What we believe....
Education is the cornerstone of life. It is the glue that holds society together. It is not limiting, instead, it is both our roots as well as our strengths. Education then, is the result, and the process, of living. It is the journey.
The word education comes from the Latin word, educare, which means to bring up, or to rear. The root of education, “educe” literarily means to lead out, while its suffix, “ion” is derived from -ionem meaning of condition or action. Education then, is defined as the action of leading one out of the stage where one needs to be reared. It is the hand that leads you out of childhood, the childhood self, and into the adult world and the community. Education “offers a chance…that children will glimpse possibilities that make them want to be grown-ups” (Meier,113).
The educational process begins at birth. I believe that the child needs to learn “to work collectively, collaboratively, and openly” so that the knowledge that they gain can be applied to society as a whole (Meier, 107). They should be presented with, and encouraged to use “choice and voice” in order to strengthen their “ alliance to their communities” (Meier).
I believe that in order to begin this process, the child must first learn how to “ look at the world for himself, to make his own decisions…to ask questions of the universe and then to learn to live with those questions” (Ayers, Baldwin (1988), 139). This way, we can guarantee that each individual is unique to himself, and the knowledge and perspective brought to the community as a productive member, is a separate and distinctive part of the puzzle. If we are all the same, or worse yet, all treated the same, then the whole picture, can never be glimpsed, it will continue to remain as a hopeful dream for a better future.
So I believe that we need to celebrate our differences. We need to bring “the outside in” and use the funds of knowledge presented to us from our communities. “We must inset culture into the education” not just “education into the culture”(Meier). Each one of our students has a future, so we should present them with the opportunities to reach their goals. Give them the materials, the role models, and the opportunities to succeed. Challenge them to always be better and show them with your words and presence that their hard work and caring attitudes will take them far in whichever roads they chose to travel.
These roads, no matter the distances, or the places in between, will inevitable lead back to the beginning. They will look back at their education and remember its application to them and to their world. It is then, the purpose of education to “ invite students to become somehow more capable, more thoughtful and powerful in their choices, more engaged in a culture and civilization, able to participate, to embrace, and yes, to change all that is before them” (Ayers,139). Knowledge must be constructed in such a way that it facilitates this ability to envision a future that is better than the one behind them. Belief, must be instilled into their very core. They must learn not surrender to the hand they have been given, but to play the game of obtaining new knowledge with all their heart and soul. They must know that WE believe in them.
Most importantly, I believe that change is the root to all education. Students should learn to be both a “dreamer and a doer”(Ayer,126). This way, a child can take responsibility for his or her own learning, and as a result, realize that they have endless possibilities to, neigh, a responsibility to “change the world” (Ayers,142). This, beyond all else, is what I believe.
(Quotes taken from two prominent researchers in the Education field.)
