Upon first reading Holistic Curriculum, I kept thinking how sad it is that many of today's educators have lost the knowledge gained from such influential past philosophers. However, upon further consideration, I realized that it is not necessarily that we have forgotten the past but we are simply having trouble shaping it to fit our modern-day education system. I believe there are attempts made today to incorporate holistic curriculum and many educators are aware of the benefits but the system needs to be adjusted to allow for more innovative thinking.
One of Plato's major beliefs was that it is our job as educators to help children see beyond the illusions and help them understand the real world. His allegory of the cave fits perfectly into what constructivist educators are trying to do today. One major goal of constructivism is to allow children to manipulate real life objects. Plato also felt that the teacher plays an integral role in fostering children's growth. This belief can also be found in constructivist education as the teacher has perhaps the most important role in the classroom even though from the outside it may not appear so. This is one example of how the ideas of great philosophers have made it into the modern day educational system. However, the fact remains that there are still many of us who have had negative experiences with the school system. Why can"t we get it right?.
In our discussions in class, it is obvious that many of us chose to enter the profession of teaching because of our negative experiences as children as well as in placements. You would think that with so many people entering the field with a desire to make the system better that we would be able to see a close to perfect school environment. This is definitely not the case. I believe that one of the reasons is today's teachers are not as willing to go out on a limb to challenge the system.