PHILOSOPHY   OF   EDUCATION

The world is beset by problems. Many of the conflicts that afflict America, such as inequality, have been with her from the beginning, and some, like the alienation of her youth, are more recent, resulting from the changes and challenges brought about by the inevitable march of time. Such problems limit both the success and stability of a nation, and the personal happiness and achievement of its individual citizens. The purpose of education should be to enable students to address these problems in order to better the world and themselves.

To do this, educators must strive to produce learners who are not simply problem-solvers, but active, engaged questioners of themselves and the world around them, able to be both socially and economically productive. They must endeavor to face themselves and the world with both comprehension and compassion. They must truly be “lifelong learners,” the sort of people who collect personal libraries of materials relevant to their personal interests and concerns, and who use these to discover inspiration in identifying and addressing the problems that affect their lives and their nation. They must have the courage, discipline, and confidence in their skills and abilities to believe they can create positive change, whether by improving the world outside or their personal economic, occupational, and social situations.

Educators can only promote the development of these learners by exposing them through meaningful, practical methods to a wealth of different knowledge in an environment that encourages questioning, exploration, and growth. The most effective methods for bringing learners to knowledge are those that develop their abilities to discover and create such knowledge for themselves, either through the direct experience of how things work or the effort of understanding and decoding relevant texts, and then require the use of this knowledge in the identification and solution of real-world problems. These methods seek to train students in the act of questioning, as both group members and individuals, mimicking the situations that students will experience outside the classroom. There is no such thing as “learning for learning’s sake,” as all true knowledge results in a deepened understanding of self, society, and/or the world’s workings, and can be actively applied to the search for solutions. Topics of study should include the 3 R’s, which are the building blocks for other knowledge; the social sciences and philosophy, which provide the theoretical structures for understanding societies and their members; the natural sciences and maths, valuable for training the mind to comprehend experience through logical thought; language and linguistics, to encourage clear and open communication with others; and literature most of all, for its ability to expose the soul of a situation to the hearts and minds of its readers. True education requires that students engage with these subjects on a level beyond absorption and recitation. Students must be willing to accept the challenge of making knowledge their own, a rigorous task that is encouraged by an open and accepting classroom environment which rewards questioning and the seeking of answers as much as the discovery. Students must feel safe in extending themselves and their ideas beyond what seems to be the “right” or “obviously correct” answer, in order to discover and grow in their unique understandings and abilities.

The role of teachers, therefore, is that of facilitators and guides. They work to provide learners with the ability to access all the resources our world offers, to remove roadblocks to learning, including the students’ personal limitations or inhibitions, and to direct students in their efforts to achieve superior knowledge and understandings of the problems that plague society. They design lessons utilizing their content to inspire interest and develop meaningful skills that students will use in their occupational tasks, personal relationships, and social responsibilities throughout their lives. Above all, teachers work to ensure the success and stability of our nation, and the personal happiness and achievement of our individual citizens, by modeling the role of engaged, active questioner with a compassionate and comprehending heart.

Continue On To Personal Skills . . .