Robert Maynard Hutchins said, "The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives." True leadership education inspires an individual to continue a life long pursuit of learning.
Robert Maynard Hutchins was someone who understood this. He was an educational philosopher who was a part of a controversial educational reform while president of the University of Chicago implementing the use of the Great Books along with Socratic discussion on campus. In 1953, he authored The University of Utopia. The following quote comes from it: "The object of the educational system, taken as a whole, is not to produce hands for industry or to teach the young how to make a living. It is to produce responsible citizens". And that is what is lacking in today's current educational system. A second aspect of true leadership education creates greatness in an individual by coming in contact with greatness through the classics in all areas: literature, art, math, etc.
My goal is to get us on this journey of leadership education for ourselves and our posterity. Together we can carry out a plan to inspire greatnes in ourselves and in those around us by replacing the mediocre education we received.
Yes! I was unfamiliar with Hutchins or the quote from the text you cite here but, as an educator, I have been railing about the Bill Gates model of education - that is to develop a "workforce" curriculum in American education. NCLB is just such an example of how we are "stamping" out dull-witted, barely functioning, young people who are just happy to have the latest e-toy and trendy shoes. Thank you, Maria!
ReplyDeleteI am so excited to take this journey with you, and learn from your blogs. Thank you Maria!
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