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A Close Look at The by Curt Johnson One of the most important concerns in the
planning of a New Age civilization is the development of a suitable system of
education. It is no longer appropriate merely to conjecture as to what it
could be like if a better system were to be developed. Neither is it possible
yet to describe the New Age school as it will one day be when all the ideals which originally gave birth to the work of The Stelle
Group are met. However, The Stelle Elementary School has now been in
session for approximately three months, and it is of value to examine the
progress that has been made to date in the creation
of a more advanced system of education. A Crucial Stage It should
be brought out at this point—particularly for those readers of THE LEMURIA
BUILDER who live outside the A present the physical facilities consist
of our bright, cheery rooms. The walls are covered with maps
and charts and shelves full of books. Within these rooms
the students have access to materials for their experimentation in any
endeavor they choose to undertake, be it science, music, mathematics, or arts
and crafts. The parents share in the remuneration of the teacher, Miss
Carroll English, and the educational facility is also
supported by donations and pledges of varying amounts. Though the student body is quite small, its size is
appropriate at this stage. It is large enough to give the School Board an
insight into the problems that must be solved, and yet not so large as to
cause the problems to become unwieldy or be ignored. Some of these
difficulties were anticipated, while others were
not. Old Order vs. New A major problem is
that most of the children December 1968 have been exposed
to the methods of the public school systems and are finding it difficult to
make the transition to a new way of learning. Children know how to be
impulsive but not self-directed. A child who has been
forced to study in the past is naturally not going to be inclined to
study if suddenly given freedom. Such children seldom have tasted the
pleasure of accomplishing a project of their own initiation. Another carry-over from earlier learning
experiences is the fear of failure. The child hesitates to take on a
difficult project because he may make a mistake or be unable to finish it.
The task of the teacher is to help the student realize that it is necessary
to be able to accept failure and that failure can be a good way of learning. With each new student coming from public
school systems, it is necessary to go through the trying period of “waiting
it out.” During this stage the child may seem to
involve himself in useless pursuits, but he is left free to experiment at
discovering what he wants to do. This can be a very arduous period for the
parents and teacher alike. The reward at the end of the long wait consists of
realizing the beginnings of a sense of self-directedness on the part of the
child. It is to be expected
that the problem of transition will be an expanding one in ensuing years as
the future migration of families to Stelle gains momentum. In preparation for
this, it is an immediate goal of the school staff to form a core group of
children who will have successfully made the transition. A few of these
children can then be integrated into each group of
newcomers to be examples in stimulating more rapid development of self-directedness. Since one of the primary purposes of a
New Age school system should be to prepare the child to accept and fit into
his niche in society, the importance of instilling self-directedness is
clear. Not only is it in the best interests of society that its members be
inwardly satisfied with their roles in life, but also it is essential to the
Egoic growth of the individual that he be given the opportunity
to discover for himself how he can best channel his creative energies. As a first
stage in the development of an educational system for the forthcoming New
Age, The Stelle Elementary School represents a brave step forward in the
field of education in the present day. The difficulties that have already been encountered give an indication of the
challenge that lies ahead. The future of mankind
depends upon the success that will be met in creating a better way of learning
for its youth, and the time has come for the long-held ideals of an improved
system of education to be brought into reality. |
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