Ignition for Education

Teachers are the intended audience of this essay. It sets out a view of moral goodness and of “the good” for individuals, communities, and societies as a whole, and then it applies that view, the Creation Paradigm, to the questions of how to teach well. In Section 2, some of its points are more relevant to school leaders, though they are also likely to be of interest to classroom teachers. In Sections 3, 4, and 5 respectively, the essay defends that Creation Paradigm’s focus on the individual as the primary object of “the good,” argues that education based on the Creation Paradigm can only be truly practiced in a liberal democracy, and discusses relevant policy considerations. So perhaps the essay becomes as relevant to policy makers as to teachers or school leaders. But it’s intended audience is, first and foremost, teachers. It is the efficacy of our work that is at stake when decisions are made about policies relevant to education, whether or not the people making the decisions chose to listen to us.

In some parts of the world, the teacher is a figure of respect, even reverence. In the United States, this is not always the case. We are a “low status” profession, compared with others that require a comparable level of education. As the old saw goes, we teach because we cannot “do.” And, as cultural warring politicians seek to win votes by the scare tactic of paining us as far-left, “woke” brainwashers of children, we are likely to face more active hostility than we have in the past.

So, let’s remember that ours is the most important work that anyone can do, because we are the makers of makers. We create in others that ability to self-create, to create, and to help others to do likewise. No other calling can claim this. No other calling is as supremely moral, as utterly essential to the wellbeing of humanity as ours.