An interactive gathering wherein we explore contemporary social concerns and other issues that have implications for our spiritual and communal cultivation.
On August 10 we will discuss Carol Black’s “On the Wildness of Children.”
We invite you to read ahead of time, join us with your favourite tea or coffee, and engage in critical and constructive conversation.
Access the article here: http://carolblack.org/on-the-wildness-of-children
A few issues to consider while you read
Think through the values that you think should ground “education.” As an example, the author quotes Ellwood P. Cubberley, Dean of the Stanford University School of Education writing in 1898:
“Our schools are, in a sense, factories, in which the raw materials – children – are to be shaped and fashioned into products… The specifications for manufacturing come from the demands of 20th century civilization, and it is the business of the school to build its pupils according to the specifications laid down.”
In what ways would altering the foundational values change the way we teach? change who teaches?
In what ways would that disadvantage your child living in a society that adheres to and teaches through a different constellation of values?
Is there a way to make up for that disadvantage?
Considering the political and social wrangling about how schools ought to operate (in-person vs. virtual? whose health matters?) in a COVID-19 world, is there more space for people to consider alternative education systems? Or, does the economic fallout create a stronger reliance on the state’s educational services?
For the professional educators: does her framing of modern schooling systems resonate?
