Caring is the foundation

Submitted by Danee (not verified) on March 24, 2008 - 06:49.

There are many reasons children do not care about school. For example, they may not feel a sense of belonging or accomplishment. Also, they may not see the relevance in their learning. It is crucial for teachers to incorporate relevant learning into the curriculum. If students do not understand a connection between their learning and real life, they may accomplish the task, but it will not be meaningful to them and therefore not genuine learning.
I feel the most important component to true learning is care. A caring, secure environment must be established in our classrooms for children to truly learn to their fullest potential. Nel Noddings addresses this issue in her book, The Challenge to Care in Schools (1991). She discusses the importance of a foundation of care that learning can be built on. This care must be displayed in student-teacher, student-student, teacher-administration, teacher-parent relationships. In order to build such a caring community, teachers must build relationships with their students, the students' parents, and their colleagues. Trust and honesty, along with care, must be cultivated. Part of caring is also recognizing students' interests and differences. Upon this foundation of care, genuine learning can be built.

Noddings, N. (1991). The challenge to care in schools: An alternative approach to education. New York: Teachers College Press.

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