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Jesse Mann
Professor Kevin McDonough
EDTL 506-001: Philosophy of Education
27 July 2015
Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Education and the Joy of Invitation!
Education is a dedicated messenger, a faithful herald, a loud-mouthed country preacher...
a town crier recklessly hollering good news for all to hear. There are no strings attached:
everybody is invited to attend, and the message is discovery...an opportunity for every student to
share in the joy of learning. Equipped with this enthusiasm, the teacher honours students for who
they are and not who they ought to be, an attitude that includes an acceptance that disarms fear, a
benevolent authority that protects freedom, and a deliberate display of purpose and passion
designed to excite the imagination. While I cannot compete with the town criers of old (some of
which could reportedly deliver their declarations at volumes exceeding one hundred decibels) I
can certainly apply their boisterous commitment to clarity in the classroom (Leeson 3). Learning
will be recognized as an opportunity rather than an achievement, and the invitation to explore
will be extended equally to all.
Perhaps the greatest single threat to this simple vision of pleasure and proclamation is
fear. Contemporary classrooms can be cruel and confusing, places where students are presented
with an interpretation of success that often banishes authentic creativity. McDermott aptly
summarizes this situation, describing an oppressive urge to avoid "looking incompetent" (285).
The results of this pressure are lamentable; fear has the final word, enslaving some students and
exiling the rest. Those able to achieve the results allowed by the teacher cannot escape the
narrow limitations that accompany the instructor's approval, while the remainder are banished,

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branded with a label of failure that usually stifles any further efforts to discover the joys of
learning.
This sad state of affairs becomes especially apparent upon the examination of the
methods of evaluation commonly employed in the classroom...methods expressed through a
language of failure. McDermott's insightful analysis exposes the dangers of this theory of deficit,
questioning the assumption that every student lacks a particular collection of abilities (291).
Should a student be unable to summon the appropriate smarts demanded by a test he or she faces
failure - a label that reflects a lifeless series of standards rather than the human being stuck
underneath it. In this context students are defined as a collection of haves and have-nots, a
distinction that represents a serious threat to how learning is understood (McDermott 275, 285). I
believe that this privileged perception of learning can be undermined by considering some of the
characteristics displayed by the town crier. Stomping up and down the streets swinging a hand
bell, the messenger offers his announcements to any who will listen, inviting all to participate.
While I certainly do not recommend that teachers start shouting at their students, I think
they would do well to consider each lesson as an invitation rather than a challenge. A bellowing
herald accepts his or her audience out of hand; an educator who embraces a similar attitude could
nourish a dynamic desire to learn by unashamedly accepting each student for who they are rather
than who they ought to be. Embracing this commitment to inclusivity takes courage, but the
results merit the attempt. Once the fear of failure is struck down by the honest sincerity that
accompanies the invitation to learn, the student encounters a certain liberty - the ability to
discover learning according to his or her own volition. The narrow barriers that surround
traditional definitions of academic success cannot withstand this flood of freedom, resulting in
decidedly unorthodox methods of discovery.

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Like a weary rancher toting sandbags, Brighouse approaches this creative flood with
caution. Autonomy certainly must be allowed to flourish, he argues, but freedom must be
combined with appropriate measures of authority (25-26). There is a delicate balance here
between positive freedom and paternalism; town criers, for all their generous enthusiasm, are
still bound by the instructions printed on their bulletins. Brighouse is right to emphasize the
crucial role played by agency in securing a fulfilling life. Autonomy plays an important role in
facilitating satisfaction he declares, going on to define a student's satisfaction as the
combination of the ability to consciously affirm his or her lifestyle and the attainment of
objective goods. The discovery of learning that lasts for a lifetime is a crucial part of this
satisfaction engineered by constructive agency, a situation that brings into question the teacher's
authority (Brighouse 15-16).
In addition to enthusiastically wielding an autonomy that can free students from fear, the
teacher is bound to protect the agency of every individual in his or her classroom. Brighouse
would approve of a limited authority designed for this very purpose, a paternalistic responsibility
infused with the very same sincerity that inspires the shouts of a town crier. Positive liberty
demands it...yet this paternalistic authority must be exercised according to a standard of authentic
benevolence. Anything less would compromise the very autonomy paternalism is bound to
defend (Brighouse 25-26).
Here the element of risk once again makes an appearance. Launching an expedition to
discover the joy of learning outside the conventional standards of academic success requires a
daring instructor, for the quest may fail to produce tangible results. The steadfast integrity
needed to lead such a campaign in the first place is difficult to come by. A town crier
traditionally represents royal authority, a position achieved by a regular display of loyalty and

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virtue. Teachers enjoy an array of responsibilities that exceed by far those of the messenger, but
they do not earn royal approval. Yet for the sake of individual autonomy (and the positive
freedom it enables) I believe the risk is justified. Protecting the agency of each student is perhaps
the teacher's most serious duty, and it must be arranged with integrity. The alternative - that is,
compromising a student's freedom in favor of their security - produces both fear and a helpless
drudgery.
Thus far the comparison between teacher and town crier has illustrated the crucial nature
of the teacher's devotion to principle, paternalism, and gracious accommodation. A courageous
educator willing to apply these values in cooperation with each other combines generous
acceptance with benevolent authority, all in the attempt to banish the fear of failure and defend
autonomy. This effort represents a calculated risk, but the opportunity to honour students for who
they are and not who they ought to be more than justifies the hazards that accompany the escape
from strict interpretations of academic success. One final benefit of this arrangement deserves
analysis: the link between creative enthusiasm and imagination.
Delivering the news with a booming voice complimented by a bright costume, the town
crier excels at creating anticipation and excitement. Underlying the passionate performance is
popular participation; each proclamation represents an opportunity to hear something that has the
potential to affect the lives of every listener in a profound way. There exists an intimate
relationship between the innovative methods of expression employed by the performer and the
imaginative visions of the audience...a connection that Broudy describes as the aesthetic mode
of human experience (347). This experience is a critical element of the learning process, and
Broudy argues that it requires formal attention (349, 350). Here an educator may be inspired by
the decorum of the town crier, a uniformed messenger taking advantage of pomp and poetry to

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trigger the imagination of the audience. Teachers may approach the students with a similar
purpose, balancing Broudy's insistence upon a formal approach to the cultivation of aesthetic
literacy with a creative eagerness that includes an emphasis on feeling (350). The result is a
purposeful display of passion designed to inspire artistry.
This curious combination of creativity and enthusiasm emphasizes the enormous
potential for constructive learning exercised by the educatoryet these principles must be
matched with appropriate authority and integrity. A town crier displays each of these values, but
an inspiring invitation accompanied by rousing oration is entirely useless unless it is applied with
prudence. While it includes an unavoidable element of risk, I believe firmly that a dedicated
teacher can embrace these ideals and implement them in a practical fashion in the classroom.
Educators with experience might dismiss the humorous image of an overdressed gentleman
swinging his arms and shouting, but the vigour of the town crier may very well be the ideal
antidote to the destruction caused by narrow definitions of success and failure. These challenges
must be met with a commanding commitment to creativity and acceptance, a courageous effort
that has the potential to produce habits of learning governed by the imagination. This objective is
best pursued alongside a sincere desire to appreciate students for who they are rather than who
they ought to be, an attitude rooted in selflessnessthe very same joy demonstrated by an
animated herald screaming in the streets.

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Works Cited
Brighouse, Harry. On Education. London: Routledge, 2006. Print.
Broudy, Harry S. Arts Education: Necessary or Just Nice? The Phi Delta Kappan. 60.5 (1979):
347-350. Print.
Leeson, Lucy. Hear Ye! Im the Loudest Crier in All the Land. Hull Daily Mail, Local World,
26 August 2013. Web. 24 July 2015.
McDermott, R.P. The Acquisition of a Child by a Learning Disability. In Chaiklin, Seth and
Jean Lave, Understanding Practice: Perspectives on Activity and Context. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1993. Print.