Cultural Awareness

“The World is Flat” by Thomas Friedman discusses many of the realities of our shrinking world. This paradigm shift results in two core themes for education: technical skills and cultural awareness.

“I was born the citizen of a free state and a member of the sovereign, and, however feeble an influence my voice may have in public affairs, my right to vote on them suffices to make it my duty to inform myself on such matters.”

– Rousseau

Air travel and the telecommunications revolution have brought us closer than any time in history. In a matter of hours we can cross continents and oceans, and in less than a second carry on a conversation with someone on the other side of the globe. As the world shrinks we are in constant contact with foreign countries and we are increasingly dependent on each other. We must ensure our children are taught world history and gain cultural awareness to thrive in this new world.

As the citizens of a free Republic it is in the words of Rousseau our “duty.”

I hope this sparks discussion in the community and it will be the foundation of articles to follow. In the coming weeks we will discuss various aspects of the “educated child.” There are some exciting education options being created in Rocklin along the above themes, and we will be highlighting them in the future.