Many schools today seek to make the school environment and the process of learning one of fun. While we should all vote in favour of fun and laughter in its rightful place–-and the school is one of the rightful places-–-this should not blind us to the serious nature of education as a process of proper human formation.
The profession of educator is one of the key links in the chain of civilised behaviour. How many teachers would see themselves as such today? It is time to reclaim the ground from those who describe the educator solely as one who teaches skills or who trains the student in the how to pass public examination. The educator is fundamentally the one who leads the child into the wider world of ideas and who introduces the student to the joy of learning through reading, reading and reading again.
The rediscovery of the joy of deep learning is one of many educational challenges we face today. Modern educators must lead by example and immerse themselves in the world of ideas, especially the history and philosophy of education. This will be a key step in reclaiming the 'lost world' of the liberal arts and sciences for our children.
