Lifetime educator, Dr. Mindy Shaw, maintained a philosophy in her classroom of 4 to 8 year olds to "teach humanity daily" in addition to the more traditional skill sets of reading, writing and math. Now, in an era of remote and hybrid learning, the notion of teaching humanity is somewhat threatened. She has created a series of e-books and paperbacks so that parents can have the tools they need for also teaching social and emotional skills, and in this series, Dr. Shaw discusses what it means to teach humanity both in general and in an era of learning via computer.
Episodes
Tuesday May 27, 2025
Tuesday May 27, 2025
In this podcast episode, Dr. Shaw addresses the notion of teaching our children good citizenship. She notes that it is similar to good sportsmanship wherein knowing how to lose and to win graciously may be the most important part of playing a game. Teaching good citizenship can start with simple tasks like cleaning the environment, but it can also be demonstrated in so many ways... kindness being an example or showing honesty or respect. Especially now when bullying and (politically) authoritarianism seems to be on the rise, it's important to teach positive behavior socially. Additionally, teaching humanity should not be tied to a material reward. Rewards should be intrinsic, and that needs to be modeled for our children by parents and educators. Also, learning should be about the process and not a product.
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