Environmental Education Essay

David W. Orr delves deeper into Rethinking Education. as he relates to the importance and reason of education and this affirms the six principles that serve as guides to rethinking of education. One of these is the contention that the goal of education is not mastery of subject matter but the mastery of one’s self. Having the power of knowledge means that it must be well-used. Included here also is the contention that one cannot claim that he/she knows something unless he understands the effects of this kind of knowledge on actual people as well as actual communities. Learning is also a process and not just an end product of something (Orr, D. (May/June, 1999) People who are geographically informed must understand how humans should live in different kinds of physical environments. They are not confined to the familiar mid-latitudes but also those that seem less conducive to settlement such as the Arctic and the Equatorial rain forest. It is important that they are equipped with the necessary knowledge of how the physical features of these environments play in shaping human activities. The physical environment differs in their carrying capacity. People sometimes fail to understand this which leads to environmental disaster. For example, cyclical environmental change, especially in semiarid environments, can give particular problems for humans which again can lead to desertification, famine, and mass migration, just as what happened in the Sahel of north-central Africa. Man has to comprehend that the relationship between any environment and its inhabitants is mediated by decisions about how much to consume and in what ways to consume. Water needs to be conserved properly and proper recycling can have critical effects on patterns of environmental use. Good teacher must learn how to motivate, inspire, be led and lead, while making the environment safe for risks and mistakes. They must also demonstrate the ability to lead by example, ethically, morally and purposefully. Good educators regularly communicate the vision and empower the culture within the organization. They continue to build trust and lead the challenges of a constantly changing workplace and society. They understand that it is necessary to incorporate balance not only in the lives of others, but their own as well. This encourages their students to think about life and work differently. The success of a well-managed organization is dependent on one’s ability to organize, direct and motivate the efforts of the individuals. An effective coach needs to know the interplay of all theories of management into action in order to be successful as a whole. Students and young people need to be introduced into various cultures around the world in the framework of a â€Å"melting pot perspective† and cultural relativism (Cushner, McClelland, & Safford, p. 68-70). This would require a new set up or a reorganization of schooling to further illuminate young people on how to assimilate world consciousness as they engage in it through the Internet. Young people must be taught how to accept values and cultures by either assimilating them or by just respecting them as they are. There should be more cultural understanding between people around the world and it is best being taught as school subjects. If more and more people are properly oriented with the language, religion, belief system and other cultural elements of other nations, I guess we would feel more connected with one another and we will be more culturally sensitive and accepting of other fellows. This cultural orientation should also be strengthened by historical and social courses about these other nations. We already have these subjects now but these lack focus and emphasis on its global connections or the links between histories of various nations, their cultures and the global events that unfold and what we ordinarily share in a multicultural technological setting. Educational policy must be able to answer the needs of people. For instance, people need to overcome some of the life chances which had been experienced by parents. Teachers need to be aware4 of children who needs special nurturing because they show special talent in areas where the school progressed (Aitkin, 2005). However, the usual problem is that people seldom find it easy to start from scratch. Society is able to address the performance of these young people No matter what the space provided, the surface of the earth demonstrates the physical diversity in terms of soil, climates, vegetation, and topography. These factors affect the range of environmental contexts for people. People who are geographically informed must understand how humans should live in different kinds of physical environments. They are not confined to the familiar mid-latitudes but also those that seem less conducive to settlement such as the Arctic and the Equatorial rain forest. It is important that they are equipped with the necessary knowledge of how the physical features of these environments play in shaping human activities. I can now understand the dilemma of some administrators of nursing homes. They are burdened with so many responsibilities to take care and ensure that people who avail of their services are attended to and such services are sustained long-term. These efforts are also coupled with corresponding financial burden to sustain the expenses that go with the various challenges that confront them. Retiree assistance, funds from the federal government and its subsidiaries may very well support the medical needs of the low-income and medically-needy people, yet the administrators realize that by meeting the demands of their tasks requires more than any management skills, analytical minds or well-rounded experience to go with such tasks. For what the challenges require most of them is that sincere heart to really care for and be concerned with so many people who are frail, chronically ill, and those who are less fortunate who may not have the resources to sustain their respective illnesses as they become old with no one to depend on during their last few years of their lives. REFERENCES Aitkin, Don. Rethinking education continued. Article Retrieved Jan 22, 2009 at: http://newmatilda. com/2005/04/20/rethinking-education-continued Cushner, K., McClelland, A. , and Safford, P. Human Diversity in Education : an integrative approach, 3rd ed. 2000. Experiencing the Difference: The Role of Experiential Learning in Youth Development. Conference Report: The Brathay Youth Conference Orr, D. (May/June, 1999) Rethinking Education. The Ecologist, 29, 3. White, M. (July, 1999). (ed). Experiencing the Difference: The Role of Experiential Learning in Youth Development. Conference Report: The Brathay Youth Conference (Ambleside, England, July 5-6, 1999).