Pickering College - Voyageur Yearbook (Newmarket, Ontario Canada)

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The Voyageur Four objectives of education mentioned by the Educational Policies Com- mission are: Education is Concerned with the Development of the Learner '4The first role, or phase of total behavior, is that of the educated person. Conduct in this field is centred on the personal development, growth, and learning of the individual. It includes his use of the fundamental tools of learning, his health, his recreation, his personal philosophy. The placing of these objectives first in the list is not accidental. They deal with the development of the individual himself. In a democracy this field is of supreme importance. Success in this role conditions one's success in every other phase of life's activities. The purposes of education which fall into this area of total behaviour are referred to as the objectives of self- realization. Education is Concerned with Home, F amily, and Community Life A second area is that of home and family relationships with their im- mediate and natural extensions to neighbours and community. Educationally the home is the most powerful, as it is perhaps the oldest, of all social institutions. Good homes and good communities are the basic units of democracy. The activities of the educated individual which relate to these immediate, person-to-person contacts are, therefore, grouped together as objectives of human relationship. Education is Concerned with Economic Demands The next aspect of the activities of the members of a democratic society includes the economic sphere-the creation and satisfaction of material wants. Here we consider the education of the individual as a producer, a consumer, an investor. The importance of such education in providing the indispensable material basis for comfort, safety, and even life itself is clear. The objectives within this general area are classified under the heading of the objectives of economic efficiency. Education is Concerned with Civic and Social Duties Finally, there are activities of the educated citizen. They involve his dealings with his government-local, provincial and national-his relation- ships with the peoples of other nations, and his other 'glong-distance con- tacts in large scale collective enterprises. This field of activity is served by education through the objectives of civic responsibilityf' These objectives are not mutually exclusive. Rather they represent four approaches to the task of education, giving us a comprehensive view of the whole. Some of these objectives are shared by other agencies, the home, the church, etc. At times their realization is hamperd by agencies in the community which indeed educate but not always towards these ends. However, from the vantage point of these objectives and keeping in mind the fundamental desire to develop a democractic Canada in a democratic world order, what are a few of the priorities in a programme of education in post-war Canada? They are as follows: 15

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The Voyageur But what is udemocracyw? It must be more than a perpetuation of the ustatus quow. It must be better than the world we knew between 1919-1939, of boom and depression, of maladjustments, economic and political. Dem- ocracy must mean more than a slogan such as Hitler's New Order or ,lapanis Co-Prosperity Sphere. Democracy has meaning. Five basic minimum essentials are: . General Welfare M'Democracy prizes a broad humanitarianism, an interest in the other fellow, a feeling of kinship to other people more or less fortunate than one- self. One who lives in accordance with democracy is interested, not only in his own welfare but in the welfare of others-the general welfare. Civil Liberty Democratic behavior observes and accords to every individual certain 'funalienablew rights and certain inescapable corollary responsibilities. One who lives in a democratic way respects himself. And to self-respect he adds respect for the moral rights and feelings of others, for the sanctity of each individual personality. The Consent of the Coverned Democratic processes also involve the assent of the people in matters of social control and the participation of all concerned in arriving at im- portant decisions. This implies that all the people must have access to the facts which will help them to reach wise decisions. The Appeal to Reason Peaceful and orderly methods of settling controversial questions are applied by a democracy to matters of national and international policy as well as to private disputes. The callous use of force and violence is rejected as unworthy of a civilized people. The Pursuit of Happiness Finally, democracy sets high value upon the attainment of human happi- ness as a basis for judging the effectivenes of social lifef, These values are the basic values which must be preserved for the post- war world. If not, the gains of many generations will be lost and the present struggle will be ultimately meaningless. The school, or to put it more broadly, education is the means by which these values are to be realized. What are the educational objectives by which these purposes must be realized? Educational objectives are many and varied-for example, to get ahead in the world, to improve on the position of parents, to improve social status. The parental wish is often as follows:-'fthe noble wish to save all earnings to the uttermost and give his child a better bringing up than his had beenf, 'K Purposes of Education in American Democracy --National Education Association, U.S.A. 14

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The Voyageur C Health The high percentage of men rejected for the armed services on the ground of health should give us some cause for concern. Many of the defects could have been remedied in childhood, and therefore many of them are unneces- sary. No community can longer afford to be without complete medical inspection and adequate medical and dental services including a free and adequate immunization programme. In many areas it may be necessary to correct diet deficiencies by provision of school lunches or portions of them to balance what the home provides. There must also be more adequate training in health habits, more adequate provision for participation by all children in games programmes. This programme should not consist only of 'cphysical jerksw in the classroom or playground in the same clothes in which they resume their work. In the simpler environment of former years there was adequate play space, but in large cities today, special pro- vision must be made. Mental Health L Teachers' attitudes frequently show a lack of concern for the child Has a personfl This must be corrected. We have tended too much to try to fit most children into a preconceived mould or pattern. A man in the army may be discharged as Hunlikely to become an efficient soldier . The school cannot discharge any pupil as unlikely to become an efficient citizen. lt is our task to discover the- child's needs and capacities and provide a programme that will enable him to use those capacities as a useful member of society. This will involve: till Reconsideration of our whole programme of teacher-training with less emphasis on subject-matter content and more on child nature and psychology. l2l Extension of guidance programmes, which should not be just vocational guidance but guidance in the whole task of adjustment of the individual to the school and the school to the individual. In the modern school, guidance is a umustw. lift Diversification and exten- sion of courses for the exceptional child, both sub- and supra-normal. Auxiliary classes for defectives are fine, but we also need auxiliary classes for our leaders. Democracy has almost invariably crucified its real leaders and left the masses of the people a prey to the ravings of the soap box demagogue. A recognition and adequate training of our potential leaders in Canada is one of our greatest needs. - Development of Ha sense of communityw This in itself may seem a nice, harmless phrase, but it is important to Canadian Unity. Are we a nation, or a collection of isolated, independent provinces, suspicious each of the other and jealous only to preserve our petty individual privileges? If democracy is really- to function in Canada, we must develop a sense of Canadian unity. Canada has responsibilities in the world of today and tomorrow. No matter how it is to be achieved, We must function as an integrated, self-respecting, united nation. Canada should have a federal bureau or office ofeducation, not to eliminate provincial admin- istration, but to set minimum standards, to act as a clearing house for educational ideas, to correlate curricula and standards and to, promote inter- provincial understandings and appreciations. i 16