"We are a Democracy"

"We are a democracy…That’s the difference between America and Germany.  We are a democracy and Germany is a dictatorship.  Dictator-ship.  Over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody.  Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced.  Prejudice."  (Lee 245)

This was what Scout Finch learned from her third grade teacher, Miss Gates, in 1936, when one of her classmates shared a story about Nazi efforts to eliminate Germany’s Jewish population.  Scout later overheard Miss Gates, leaving Tom Robinson's trial, ironically supporting the verdict.  Tom was guilty.  Harper Lee contrasted Miss Gates explanation about democracy and persecution with her condemnation of Tom Robinson possibly to criticize the hypocrisy or irony of American public education in the 1930s.  Teachers like Miss Gates preached, but did not in reality understand or practice, democracy.

One of the primary functions of any system of public schools, in any country, is to support, promote, and perpetuate that country's values - whether they be political, social, moral, economic, spiritual, etc.  As Miss Gates explained, "We are a democracy."  No one questions that.  Or maybe they do.  What then is the role of the public schools in the United States in relation to this democracy?  In a response of between 350-450 words, please explain your understanding or interpretation of the purpose of your education. In other words, what is the purpose of public education in American democracy?  

I ask because before we begin our lessons and discussions about  American literature, American history, and American rhetoric, we need to first determine the purpose of these lessons and discussions.  A student will never fully grasp a lesson until she understands why she is learning it in the first place. There is no wrong answer to this question.  There isn't even a right or wrong way to interpret what the question is asking.  I only ask that you reflect on, and then write about your understanding of the purpose of your education in relation to the nation's democratic ideals.  Although it is by no means required, you might even explore how you think your specific experiences as Milton Public School students relate - or do not relate - to this purpose. 

As I wrote, there is no right answer.  However, a good answer will be well-written, intelligent, and convincing.