This quote had that affect on me the other day:
"Education without values,
as useful as it is,
seems rather to make man
a more clever devil."
C.S. Lewis
It isn't enough that I teach computers, math or science. Teaching them how to solve equations or how to create a presentable document on a computer will leave them lacking. They must not only learn how to do their homework, they must learn that they should do their homework.
I am not talking about showing them the benefits of doing their homework, or what they can get out of being successful at their homework. I am talking about teaching them that doing their homework is the right thing to do. The teaching should even go to that next step. They should learn that working hard is good, whether or not they get something good out of it. It pleases their creator when they choose to do their best.
Without these values, education is is pointless.
I agree, Matt, that students need to understand the "whys" along with the "whats." But I'd like to think that the parents should have instilled a sense of responsibility before the students walk into your classroom.
ReplyDeleteMine did, so I know it's not impossible. It's a shame that some, apparently, aren't.