Franklin and the Public School System
Teaching Students Morals and Virtue
In Benjamin Franklin's autobiography [The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Touchstone, 2003], one can read of how Franklin was able to realize the American dream, moving from poverty to extreme financial wealth, from a “nobody” to one of the most famous men who ever lived. By looking at the values in his autobiography, and comparing them to the public school system, it is obvious how society today is still promoting them as the ideal American way of life.
Franklin's Pursuit of Values
Throughout the text of his autobiography, Franklin emphasizes certain values including temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility. Franklin states that his goal is “to acquire the habitude of all these virtues” (p. 93), and he proceeds focusing on one virtue at a time, creating a chart to map his progress. Through out his autobiography he talks about how different virtues such as hard work, perseverance, and honesty helped him accomplish great things.
In the public school system today, teachers emphasize virtues that are very similar to these. They want their students to be restrained and listen, to not be wild, to obey, to work hard and present neat work. They ask their students to be honest, and not turn in another person’s work. Teachers tell their students that if they produce all of these values, they will succeed in life.
Morality Training in the School System
Franklin couples his need for self-improvement with the desire to listen to preaching on how to live morally, which is very similar to today’s “character education” in the public school system. Franklin was a product of the Enlightenment and he thus placed great importance on learning and improving himself. He did not reject religion as impractical -– instead he saw it as a means to learn moral laws.
Today these moral laws are taught in the school system because schools cannot give students the gospel. Striving for excellence and to be motivated in one’s work are just two examples of the school wide values children are learning. America has placed an extreme emphasis on moral and character training, sending a national message that children will succeed and accomplish great things in life if they only produce these certain values and characteristics.
The Pursuit of Education
Through innovative thinking, Franklin opened the first book club, the Junto, as well as the first library. These inventions have been highly influential in the shaping of the educational ideals throughout the nation. Franklin mentions that he learned French, Italian, Spanish and Latin in order to “read the books with ease” (p. 110). This pursuit of education for the sake of one’s own learning and betterment is a character trait that schools today are still attempting to instill in their students.
An illiterate nation is not a nation that can advance. As Franklin expresses throughout his life, the American ideal is to move up in the world, to better oneself and to improve the community in which one lives. The schools today are attempting to emphasize the same thing by showing how there is power in education.
Children are being inundated with the same virtues that Franklin instilled in his life, but is this the best thing to teach? The focus on learning for the sake of learning is excellent and praiseworthy. Even so, the motivation to use education to better oneself can turn sour. In addition, climbing the ladder to success, although not bad in and of itself, can be a negative thing when other people are stepped on and climbed over on the way up.
So on the one hand, the virtues that Franklin found essential to living the American dream, are good. On the other hand, they should be tempered with love for one another, which would provide the balance needed to succeed in life. So while schools teach students to love learning and to be honest and hard working, they need to also teach them to love one another.
Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography
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Morality Training in the School System
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