What Do We Want to Teach the Children of Our Society?

3 minutes

Education is fundamental in order for society to advance properly. But what do we want to teach the children of our society?

Written and verified by the psychologist Ana Couñago.

Last update: 27 December, 2022

Education is the foundation of society and it’s everyone’s responsibility. Therefore, the education system, and the whole community must all do their part to educate our children. But what do we want to teach to the children of our society? We’ll reflect on this question below.

“What’s done to children, they will do to society.”
– Karl Menninger M.D. –

This quote from American psychiatrist Karl Menninger sums up perfectly the importance of education in creating a better future society.

Education at home and at school

The education of children and young people begins at home, where parents must be models of consideration, support, love and affection. They must teach them to act socially in a correct way, to tolerate frustration, to accept diversity, to manage anger and stress, etc.

Likewise, according to psychologist María José Díaz-Aguado, families are responsible for taking care of the messages their children receive indirectly. In other words, making sure that what they receive through television, the internet, video games, stories, etc., are consistent with appropriate values.

But the education of the children of our society continues at school and high school, as they spend a large part of their lives in educational institutions. Schools must attend to and develop both their academic and personal abilities. So much so that the current educational curriculum integrates competencies useful for:

Solving problems based on specific knowledge about a particular disciplinary area
Solving problems related to everyday life situations

Therefore, the seven key competencies, which should have the same weight and importance, are:

Competence in linguistic communication
Mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technology
Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship
Digital competence
The competence of learning to learn
Social and civic competencies
Cultural awareness and expressions

In addition, it’s necessary to provide an inclusive education, with the aim of offering quality education to all students. In other words, minimizing or eliminating those barriers that limit certain students who may suffer exclusionary pressures.

This type of education is based on promoting positive coexistence, centered on values and good citizenship practices, such as solidarity, respect, collaboration, participation, responsibility and commitment.

What education do we want to give to the children of our society?

So, the three basic aspects for the correct development of the children of our society are:

Collaboration
Coordination
Participation

However, it’s not enough to deal with these aspects in a theoretical way. Rather, we must put them into practice. Therefore, in order for the next generations to know how to behave and respond to certain social situations, they need to have real opportunities to practice, both at home and at school.

In addition, families and teachers have a responsibility to act by setting an example of willingness to dialogue and assist, despite differences with other people.

“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.”
– Nelson Mandela –

In short, to create an advanced society, we need to properly train and educate little ones so that they don’t fall into the mistakes that humanity made in the past.

To conclude, we must aim to achieve a society in which everyone is treated fairly, where there’s no discrimination of any kind, and respect is a fundamental value. In other words, little by little, and with the help of education, we must build a modern and advanced society – a society prepared for the 21st century!