Using Social Media and watching what passes for “News” or “Fake News” today, questions why so many adults and young people alike, seem prone to emotional reaction rather than thinking and seeking to make informed decisions?
The amount of discord, disagreement, argument, insult, hate speech and acceptance of misleading information on display in the online environment, questions not only who we are as individuals, but also the standards of behavior that are acceptable in society under the guise of Freedom of Speech and the “right to have an opinion.
Regardless of political belief, we as adults have the responsibility to lead, act as role models and set an example to the next generation. Yet the majority appear to be unwilling to accept that responsibility.
So does this mean that Education has failed us? Or is it simply that Education sought to provide us with an abundance of academic knowledge but not the ability to think, analyze the facts and make fully informed decisions …… and manage ourselves as adults appropriately?
Physical and mental health is in many cases a product of choices we make. How much of our Education is devoted to providing the guidance and information for how the next generation about how to look after their physical and mental well-being? Is this relevant to what we are seeing in social interaction today? Indeed it is ….. because anger, argument, hate and disagreement can often be linked to how we are feeling and reacting to situations at any one time?
Age and experience is often considered to be two of the more important ingredients responsible for providing ‘wisdom’. Could and should we therefore be using that age and experience to teach and educate our students how to think, seek the facts and make the most appropriate choices …. or should that be the exclusive preserve and responsibility of the parent(s)?
Maybe with more parents being fully occupied with careers and less time for parental advice and guidance, the role should fall back on what we teach our students in the classroom. Or should the classroom focus on providing academic learning only?