If we adults, parents, and teachers alike, do not offer our children the opportunities for practicing the values that we want them to develop, we should not wonder why they are not more self-reliant, self-directive, law-abiding, cooperative, honest, efficient. We should not wonder why their tastes in literature, music, and art are low. We should not wonder why they have poor performance in their academic subjects. We should not wonder why they do not have higher ideals and more lofty ambitions and aspirations for a better and brighter future.

            Education is concerned not only with the giving of more meaning to the familiar, but also with the widening of experience. It is the activities themselves which must be experienced together with all that is contributed to initiating them, evaluating them, and carrying them to successful completion.

            The school should provide situations, conditions, problems, questions, stimulations, and opportunities for the use of facilities and environment resources – all that can afford experiences in learning worthwhile things.

            Thus, the utilization of community studies, the gradually growing cooperative tie-up between school and other community institutions, the use of school time for explorations and trips, and the development of socialized projects are being done today. The effect of total environmental culture upon learning and growth patterns of children is so much in evidence.

            Adults, therefore, parents as well as teachers, must consider seriously the idea that educational objectives can best be accomplished by directing child growth – by providing guidance in the selection of learning activities, by helping the children to explore, to experience; and by doing everything that might be regarded as an improvement or enrichment of their total education.

By: Gloria P. Lumanglas | Teacher III | Lamao Elementary School | Limay, Bataan