The Power of the Story

The other day I was reading an article that my boss sent out for us to read.  The article was fundamentally about the purpose and importance of education.  One of the salient points was that education is critical in the United States because students are falling behind students globally.  The author posed the question: "Why would employers higher American students when they can hire just as competent and well-educated international students for far lower wages?"  While I suppose that this question makes sense from an American economic standpoint, it seems that in the discourse of education theory and policy, theorists and policy makers are often asking the wrong questions.  While I am concerned about American students' lack of analytical skills and an increasing loss of jobs here to jobs abroad, my greater concern is the utter lack of a human rights and global citizenship component to American educational values.  From the environment to the economy, it seems there is an American arrogance that is derived, in part, from a lack of global understanding in our curriculum.  As students and teachers across the country head back to school, it is important to remember the transformative power of education and it is important to question curriculums and established understandings about the purpose for education. 

Last night as I watched the powerful film Miral, I was reminded of the importance of education in regards to empowerment and voice. Stories are powerful. They have the ability to transform and it is through education and understanding that greater issues can potentially be resolved. Miral is the story of the fight for peace in Palestine from a Palestinian perspective. Moreover, it is told from the vantage point of three women. It is ultimately dedicated to those on both sides who fight for peace. The film's message is powerful and reminds viewers of the real importance for education. Just days after the film was released, an actor in the film, who was also a peace activist, was sitting outside a theater he established in a Palestine refugee camp, and he was shot and killed. Education is powerful and it is because of its transformative power that it is feared.

The film is excellent and worth watching. The discussion that emerges from the film about the purpose and importance of education is critical and one that extends far beyond simply those involved in education.