Educators recast children as noble savages yet still required regimentation

Evidence

To modern educators, the child appears as the primitive embodiment of the good and the natural— the noble savage, if you will. Children are spontaneous and joyful, unpredictable and trusting— traits to be cherished but sadly evanes­ cent in the path toward maturity. … For all its nobility, the noble savage remains savage, and integration into the world of adults requires regimentation. — Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis, Schooling in Capitalist America, 487

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Even progressive educators preserved top-down control over children. — Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis, Schooling in Capitalist America:…, 489; The child’s romantic noble-savage image replaced Puritan views of innate evil. — Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis, Schooling in Capitalist America:…, 487; Racialized trust in the noble-savage myth sustained school regimentation. — Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis, Schooling in Capitalist America:…, 488 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Modern schooling creates an individuality that only exists in the act of obedience #corroborates (0.85)
• Liberating educators dialogue with people rather than explain action to them #contradicts (0.80) — Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 127