[PLUG-TALK] Driving Around Google in the Dalles

[Rich Shepard]

On Mon, 11 Aug 2008, Richard C. Steffens wrote:

> It was written by a teacher who pointed out that they (teachers) have a
> very small amount of time to have any impact on students, compared to the
> rest of the students' waking hours.

Dick,

   This has been recognized for decades.

> Our teachers were expected to teach us their subject. They may have been
> expected to teach us various moral values, but more in support of the
> moral values we were learning from our parents.

   This is a critical societal issue. My teachers did not explicitly teach
moral values, those were evident throughout our environment. I agree
completely with you that the major societal issues we see today can be
traced directly back to parents ... and their parents.

> Are there conversations going on to help the kids discern which of those
> messages are good examples to be emulated and which are bad examples --
> ones that should be used to help recognize good from bad in the actions of
> people they encounter?

   The question that has bothered me for many years, and for which I have not
found an acceptable answer, is who do you point out to your children as a
model of whom they should be? Entertainers (including the sports variety)?
Politicians? Business leaders? There are isolated local people who are
exemplars of ethical and moral behaviors, but I've not yet seen such a
person on the national level. I think this is part of the problems we see
today.

> So, I would put more weight on the "shift in societal values" part of your
> observation than on the "failures of the education industry."

   We can continue the discussion about the latter over a few microbrews. :-)

Rich

-- 
Richard B. Shepard, Ph.D.               |  Integrity            Credibility
Applied Ecosystem Services, Inc.        |            Innovation
<http://www.appl-ecosys.com>     Voice: 503-667-4517      Fax: 503-667-8863