Off to See the Wizard

What does it mean to be educated?

By Howard Good

What defines somebody as educated? Is it getting a certain score on a standardized test? Is it passing through a prescribed curriculum? Is it being employable after graduation? If you listen to politicians and educational bureaucrats, you will probably think so. But who in his or her right mind wants to listen to politicians and bureaucrats? We need a better source of guidance in such important matters, and I nominate "The Wizard of Oz"—the Judy Garland movie, of course, not the original L. Frank Baum book.

It is my theory, based on almost yearly viewing of the movie since I was a kid, that the four companions who skip arm in arm down the Yellow Brick Road each represent a different essential aspect or goal of education. When you add what the Scarecrow wants (a brain) to what the Tin Man wants (a heart) to what the Lion wants (courage) to what Dorothy wants (a home), you end up with a fully educated person. There is even a kind of graduation ceremony near the end of the movie during which the Wizard hands out awards and recognitions: a diploma to the Scarecrow, a heart-shaped watch to the Tin Man, and so on.

Although brainless, the Scarecrow is still somehow smart enough to recognize the value of having a brain. He complains when he first meets Dorothy about the crows that come from miles around to eat in his field. "Oh," he moans, "I'm a failure because I haven't got a brain." But as useful as a brain would be in helping him do his job, that isn't the only reason he wants one. He also wants a brain so he can experience the joy of understanding. As he sings: "Gosh, it would be awful pleasin' / to reason out the reason / For...