PESSIMISM, OPTIMISM, OR REALISM ?

In the last post I commented on my selection of the "Key Global Issues of Our Time," identifying five issues that in my opinion should become part of every global education curriculum.

Obviously, we cannot limit the global issues of concern to humans at this point in time to only five. We should be focusing on 10 or 15 issues that are worthy of our efforts (for example, the energy crisis, over-consumption among the world's ultra rich, and the rapidly approaching global water crisis.)

The purpose behind limiting my initial selection to five and asking readers to make their own selection was to promote critical thinking and forced ranking in order to intensify the level of analysis normally given to major global issues.

As anyone can see, our readers did an outstanding job commenting on my selections and offering others of their own choosing. Great job!

A frequently asked question among educators is, "Don't we create unnecessary pessimism when we discuss such heavy-duty global issues in the classroom?" I believe the real educational problem is a different one. Yes, there may be moments of pessimism in the classroom as we consider the by-products of climate change, or the aftermath of a nuclear confrontation. However, do we do our students and their parents -- or human society -- a favor by ignoring the obvious?

Some issues are as problematic as they are real. As educators, we do not have a choice to lie to our students about the nature of the reality they inhabit. A lie of omission is a betrayal of our educational duty to speak truth to our students.

While unnecessary pessimism ("The sky is falling and there is nothing you can do about it!") is neither realistic nor functional, rosy optimism and the lie of silence are unworthy of being considered real "education." We must insist on the objective presentation of the real dangers to global health and well-being, at the same time that we make clear that these issues are largely of human manufacture and can be solved or ameliorated with proper focus, analysis, and commitment.

We live now in the world created by our ancestors. By most accounts, they did not do a terrific job. We can -- and must -- do better. Our students will have that duty as part of their "job description" for living in peace and justice on planet Earth. Lying about the nature of the reality they face isn't going to improve their future. Quite the contrary -- it will make their lives worse.

And when, you may ask, should we confront our students with their real world? As soon as possible, and at the level of cognitive functioning that they are capable of. Any simplification of an issue's complexity or harshness should be indulged in only to adapt instruction to the students' intellectual capability -- not to pretend that the world is rosier than it is, or to make it easier for the teacher to trek through difficult terrain.

As a human family, we can create a better world and a better future for all -- but only if we are well informed of the reality we inhabit and have the wisdom and the courage to commit to the creation of that better world.

If we do our job as educators, our students will do their job as the creators of a better world.