George Mason High School - Mustang Yearbook (Falls Church, VA)

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emph uations. we cation which did not develop tual responsiveness which is essential for its appreciation; if we live a selfish life it is also education which has neglected to teach one of the most es- sential points for co-operation, the ability to identify with the needs of others; and if we do not regard the individual as the most precious good of a demo- cratic society regardless of race, color, or creed, education has failed in one of its most basic aspects. — Linda Stenberg Integrity and excellence need to be redefined. Our allegiance to our inheri- tance is to understand where we have been and where not to go. No matter what has been learned before or what progress has been made by all of civilization, unless the in- dividual has a part in re- discovery of facts and theories and ideas, few of these will be important to him. People like to be skillful and like for any form of excellence they command to be important to others. For learning is an act of love. No one needs to teach the hu- man how to learn. Curiosity and the desire for excellence are natural to man, integral to his being. It is when the excitement of discovery is withheld that learning is dulled. The transition is the hardest, but once tasted, the promise of discovery will make struggle into an act of creation not for artists only, but for the ar- tist in every man. — Barbara Stuckey ' earn to tolerate and live with others different from ourselves while main- g one ' s sense of personal identity and committment is not an easy objec- ) - either student or teacher, but I know of no other logical aim for edu- al institutions that are attempting to train people for self-government in esentative democracy made up of many adversary interest groups, atricia Johnson

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Students don’t value authority as much as their parents did. With our advanced communications and mass media, students today learn the cynical truths of life much sooner — there is a war in Vietnam — people do live among rats in the ghetto. Au- thority figures don’t always make the right decisions. Students don’t accept the explanation that something is right because “so-and-so says so.” Values are changing. Students who accept the traditional values of our society are not confused — they know what they want to do and where they want to go. But the students who do not accept the traditional values of our society are frequently confused. In many cases they have not identified substitute values or goals worth striving for. Individuals need a reason to get up in the morning. They need values and goals to give their life meaning. If material success is not important, what is? Meaningful relations with other humans? A sense of mastery over one’s environment? An openness to new experienc es? Several years ago the Mamas and Papas had a hit song with the theme, “Do what you want to do, go where you want to go.” This refrain haunts me. It seems to me that many students to- day don’t want to do what their parents did or go where society has been going. They want to do their own thing ... but what is their “own thing?” I’m not sure students today know. They are dissatisfied with their education, but do not know what they’d like to substitute. We are facing a crisis in values in our society. The traditional American values are undergoing change. For example, financial success and competitive striving have historically had a revered place in the American value system. The man who struggles and works hard will be rewarded with security and goods in the fu- ture. But f ' students today are not concerned about security. They know they won’t starve. On the other hand, why struggle and work for the future when the world is changing so fast that the future is unpredictable? — Nancy Sprague and we need to build a new feeling of personal interaction and respect. It is much harder to face an individual ■ ■ Sheila Jones o © If anything more is to change, it is we who will do it

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