Blogging the Noosphere

Not my title, but that of an article in most recent Chronicle of Higher Education here.

As an educator and scientist in higher education I see what the author is talking about first hand all the time. I have little luck in convincing the American undergraduates I work with of the joys and benefits of pursuing higher education in the scientific and technical fields, while our graduate programs are brimming with foreign nationals. As the author says, I have nothing but admiration and respect for our graduate CS students, and greatly admire many of them in their determination and effort. My beef is with the American students, products of our American educational system. Will all of those undergraduates really find themselves as satisfied and fulfilled as their counterparts a few grades above them in the years to come? Some additional points to add, in no particular order:

• Self-esteem and all, as the author points out is greatly overrated. Self-confidence without a basis of real achievement and struggle is hollow at best, and will lead to a similarly hallow life.
• And conversely, there is nothing quite like the feeling of perspective one gets looking back on a long journey of constant (slow, steady, sometimes yes even agonizing) progress and accomplishment towards a difficult goal. The authors term is “arduous intellectual ascent”. It is not always arduous, there are many small joys and wonders on the slow long journey, mostly sufficient to counter the setbacks, dead-ends, frustrations and wanderings that will inevitably occur.
• I don’t know how to begin to (re)emphasize this type of personal and intellectual achievement and self-discipline as cultural ideals. But I know it is essential that we recapture it somehow as a cultural imperative and core educational perspective
• I knew the thrust of this topic was triggering some association, and now I just recalled that Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People makes some similar points, much better than I argue here, along the same lines in his introductory chapters. I’ll have to dig that up and reread to refresh myself on some of his points, but check it out, I highly recommend the book.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS