1968-Annual Town Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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,i 148 places its faith in universal suffrage, our schools must strive for that excellence which is the full potential of every child, �Y not merely for that excellence which is the privilege of only the academically talented. The average and below average child must never be the scorn of the educator, nor must any mind go undeveloped. The schools must never contribute to a breach between our concept of equality and belief in the essential worth of each human being and the value we place on intellectual achievement. The free man, when ignorant, is a dangerous man. Our society demands certain learnings and competencies common to all citizens. There are essential knowledge, understand- ings, and values that make a rational man no matter what his vocation may be. Unless the unique differences of learners are recognized / and educational programs are designed accordingly, educa- tion will r� prove a false hope. Their diversity in vocational purposes and in values to be sought in life, together with the significant range of abilities, suggest that school pro- grams and school standards must be designed with like diversity. Furthermore, our total society in the long run will be best served when all diverse talents are fully developed. The more complex a society becomes, the more it demands men of diverse competence. All this suggests that both curriculum and instruction be determined only by those who know our culture, know our values, know our changing world, and know the nature of the individual—how he learns, and how his learning is best measured. Although there is ample evidence to show that the public schools have been successful in fitting man lege, for citizenship, and for vocational y pupils for col- oductivene , the demands of the future require much improvement.ssBoth quality and quantity in learning t stepped up. Not only more speed but also more depth ofelearning can and must be achieved. New content and newer methods, sup- Ported by research, are imperative. The sensitive and complex nature of the child must be understood b y parents and teachers. At the same time he is being stimulated to the attainments of school-conceived ends, and to the achievement of quality scholarship, his rights to Play, to dream, to relax, to pursue interests and skills appro- priate to his peculiar personality and state of growth must be protected. Y