Learning as Freedom precis

In "Learning as Freedom"-an editorial published on September 5, 2012 in The New York Times -Michael Roth argues that rather than structuring education around specific vocations, "making the grade," and turning people into "robots" designed to complete certain tasks, education should allow individuals to be free to grow and learn while gaining necessary skills and finding their own purpose and significance in life and work. Roth supports his claim by first using a quote from scholars like Charles Murray, Richard Vedder and Peter W. Wood which states "why people destined for low-paying jobs should bother to pursue their education beyond high school, much less study philosophy, literature and history." And their basically saying if some is destined to be a janitor why should they have to go to school and try to learn to be a lawyer it just doesn't make sense. He then continues to support his claim by using the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917 where specific vocational education was funded in order to fill job opportunities. Although it was a well thought out successful plan it didn't allow personal growth and that was unfortunate. Roth sides with the philosopher John Dewey who says, “Education should aim to enhance our capacities so that we are not reduced to mere tools.”He believes that schools today are not fit for teaching because they all focus on teaching all children the same exact skills when all those children won’t grow up to do the same thing which means they don’t all need the same skills.