To: The Philosopher who wrote (60003 ) 9/26/2002 5:27:50 PM From: one_less Read Replies (1) | Respond to Q. "Not what you would like it to be but what its intended goal is. "a) to encourage and support, not crush, the natural love of learning which all children have, (my initial formulation was "to instill in all students a lifetime passion for learning," but on reflection I realized that everyone is born with this, and that all the schools need to do is NOT crush it, which they too often do)" "I think the basic mission of the public schools should be a) to encourage and support, not crush, the natural love of learning which all children have, (my initial formulation was "to instill in all students a lifetime passion for learning," but on reflection I realized that everyone is born with this, and that all the schools need to do is NOT crush it, which they too often do) and b) to produce citizens who understand the fundamental principles of a free society, including the obligation of responsible dissent; who understand the historical, political, economic, and societal values, events, and imperatives which have put our country in the position it is in today; who have sufficient skills to have a reasonable range of employment and higher education options available to them on graduation; and who have sufficient training in the seven classical branches of knowledge to be able to participate actively and constructively in what Robert Hutchins called The Great Conversation."
