Thanksgiving

I hope this finds everyone preparing for a fun day tomorrow with family, friends, or whoever and whatever makes your version of a holiday celebration.

So the subject of this post isn't on thanksgiving per say, but what the holiday has brought to my mind this year.

I've been thinking about the focus of formal education on subjects that are considered strictly academic. But the things learned in a classroom have almost no bearing on things like holidays. It sounds simple, expected really, the separation of the realm of the classroom from home. But what are we being educated for if not to live? Surely not simply to "work".

This is where holidays come in. I watched the movie Superbad with the roommates. In one scene the students attend home economics class. I realized that I, and many of my friends, never took such a class. I didn't have shop either. So what would Thanksgiving be without someone knowing how to cook? Do schools or professional mentors have an obligation to teach such skills or is it solely their responsibility to teach students "how to learn" and then they are equipped to learn anything on their own time?

As usual, I don't pretend to have an answer for everyone, there is only my vision of the ideal situation which won't apply to a real person. So my ideal? Probably a light focus, but not total abandonment of practical skills in class with young people learning a great deal of daily life skills at home. I'm sure this happens a decent amount anyway, and I wonder about the true value of life skills that I value (say cooking and use of basic tools) vs what other people have focused on (say music, dance, knitting, automobile maintenance, whatever). It really goes back to the human quest to be a complete person but still be focused enough to have some specialty to excel at.

So to everyone, give thanks not only for the harvest but for the skills you have and those of your loved ones. To educators, remember that we teach more than facts and even more than points of view. I always thought that the teacher as a role model was a question of morality and/or ethics. That's part of it, but there's the other side where we indicate to students what is important outside of the classroom as well, even if we don't intend to.