Sponsoring 'Organic Intellectuals'

By Michael Holzman

The Italian intellectual Antonio Gramsci (a writer not much cited these days) developed a theory of what he called "organic intellectuals" that has become a vital part of wider efforts to understand how modern societies work and how their working might be improved. I think teachers are our organic intellectuals, organic because they are part of their communities, and intellectuals because of their vocational commitment to ideas and knowledge. If the constant question about students now is "What do they know and what can they do?," it must be teachers who know what is worth knowing, teachers who are able to teach what is worth doing.

Much attention has been given to the problems of schools as a product of society at large. Violence in the society produces violence in the schools, for example, and for that example there is much to be said for this argument. But in a fundamental way, a society is a product of its schools, a fact that has been recognized at least since people began to talk about world-historical battles having been won on school playing fields. If we are to have a better society, our schools must continually improve, and (it seems odd to need to say so) the heart of a school is the knowledge and skill transmitted from teacher to student. Without that, nothing...