What do these terms mean: the average American, middle class, the typical American voter, one percenters, conservative, liberal, moderate?
I honestly am not sure. We hear (and use) these terms – and several others – nearly every day, but they defy clear definition. Ask 100 people to define them, and you’ll get 100 different answers.
What I do know is that these terms typically over-simplify a complex reality. They tend to artificially group us and unnecessarily divide us.
I know that every day provides evidence that the average American is ill-informed, disengaged, selfish, petty, shallow, and greedy – just watch the news and reality tv. Every day also provides reminders of the greatness of the American spirit and character. Average Americans built the greatest and most innovative country on the planet. The most notable thing about Medal of Honor recipient Bruce Crandall, who spoke to our middle school the other day (click here for slideshow), is that he is just a regular American guy. It makes you wonder about the capacity of all those regular American soldiers you see in airports across the nation. Every day provides stories of success, triumph, and everyday heroism (just talk to any employed single parent, for instance, about their lives).
I don’t know what to make of all this. I don’t know if we are in decline, ascendancy, or holding pat. I don’t know what all the political, economic, social, and religious turmoil means about us or for us.
All I know is that education can make a difference. Education can matter.
Some schools were created to provide citizens with basic minimum literacy. Some schools were created to protect the privilege of the wealthy. Some schools were created to bypass racial integration. EDS was created with a different mission; EDS was created to make a difference; and we hold true to that mission today.
So we don’t just teach reading, writing, and arithmetic. We teach our students to think and analyze carefully. We teach them how to communicate effectively to a variety of audiences in multiple contexts and through a variety of media. We teach discernment and judgment. We explore creative expression, aesthetic sensibility, and courage. We don’t teach just scientific information, we teach the scientific method. We teach a second language, but we also teach multi-cultural competency. We teach them how to be safe and healthy AND that their bodies are God’s temple. We teach and practice both leadership and followership and to consider when which is appropriate. We teach personal confidence and capacity, and we teach humility and perspective. We teach them that they have unfathomable capabilities as individuals but that they have no meaning without community. We teach and practice resilience and perseverance, compassion and service. We teach the Bible, and we teach theological thinking. We teach them that they are God’s creation and part of his plan. And so, so much more.
I don’t know what to make of what’s going on in the world, but I know what we are about at EDS. We are on a mission. For the sake of each individual child, for the sake of the family, and for the sake of the larger community, we are doing our best to equip them with the skills, knowledge, and attributes that they will need to not only make sense of the world to come but to have a positive impact on it – for their own sakes, for the sake of their fellow man, and for the sake of our loving Creator.
EDS: an education that matters.
Posts
