My research was dedicated to determining the purpose of education from the perspective of ESL teachers. During my research, I interviewed an ESL teacher to provide a first-hand opinion on this question. During the interview, three patterns emerged. The first is that education is designed to provide equality to all students. The second purpose is that it provides a direct benefit for individual success of the students. The third and final pattern showed that the purpose of education is to provide opportunities to improve the environment around the students as a whole. This paper will examine these patterns as the results of my research.
The First Pattern
The first pattern that was noted during my interview is that the purpose of education is to promote equality through its actions. Each student is given the same material and opportunity to learn in school. The teacher stated during the interview that “when teaching ESL, your group can come from widely different backgrounds.” In these classes, diversity is common and is promoted to allow all students to receive the same level of education. It also allows students to better understand other cultures. Unity is also promoted so that the varying backgrounds do not become an issue and instead of a strength of the class. As a result, it shows that the perspective of the ESL teacher on the purpose of education is closely tied to the need to provide an equal education to all students while keeping the class united.
The Second Pattern
The second pattern that was revealed during the interview was that the purpose of education is in the benefits of education for individual success of the students. This pattern is reflected in the following ways. The first is in the improvement of skills that education provides and the second is in the achievement of students’ individual goals. By being in a social environment of the classroom, the communication skills of the students improve through interactions with the teacher and the students alike while achieving their educational goals. During the interview, the teacher stated: “that is the foundation on which they will build their social and language skills.” This result shows that ESL teachers are also concerned with providing opportunities to improve and meet goals for all the students.
The Third Pattern
The third pattern of the interview was that the purpose of education is in providing students with opportunities to improve their environment. This pattern consists of three important elements. The first is teaching the students to love people around them. It may be difficult to create a connection with others when you don’t know the language well, but it is important to try and develop an appreciation of yourself, others and the environment as a whole. The second element is related to learning and promoting peace. Current political environment often revolves around various forms of conflict. However, it should not dissuade people from wanting peace. The last element is the development of society. Through education, people can learn about the cultures of others which can teach them to love, respect and be at peace with people from all cultural backgrounds. In addition, after learning about others during the education process, the students are likely to function well in society at large. On this topic, the teacher responded that “learning can help ESL students to function effectively in society and being part of their community.” This pattern shows that the purpose of education is to teach students how to be a better member of society and have a higher understanding and respect of others.