But that first big counterintuitive lesson — that there are other people out there whose feelings must be considered — affects a child’s most basic moral development. For a child, as for an adult, manners represent a strategy for getting along in life, but also a successful intellectual engagement with the business of being human.
While I believe this is true and if I ever have a child I will teach him/her manners, I wonder if it really does make life better for the child. It certainly makes life better for people around the child, but the world is so full on rude, self-centered people that I wonder if you're better off also being self-centered. If you are, then you will ignore the rude people and give as good as you get.
Will rude, self-centered people actually get farther in life or business?
A major component of the IBPYP is the learner profile which basically is what kind of person the student will become. Some of these attitudes include: caring, well-balanced, open-minded, and reflective. It's believed that you become the profile through practicing the attitudes, some of which are: cooperation, empathy, tolerance, and respect.
ReplyDeleteI'd say that a self-centered person would be a contradiction the above characteristics (the profile and attitudes). A rude, self-centered person is exactly what the IBPYP does not want to create.
This would be a very good question to ask the students at your school after they've had a few years of exposure to the IBPYP. It would probably also be quite a conversation starter among your fellow board members and faculty.
Sally
Sally, thanks! You're absolutely right - and that's one of the things I find so compelling about the IB program. I was being terribly cynical when I wrote my post and you are here to help me look to the positive and hopeful side. I do want a world that values cooperation, empathy, tolerance and respect, but I'm pessimistic about finding it sometimes.
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