Historical Perspectives

1. What are our personal thoughts regarding the innovators and the "makers"?

When I think of an innovator, I think of someone who has, as Robert Frost so beautifully put it, come to a fork in the road and chosen the one less traveled. One of the most well known innovators of my time that comes to mind is Bill Gates. In my opinion, an innovator sees a better way of doing something that is already in place and takes action for change. The innovators that were discussed in the field of public education included individuals like Horace Mann and Linda Brown Thompson. All of these individuals were able to take a stand for what they believed in and make a difference for the better.

The individuals that were described as "makers" included Andrew Carnegie and Henry Ford. Unlike the innovators, the "makers" were the ones that fist laid the foundation. They are the reason that we have public education in the first place. Without the makers, the innovators would not have anything to improve on.

2. Select one innovator and one "maker" that you feel truly influenced public education as we know it today.

As a "maker", John D. Rockefeller, also known as the "duke of oil", was a leader of the new American industrialist class. In founding his company, Standard Oil, the large amounts of profits he saw put him in a position to give back and that he did. He helped lay the groundwork for modern schooling because he recognized the importance of being educated in areas that were also related to real world experiences, like business. According to u-s-history.com, one of his most charitable ventures was the General Education Board, which distributed more than $300 million to various education improvements. (Retreived from John D. Rockefeller/u-s-history.com)

An innovator that contributed in many ways to public education as we know it today is Horace Mann. As he surveyed the condition of schools in his time, he saw areas of weakness that needed to be focused on. As he surveyed the condition of schools in his time, he then was able to improve these areas by establishing training for teachers, increasing the length of the school year, and gathering support for more funding for public education.

3. Record your initial, personal, reflective thoughts regarding the differences between the innovators and the "makers".

My initial thoughts were that the tow terms could be used almost interchangeably. However, I soon realized that the "makers" should be viewed more as the first part of the equation and the innovators entered in as the important second part of the equation, as they improved on what had already been started.

4. Breifly discuss why you selected the innovator and "maker".

One of the things that impressed me most about John D. Rockefeller was that he did not even complete high school. Instead, he chose to take a six month business training course, completed it in three, and went out into the real world to pave his way to greatness.

Horace Mann was chosen due to the fact that he was passionate enough about public education that he took it upon himself to look for areas that needed to be improved on and did something about it.

John D. Rockefeller. Retrieved May 13, 2009, from Travel and History Web site: http://www.u-s-history.com/about.html