia will send us a Dozen of their Sons, we will take Care of their Education, instruct them in all we know, and make Men of them.
This is sort of the way I feel about public schools.
I thank the gov’t kindly for their offer of a free public education, but in my experience, their schools turn out graduates that don’t know much about anything worth knowing. My “ideas of this kind of Education happen not to be the same with yours.” And I certainly don’t want my children to grow up and find themselves “totally good for nothing.” So, though I appreciate the offer, I decline accepting it.
Though I would totally take Canassatego up on his offer!
Filed under: Random Ramblings
What a great letter. Where did you find this?
Thanks! Isn’t it neat? I found it in an old issue of Growing Without Schooling magazine online (the link is at the bottom of my post) and also backed up by some historical documents by Ben Franklin, where he is writing about the Native culture and quotes this same response.
Brilliant! I love this.
Oh, this is amazing! Thanks for sharing your well-researched find. I absolutely agree that this is how I feel about public school. I know that the government – and public school teachers and administrators – really do mean to do us good. But the children who find themselves bewildered and ignorant coming out the other end of the public education factory really are “good for nothing” in the sense of living real lives.
Awesome! Thank you for sharing this little gem. I love it!
Very well said. Thanks for sharing.
I have to chuckle. I am sure this well thought out, intelligent and humorous response surprised the commissioners.
And yes, Canassatego’s offer sounds much better to me too.
Very cool quote. Thanks for posting this.
~jen