Outlining the core curriculum of my dream school
Paul White's nationally distributed syndicated column, “Outlining the core curriculum of my dream school,” is published in 22 publications across seven states. This includes the following newspapers and digital publications: Midland Daily News (MI), SFGate (CA), Seattle PI (WA), Connecticut Post (CT), Laredo Morning Times (TX), Huron Daily Tribune (MI), The Telegraph (IL), and more. In this week's article, Paul shares ideas for his dream school's core curriculum and how this idea could bring consistent joy and happiness in the lives of future generations!
I love education, all schools, teachers, parapros, custodians, administrators, administrative assistants, cafeteria workers, coaches, volunteers, and all the additional people that make a school system what it is.
I’m so thankful that our country offers free and appropriate education for all its citizens. I’m not sure if you’ve ever thought about what an incredible commitment this is and what it takes to successfully educate every kindergarten through 12th-grade student year after year after year.
And the education system has always been in a constant state of improvement. I’m so grateful for the group of people always seeking a better way based on new thought processes, technology, and sometimes even hypothesis. I’m also grateful that, for those that can find a way to afford it, there’s an opportunity for continued education in both trade schools and colleges. What a great country we live in.
I also love to dream. Some of my dreams are small and quickly attainable, while others are big. A long time ago, I fell in love with Life-Long-Learning. There’s no denying its incredible value to a person’s life. There are so many lessons I’ve learned from everyday experiences. Lessons that I wish I could have had an opportunity to learn earlier in life. That’s how I hatched this really big dream of a unique core curriculum that would be available to all citizens in addition to, or to complement and enhance, their formal K-12 education.
My dream school would build a foundation curriculum on the following subjects. There would be a class entitled Compassion, and its curriculum would navigate the role compassion should play regarding acceptance, inclusion, differences, and uniqueness of each individual in our world. There would be a class entitled Responsibility, and its curriculum would navigate the benefits of being responsible for ourselves and others. Another class would be Gratitude. Being that gratitude is one of the most powerful emotions and motivators; its curriculum would be designed to encourage its utilization to allow anyone to move mountains if that’s what they wanted to do.
I’d definitely want to include a class entitled Seek First To Understand. The curriculum would be focused on enhancing our communication skills allowing us to engage in civil debate on all the most difficult issues we face in our lifetime. This class would save us so much time in our life rather than suffering through endless debate where we could care less about someone else’s opinion and forcefully attempt to change someone. I love the power of Seek First To Understand.
That leads to the next subject, Accountability. The curriculum would be focused on holding ourselves accountable. Funny how we judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions. The Accountability class would approach it from a character standpoint to develop a nation of people with solid character.
It would be valuable to have a class called Budgeting, where the curriculum was set up to provide everyone with a simple method to achieve financial success throughout their lifetime. Less than 40% of Americans utilize a budget, yet it’s the most powerful tool available to prevent the stress associated with poor money management. It can be a huge gift to our country if we can provide everyone with the knowledge of a basic budget they can utilize for the rest of their life.
Working with Others would be another important class. The curriculum would be based on ascertaining other people’s skill sets while determining how they can blend with your own to create great things together. A class on Research Techniques would be so valuable to learn at a young age. The curriculum would center around the best practices and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to gain knowledge quickly and efficiently. A separate class on the value of Technology to enhance every area of our life would be wonderful. The curriculum would help eliminate some of the trapdoors associated with current Technology and focus on how to utilize Technology to make life better. Finally, my dream school would include a class on Relationships, which may be the most important of all. The curriculum would teach us how to cultivate, nurture, and utilize the incredible value that relationships can provide in each of our lives.
Could this dream become a reality? Maybe.
I think that it could be intertwined with our current educational structure. How about four days each week of traditional education and the fifth day of my dream school? What about my dream school occurring during the summer and treating it like a summer camp? It would take a group of people more brilliant than I am to take my dream and run with it to make it a reality. The good news? Our country is loaded with brilliant people! I’m interested to hear your thoughts. Send me an email and share YOUR thoughts—I’d love to hear from you!
Remember, I Believe In YOU! GiddyUp!
In addition to being a nationally syndicated columnist, Paul White is an author, motivational and inspirational speaker, entrepreneur, podcaster, and life coach located in Midland, Michigan. His new book, “The Answer Discovery – How to Change the World by Helping Others…and Ourselves,” is available to purchase today. If you’re interested in getting in touch with Paul, please submit an inquiry via our Contact Page.