Chapter 10

Booker T. Washington explains that education should equally embrace modes of character shaping and useful handy work. He encouraged the students at Tuskegee to work hard to realize that they are not there just to read text books but also to be utilized in physical work in order to build self reliance and dignity in work. He notes, “My idea was not to instruct them to work in the preconventional method, but rather to explain that air, water, steam, electricity, horse power to help them in their work.” This particular quote sums up Washington’s notion that education as a proper civilizing process should instill the decisive impulse to work well and with pride, to turn labor into a task uplifting human dignity.

Chapter 11

Head of State Washington indicates that responsibility  are also valuable components of education. In this, he shows how the students struggled through cold temperatures and poor living accommodations to gain lessons in personal responsibility and teamwork. Here he says, “Nothing so assists an individual as to put him in a position of responsibility, and nothing so aids understanding as the consciousness of trust.” This seems to affirm his opinion that education isn’t only a mastery of courses, but also the determination of character, responsibility and leadership arising from tackling tasks.

Chapter 12

Self sacrifice and devotion to a higher purpose in aspiring toward education is the focus. He thinks about his attempts to collect money for Tuskegee and personal sacrifices, he says, “In order to be successful in any kind of undertaking I think the main thing is for one to grow to the point where he completely forgets himself; that is, to lose himself in a great cause.” This illustrates Washington’s opinion about education, to prepare people to improve the society besides focusing on personal gains.