|
The Purpose of Education
My personal commentary (Chris Unger) Well, for me, it comes down to this ... As much as you might love or hate Thoreau, my life was significantly changed by my taking of a freshman seminar of no more than 20 students at Wesleyan where all we did was read Walden for the semester and talk about the book. Not to get too deep into the structure and content of the class (which changed me as well), but there was a sentence that has guided my life ever since. And I know I don't have the sentence exactly right, but this is my iteration of it that has forever been a mantra in my decisions and actions ... I went to the woods to live my live my life deliberately, so that when it came So, as much as I am able to do, that quote has shaped my decisions and actions ever since.
For me, long-term goals and aspirations are admirable. And we should not let go of those aspirations. We should not let go of the people, places, and values we hold close to our heart. But, in the end, all we have day-to-day is our day-to-day experience. Are we happy? Are we fulfilled? Do we feel, at least at some moments, gratified ... and thriving? |
Other perspectives Maslow. Csickszentmilhalyi Dewey. [Reggio Emilia person] [Recent Japanese person] |
It reminds me of the phrase, "You can't take it with you." So if we can't take it with us, in the end., what do we have. We have how we feel. Now. And how we feel now if how we feel what we are doing contributes to others. Makes me feel engaged (see Flow by Czickszentmihalyi). Makes me feel good and gratified.
So if this is what I hope for all ... then the purpose of education is to assist and support every individual to be living the "generative" life – doing what engages you. Doing what you love to do. And – I'll throw in – contributing to others and our humanity.
What does this mean? A simple checklist ...
Of course, under both bullets, you can go deep. At least for the 2nd bullet, we can dive deep into a LOT of content. For example, engineering, writing, political systems, economics, the sciences, etc. Interesting that we are not as adept at the 1st bullet. This has not been a focus of our educational systems. We have neglected the self for the greater good.
Hmmm ... is that ok?
So if this is what I hope for all ... then the purpose of education is to assist and support every individual to be living the "generative" life – doing what engages you. Doing what you love to do. And – I'll throw in – contributing to others and our humanity.
What does this mean? A simple checklist ...
- Do I know myself? What I love to do? What makes me happy? What doesn't make me happy? How I would like to live my life? How I would like to live my life day-to-day? How I would like to contribute back to others and our humanity?
- Can I figure things out? In the face of choices, problems, and opportunities, do I know how to figure things out, make things better, make a better world – for me, for others, and the world?
Of course, under both bullets, you can go deep. At least for the 2nd bullet, we can dive deep into a LOT of content. For example, engineering, writing, political systems, economics, the sciences, etc. Interesting that we are not as adept at the 1st bullet. This has not been a focus of our educational systems. We have neglected the self for the greater good.
Hmmm ... is that ok?
Proudly powered by Weebly