Abstract: Howard Gardner (1991) states, “the modern secular school is encountered all over the world. In such a school the religious, moral, and political message that dominated (and also sustained) earlier schooling have receded in importance,” (pg. 131). Education should not be seen as a “quick x”, a simple panacea, for producing a fully-developed, ready learner who is capable of facing today’s insurmountable problems and situations. Parents, administrators, politicians, business leaders, and all of those adults who have a stake in children’s education must change their current paradigm; traditional methods of education are no longer satisfactory. Adults need to view education as a process for creating life-long learners. We must all stop expecting children to t old models, and allow for the natural emergence of future citizens that embody creative spirit, critical thinking, and high standards. Creative spirit encompasses the internal drive, motivation, and external inuences whereby our students try new things and develop different ways of viewing the world around them. Critical thinking by our students involves the student’s ability to analyze strengths and weakness and give possible remedies for improvement. High standards refer to the idea of fostering excellence for all and living with integrity. We must work toward building community relationships that facilitate such development. Today’s society needs to embrace the ideal of attaining and maintaining community-based relationships. Simple values like caring about the quality of life and striving for unconditional love of the human race must be manifested. Community cohesiveness is a natural human goal for which we should all strive. To do this, local communities must embrace their schools, schools in which students learn and grow into productive citizens. Community-based education fosters interdependence and leads toward educational and community practices that have the potential to impact
Publication Year: 2000
Publication Date: 2000-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 21
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