A Narrative about Knowledge
Ted Sheehan
The nature of knowledge is one of those phrases I have a hard time understanding. As a question, it’s a loaded one. For me, the nature of knowledge comes from my direct experiences and exposure to the world around me. My surroundings, my involvement in life, and my experiences both mental and physical have led me on my own journey of self realization and understanding. Philosophy has never been one of my strength’s. Understanding for me, has come through experience. Over time and exposure, those experiences have lead me to reconsider my understanding.
My understanding of Education has completely unraveled over the past 13 months. The basic premise for why I am attempting to become an Educator has remained the same, but my understanding of what it means to be an Educator in the 21st Century has changed dramatically. When I say changed, I’m referring to my own preconceived notions on Education, and what it means to be a good educator. This isn’t the paper to go into specifics about these changes, but it’s safe for me to say that my understanding has changed dramatically. That’s what’s neat about understanding, it evolves.
What I haven’t mentioned is personal desire for understanding. Experiences and events introduce understanding, but then the quest for understanding can become quite personal. The Web has introduced a whole new library of information at my fingertips. I’m 43 years old, and I’d say seven years into the Internet. The resources available have made a difference in my understanding and knowledge about countless issues and interests. As a research tool, it has opened a whole new world to me. Questions no longer go unanswered till the next day. The ability to get information and gain new insight is remarkable. At the end of the day though, it is up to the individual to pursue this quest for knowledge and understanding.
Truth is different for folks. What I believe to be the truth ideologically may not even be considered by someone else. So when we discuss truth or the nature of truth, it becomes subjective to the individual. I like truth though. I live by truths, but time has shown me that not everyone agrees with my views of truth. I think the basic concept of telling the truth has merit and value with adolescents, but to go much further into it requires a lot of time and thought.
Some people view stats as the definitive value and worth of a particular athlete. The “truth” is stats don’t define the value of a complete ballplayer. Hockey is a good example, great goal scorers sometimes are liabilities on the other end of the ice. So stats can sometimes be deceiving. Hockey stats try and clarify this issue with a plus minus rating which monitors on ice contributions, but at the end of the day, the stats don’t say in total the value of said player. So truth is a tricky term, it can be used to defend anyone’s particular situation.
Research is an interesting endeavor. I applaud those who use research to benefit society as a whole. Whether your interests are Cancer, HIV, Alzheimer’s or drop-out rates for high school students, research offers value to lots of folk and issues. It’s a necessity for society as a whole to progress. Research can also be skewed however; it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Political polls would be a very good example of research that typically is favoring one constituent over another.
As far as my own responsibilities go, my quest for understanding and knowledge is never ending. I try to live an honest giving lifestyle. My personal truths are the laws by which I conduct myself. Fortunately for me, they are typically held in vogue and fashion by society as a whole. And lastly, research is something that I reach out for to help clarify contradictions or problems in everyday life. I consider myself a knowledgeable truthful, caring person. It’s how I get up everyday and look myself in the mirror. Research is strictly a tool I use to increase my understanding or knowledge about various issues and subjects.
