Chapter 23: George L. Mehaffy (1992-1994): New Pathways

In many ways, education is the first line of defense against ignorance and tyranny. Soon after the birth of the Republic, Benjamin Rush wrote, “Freedom can exist only in the society of knowledge. Without learning, men are incapable of knowing their rights, and where learning is confined to a few people, liberty can be neither equal nor universal” (Rush 1786). In a later time, in a far different America, John Dewey, the first individual selected to the Laureate Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi (Explore the Laureate Legacy), argued that education is a vital element of personal and national growth, of civic responsibility, and of active citizenship in a growing and vibrant democracy (Dewey 1916). Dr. William Chandler Bagley, the founder of Kappa Delta Pi, suggested that education was about preparing life-long learners and “real world” thinkers (Null 2007). If we recognize that education is a barrier to tyranny and an obstacle to ignorance, as well as the heart of active citizenship and a democratic way of life, then it becomes the role of the teacher to build that barrier, to construct that obstacle, and to guide the children in their care toward developing democratic habits of the mind and heart and learning the joys and responsibilities of the engaged citizen.