What does it mean to be an educated person?

In a time-honored tradition, superintendents welcome teachers back to school each fall. We try to say something inspirational that will lift spirits and point to the noble aspects of educating young people. It is a daunting challenge. Teachers face the immediacy of preparing their classrooms and getting ready for students. What can a superintendent say to help sustain them over the impending school year?

The task is to draw attention to what is important and ask the central questions that give meaning to teaching and learning. One of the most fundamental questions is: What does it mean to be an educated person? What should a high school graduate be able to do upon graduation? The answer guides instruction. The art of teaching is to challenge and encourage students toward this vision.

A Dozen Ideals

In a good school both teacher and student define the right challenge. Here are 12 educational ideals worth pursuing. They become powerful when we apply them not only to students but to everyone in a learning community of students, teachers, parents, administrators and staff.

Students should be:

* Readers of literature. Literature opens the door to conversations with people of other eras and makes them contemporaries. The particulars of one story can reveal general truth about all lives. Well-read students encounter an array of books that address the familiar and the unfamiliar. They read authors of different religions, race and gender to gain perspective on the world.

* Poets whose words envision new ways of being. William Carlos Williams wrote, "It is difficult/To get the news from poems/Yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there." Poetry is often mistakenly thought to be a powerless escape from life, but poetry can open possibility, restore feeling and recharge desire.

* Writers who reflect thoughtfully. Writing activates an inner voice that can take multiple points of view, ask questions and pose possible answers. Writing is also a public endeavor. When writers share with others, they put themselves on the line and risk criticism of others.

* Problem solvers who can use mathematics. In the 16th century, mathematicians discovered that fractions could be stated as decimals by changing the unit of measurement from ones to tenths or hundredths. From this seemingly simple conceptual shift, mathematical calculations became dramatically easier. Today, math is the global language of economics, engineering, banking, measurement, navigation and architecture.

* Observers who sense the wonder of science. Observers look outward to the large and far away or inward to the near at hand. Early in the 17th century, Galileo turned the telescope toward the heavens to find a new world.

* Citizens who study history and take action. An educated populace is necessary to preserve and renew democracy. Democratic ideals can be identified on many levels. To be citizens, students must learn to act in the school, community, state, nation and world. Human dignity is preserved only when the just take action.

* Speakers of two languages who cross cultural borders. Students who are encapsulated in one language can cross borders to learn different ways of doing things, gain perspective and meet people with whom they can create new knowledge that would not have been possible in one culture alone.

* Workers who can create with their hands and use technology. The field worker, the carpenter, the baker and the seamstress create and harvest with calloused hands. Technology extends the hands of workers to accomplish much. Students can learn technology to apply their craft creatively in the service of others for a just wage.

* Artists who sculpt, draw or paint. Children seem to have no trouble seeing themselves as artists. In Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince, the young aviator becomes frustrated with adults because they cannot see his drawing for what it is--a boa constrictor that swallowed an elephant. To see oneself as an artist requires a child-like faith that can take joy in the act of creating.

* Musicians who sing or play an instrument. In many African cultures people not only celebrate with singing, but they sing to make the work go easier. Music is created on many levels: the composer writes a score, musicians play the piece, and the audience listens and appreciates. These require overlapping and distinct skills.

* Athletes who exercise for a lifetime. In athletics few perform and many watch. Yet physical activity is for everyone. Students are aware of their muscles when they stretch. They learn to push themselves and to rest. A sport provides the exhilaration of legs churning, a heart beating and lungs pumping in unison.

* Leaders who recognize the moral dimension. Moral leaders take the time to reflect, examine their actions and ask questions. Did I do unto others as I would have them do unto me? Have I taken what life has offered and used it to the best of my ability?

Charles Slater is associate professor and director of the doctoral program in education, Texas State University-San Marcos, ASB-South 324, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666. E-mail: [e-mail]