WORK

Thinking about the work of parents and educators collaborating with the child has introduced puzzling thoughts and questions for me. How can a mature adult who has formed his own logic, ethics, prejudices, and preferences for living out his life, give in or accommodate the revolutionary ways of a child forming a new point of view, a new world view—a child creating his own intelligence? The possibility of such a sacrifice is not only nearly impossible but extremely humbling.

Today on my walk, I watched how the sun works to melt the snow so the stream could run to nourish the plants, to feed the birds, and allow the salmon to run to lay their eggs and produce more salmon for our table. Nature is so glorious. What would we do if nature did not do its work of collaboration? Even when we have natural disasters confront us—storms, floods, quakes—we find a meaning in this work—work of God we might say.

Given freedom of spirit, the child desires and is capable of absorbing the world view of the adult and will do so whether the work be good or bad. Independently, enjoying the ongoing creation of his intelligence and free will, the child creates a standpoint, his own world view, from the environment presented to him by the mature adult living a reasoning life in his presence. This is the collaborative work of mankind—the kind of work that needs to be active in families and schools, the work of transforming children into adults. Can Nature be a guide?

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