The Foolish Mr. Keating of Dead Poets Society :: Dead Poets Society Essays

The Foolish Mr. Keating of Dead Poets Society         The Dead Poets Society raises an interesting question When educating teen-agers, is it better to use the initiates policy of Tradition, Honor, Discipline, and Excellence or Mr. Keatings philosophy of carpe diam (seize the day)? Mr. Keating believed that people should suck the marrow out of life and live like a free thinking person even at the young age of seventeen. Centuries of teaching experience prove Mr. Keating is wrong and that tradition and discipline are the correct methods of educating.         Our fledgling nation of only 200 geezerhood is a mental midget in this domain of a function. Why is it that we are 17th in the world in education. Is it that we are stupid? No, it is that we have diverged from the old world teaching methods of Europe and Asia. Japan is third is the world in education. The reason is simple. Although they manufacture most of the worlds cal culators, not one is used in the classroom. One truly begins to understand math when taught by route memorization and physical punishment for incorrect answers. Anyone who has been rapped on the knuckles by a nun with a linguistic rule can attest to this fact.         The one thing that a student needs in life is structure. Without this, he or she cannot function in a school environment. When a bell rings, you must go to class. When a teacher assigns homework, you do it. No questions asked. No individual thought. The only marrow that should be sucked out of a students life is that of education. That, after all, is why they are in school. To learn and no other reason.         In the end, it should be noted that although Mr. Keatings teaching philosophy was debunked, he do one good point.