Running head: SCHOOLING THE WORLD REFLECTION 1

Schooling the World Reflection

Lillian Blizzard

Chesapeake College

February 2019
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Schooling the World Reflection

Schooling the World is a film anyone interested in education should watch because of its

different viewpoint on the westernization of education. The theme of the film was that the

westernization (Europe and America) of education is destroying indigenous peoples’ cultures.

This film highlighted the importance of education through cultural traditions instead of the

classic “American” education. American education is education focused solely on going to

school/college for the purpose of getting a degree to make money. The view is obtaining a

degree to make money will give you a better life because you can afford to buy material things,

like a nice house or car. The discussions the film creates helps people learn about a different

world of education than we are used to. Having been raised in the United States where

“American” education is the leading educational pathway, it did not occur to me how much

damage this educational system did and keeps doing to indigenous peoples’ cultures.

The first thing that stood out to me from the film was how the United States government

forcefully took Indian children from their families to send them to Indian school. The school’s

goal was to have their “Indian” die within them. From the pictures I could tell that their hair was

cut short, trying to make them more American. During the summer, I went on vacation to South

Dakota and Wyoming. It was there, I learned all of the grueling details the Indians went through

trying to protect their own at the hands of the United States government. I learned about Crazy

Horse, of the Lakota tribe, and his willfulness to protect his people when the United States

government was trying to chase them out of their land. I find it very appalling that the United

States government caused harm to the Indians because they did not look the same way, practiced

different beliefs, and most of all because they wanted land that belonged to the Indians.
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The second thing that interested me was there are two ways education can be seen as. The

Westernization of education is compiled of many different things including: destroying people of

their uniqueness, taking away passion, being run by government officials to train people to suit

the needs of the bigger corporations, taking children out of nature, no stimulation in the

classroom, and going into debt to try to achieve this education. Western education also involves

people not knowing how to survive in the environment around them, but instead focusing on a

standard curriculum that makes them ready for the industrial system. Another way to look at

education is through indigenous cultures where education is passing on their knowledge of land

and knowing how to survive off of that land by growing crops. Women also knew how to work

on the land, manage the house, spin wool and much more. This knowledge is slowing being

destroyed because of the Westernization of education.

The Westernization of education is destroying indigenous peoples’ cultures because when

children are sent to get that type of education, they do not return back to take care of the land.

The children do not return to take care of the land because they have stepped into the American

world where they have to get a job to make money to have a fulfilling life. Children who are

receiving a western education are punished for speaking in their native languages, so they all

must learn English. The punishment was the children had to pay a fee if they spoke in their

native language. This was punishing the child but is ultimately punishing the parents too because

they had to pay an extra fee, even though there were already financial strains on the household. If

the children got punished and had to pay a fee resulting in their parents being frustrated, making

them not want to interact with their parents hurting their relationship. This has caused many

languages to die out. Children also feel their culture is shameful after being exposed to the

American educational system. The elders of certain cultures are doubting their knowledge, they
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do not think they know anything, and direct questions to people of the tribe that are taking

American classes.

I believe the Westernization of education should stop trying to impose their educational

system on other cultures. It forces other cultures to enter an educational system that in turn

destroys their traditions and ruin the education they already have. This makes many people go

into debt trying to obtain a degree to get a job in America. America is the country to label other

cultures as poor and wealthy. This gives those cultures the illusion that they need an American

education to get out of poverty. American education does not help people get out of poverty, it

places them more into it because of the debt people are going into trying to obtain a job to make

money.

I believe the indigenous people have more knowledge than Americans’ because of their

vast knowledge of the land. They know how to plant and harvest different types of crops, take

care of farm animals, make their own clothes, run the house hold and much more. All of these

things make up their vast knowledge on how to survive off of their land. Many Americans’ do

not know how to survive off the land around them even with technology. Indigenous cultures

should be proud of the education they have based on their surroundings and not conform to the

American version of education because it strips people of their individuality and can eventually

destroy them.