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14 - Dynamic views of education

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 September 2009

By
Lynette Friedrich Cofer
Edited by
Alan Fogel ,
Barbara J. King  and
Stuart G. Shanker
Lynette Friedrich Cofer
Affiliation:
Professor Emerita in the Department of Psychology University of New Mexico
Alan Fogel
Affiliation:
University of Utah
Barbara J. King
Affiliation:
College of William and Mary, Virginia
Stuart G. Shanker
Affiliation:
York University, Toronto
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Summary

A Navajo medicine man of great age and wisdom was asked to relate the story of how children were taught in the old ways to find knowledge, purpose in life, and harmony with nature. He spoke of the teachings of the elders about daily running to the East to greet the dawn with prayers.

He runs races early in the mornings. He takes snow baths and ice water plunges in the winter. He is advised to run as far as he could and back and to yell at the top of his voice as he runs to develop strong lungs and a loud voice. He must blow all the evil things out of his system, like cheating, hate, stealing, jealousy, greed, and lying. He must inhale the good clean air that comes with the dawn in long deep breaths, which is like taking in good health, prosperous life, and harmony with beauty. These are the teachings of the elders and we did what they told us to do. When one sleeps until sunrise, his voice will not be heard. If he yells into the early dawn like the coyote, you will have a strong voice to sing loud and clear without getting out of breath. This is so true because I still have a strong voice at my age and can sing all night yet.

His account is a life story about connections among all levels of experience – physical, mental, and spiritual.

Type
Chapter
Information
Human Development in the Twenty-First Century
Visionary Ideas from Systems Scientists
 , pp. 128 - 135
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

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References

Bush, G. W. (2001, January 29). No child left behind. US Department of Education. www.ed.gov/inits/nclb.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2004). From “separate but equal” to “no child left behind”; “the collision of new standards and old inequalities.” In Meier, D., and Wood, G. (eds.), Many children left behind (pp. 3–32). Boston: Beacon Press.Google Scholar
Dewey, J. (1902). School as a social centre. Middle Works, 2, 93.Google Scholar
Friedrich-Cofer, L. (1986). Body, mind, and morals in the framing of social policy. In Friedrich-Cofer, L. (ed.), Human nature and public policy: scientific views of women, children, and families (pp. 97–174). New York: Praeger.Google Scholar
Haney, W. (2000). The myth of the Texas miracle in education. Educational Policy Archives, 8(41).htpp://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v8n41.
McNeil, L. (2000). Contradictions of school reform: educational costs of standardized testing. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Meier, D. (2002). In schools we trust: creating communities of learning in an era of testing and standardization. Boston: Beacon Press.Google Scholar
Meier, D. and Wood, G. (2004). Many children left behind. Boston: Beacon Press.Google Scholar
Promoting better health for young people through physical activity and sports (Fall, 2000). Report to the President from the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education. www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/presphysactrpt
Wood, G. (2004). Introduction. In Meier, D. and Wood, G. (eds.), Many children left behind (pp. vii–xv). Boston: Beacon Press.Google Scholar

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