Last October 19 (2023), following a tragic news item concerning a young boy, in OKdiario I came across a comment that struck me.
I transcribe it below, as published:
"The problem is not the social networks ...... but an uneducated youth, formed in a deficient educational stage, with bad teachers, no discipline, without objectives to achieve ..... who reach the age of 25 believing that life is a joke and without knowing how to earn it with their own effort.
They catechize everything in June and their parents take them to the beach ...... to sleep during the day and drink, snort and have sex at night .......in September back to "school" at the expense of the sweat of grandparents' labor ......this is a country of mental deficients.
They are not even good enough to work abroad.... they are not wanted anywhere.... they barely know Spanish grammar..... or how to wash glasses.
A minority educated in intelligent families and in fee-paying schools finish their studies and have access to jobs of 3,000 € per month and a good future and in many cases end up well placed abroad.
I know countless children between 5 and 13 years old who go to bed, get up, sit down to eat at the table with their parents and between their hands the mobile reading nonsense..... poor kids in a few years..... cooked potatoes to eat and coconut oil......so they will wake up everything they did not do to them. wake up their daddies."
The author was Luis and in response, there was another comment from José, who said:
"Better explained, impossible."
I echo the comment because I think there are many who think similarly. I do not consider myself enough of an expert in sociology to justify or refute the vision of current Spanish youth expressed by Luis -supported by Pepe- with too much crudeness and, surely, with his best intention of helping to correct what needs to be improved in the field of education of children, adolescents and young people. But I do consider it necessary, for the sake of justice, to clarify my thoughts, contrary in some points to those expressed by Luis:
From my experience in dealing and working with young people, I can affirm that today's youth also treasure as a generation many virtues - civic responsibility, social commitment and involvement in the struggle for equality, among others - that should be strengthened.
And with respect to the teaching staff, the vast majority of the professionals I know and have dealt with are very competent and perform their work with exemplary dedication and spirit of service; and often in our days, under adverse conditions.
Parent's educational project for educating children
However, Luis' comment serves as a counterpoint to the need for an "Educational Project for parents to educate their children" -from now on "Educational Project"- which I propose to develop in this article.
In order to achieve at the end of the educational process the type of child-student we desire -young people who have grown up with a good education that enables them to efficiently carry out their responsibilities- it is essential to invest not only in economic means, but also in time, dedication, effort and enthusiasm, always accompanied by a lot of affection.
At present we know of many examples of young people of great value who, judging by their performance in the public arena, are involved in the noble task of making the world a better place and give us testimony of having been formed according to a good "Educational Project".
The example of Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Ayaan Hirsi Ali is an activist who has been denouncing, with a great echo in the West, the totalitarian project that, in his opinion, Islam entails. After years claiming atheism as the best way to defend the values of the Enlightenment against the excesses of religions and identity politics, he has recently publicly announced his conversion to Christianity.
In his writing he evokes Bertrand Russell's famous text "Why I am not a Christian", to affirm that today the philosopher's words have been left behind and that only Christianity can ensure that Western values are preserved.
A refugee in the United States because of the death threats she receives for her criticism of Islam, she remains steadfast in her defense of "Western civilization", as she believes that values such as "freedom of conscience and expression" will only have a place through the understanding that they arise from Christianity itself and "from the debate within the Jewish and Christian communities"".
"To me, this freedom of conscience and expression is perhaps the greatest benefit of Western civilization. It does not come naturally to man. It is the product of centuries of debate within the Jewish and Christian communities. It was these debates that advanced science and reason, diminished cruelty, suppressed superstition, and built institutions to order and protect life while guaranteeing freedom to as many people as possible. Unlike Islam, Christianity overcame its dogmatic stage. It became increasingly clear that Christ's teachings implied not only a circumscribed role for religion as something separate from politics. It also implied compassion for the sinner and humility for the believer," explains Ayaan Hirsi Ali in his writing.
The activist also assures that she does not embrace her new faith solely out of a political and combative sense against "global threats"; on the contrary, she has started going to mass on Sundays and immersing herself in the mysteries of the faith.
The education Ayaan Hirsi Ali received helps her to love the truth and stand firm in the struggle for the values she considers just and inalienable.
The example of Vinicius
Vinicius Jr. Young Brazilian footballer who at 23 years of age has won many titles with Real Madrid and achieved the sixth place in the ranking of the 2023 Ballon d'Or. And also, at the same Ballon d'Or gala sponsored by France Football, he received the Socrates Award for his social work off the pitch: "I am very happy to be able to help so many people in Brazil, in the favelas, it is very special for me," he commented on receiving the award.
The initiative for which he received the award is based on an application for cell phones, called "Base", which aims to enhance the educational development of children throughout Brazil through soccer. On the birth of the 'Vini Jr Institute', which was announced in the summer of 2021 through social networks, the madridista said:
"I want to have an impact when I enter the game and also off the field, by the things I do. I want to have an impact in the short, medium and long term so that, in a few years, people can say that Vinicius was important for the development of children, for education and for having fewer illiterates in our country."
Vinicius Jr. has undoubtedly received an education that encourages him to show solidarity with the needs of the poor and disadvantaged.
There are two questions we educators, and mainly parents, can ask ourselves:
1st) What model do we choose for our children and students?
2nd) What means should we put in place to succeed in our educational enterprise?
Obviously, the answers to these two questions guide the "Educational Project".
However, it is important to be very clear that "succeeding" in the education of children is not something automatic, not even with the right means, since the results are influenced by a great variety of factors that are beyond the control of parents and teachers; and among them, perhaps the most important, the freedom of each child -of each student-, which we must always respect.
We will deal with the subject of freedom in another article in the detail it deserves, but I take this opportunity to explain that true freedom consists in choosing the good, even if it implies making sacrifices: being free does not consist in doing what one wishes at any given moment, but in doing freely, because I want to, what I must do at that moment.
The dimensions of the educational project
Well, in addition to physical and corporal development, we consider that there are three dimensions that frame an "Educational Project": religious, family-social and academic, which are in line with the internal and/or external repercussion of every human act.
We cannot address these three dimensions in this article -it would be too long-; we will do so in future articles detailing how they can be worked on.
For now we will limit ourselves to a brief explanation.
The first, and in my opinion the most important, is the religious one, since we are God's creatures: this is a fundamental and decisive fact that children must begin to know and live from their earliest childhood. It is God who gives us life, counting on the love and generosity of parents, who will dedicate their best efforts to raise and educate their children, a wonderful gift received from God.
"The Christian faith affirms that what is said here of the first man ["God took dust from the ground and breathed into him the breath of life; and man became a living being", Genesis] is applicable to every human being. That every individual has a biological origin on the one hand, but on the other hand is not the mere product of existing genes, of DNA, but comes directly from God. The human being carries the breath of God (...) In him is the breath of God, he is not a mere combination of materials, but a personal idea of God" (God and the World: Believing and Living in Our Time. A conversation with Peter Seewald)
It is also highly recommended that children learn from a very early age to treat Jesus and his Mother, the Virgin Mary, who is also our Mother and is always attentive to help us in all our tasks and difficulties. Let us not forget that within the educational process, children must learn to ask for help from those they trust: mom, dad, educators, to do what they do not know and to consult their doubts and acquire security in life.
The education of the family-social dimension is one of the pillars of proper child development, fundamental for the future of children: understanding concepts such as respect, generosity, service, help, tolerance, industriousness, patience or companionship, are as important as learning languages, mathematics or language. But in the case of values, it is not enough to know and understand the concepts; what is decisive is to live them, to put them into practice, which is what we call having virtues -good habits acquired in an educational environment of freedom-.
Improving as persons consists in developing virtues: being generous, loyal, hard-working, sincere, tolerant, etc. In this way, to achieve a successful life "we must have left our mark, leaving the earth a little more beautiful and the world a little better" [G. CHEVROT, The Gospel in the Open Air, Herder, Barcelona 1961, p. 169]; that is, a family with more peace and united by the strength of "family values", something of progress for society, friends enriched by our friendship....
Finally, regarding the academic dimension, we all understand the importance of an excellent preparation in the knowledge of sciences, history, philosophy, etc., with two fundamental purposes: to deepen the knowledge of the world and nature, which helps to know the truth; and to acquire the adequate competence for a good development in the future profession. This knowledge is what will enable our children and students to give back to society part of what they have received from it.
A third example: Carlo Acutis. This young man, beatified on October 10, 2020 in Assisi, whom the Church proposes as a model of holiness for the young people and adolescents of our century, who find satisfaction, not in the ephemeral, but in the perennial values that Jesus suggests in the Gospel, is a current example that summarizes the three dimensions of education that we have been dealing with.
Carlo was a normal boy, simple, friendly, played soccer, loved nature and animals, and had many friends. In addition, he was attracted to social media and computer science, a science for which he developed a special talent, being considered a genius by the adults who knew him.
Designed the web http://www.miracolieucaristici.org -a virtual exhibition explaining all the Eucharistic miracles that have occurred around the world that I recommend you visit. Pope Francis pointed out that he also used his knowledge to transmit the Gospel and to communicate values and beauty.
In addition, he kept his relationship with God alive through his love for the Eucharist, which he himself defined as "my highway to Heaven" and was very devoted to the Virgin Mary. "Being originals and not photocopies"was his motto. His faith and prayer led him to entrust himself to the Lord. It was in this spirit that he lived with serenity the illness that led to his death at the early age of 15.
Conclusions
It is essential to have an "Educational Project" to ensure that our children and students grow and develop according to the model we have chosen for them, so that they can be young people and adults who give back to society part of what they have received from it.
In addition to physical and corporal development, there are three dimensions that frame every "Educational Project": religious, family-social and academic, which are in line with the internal and/or external repercussions of every human act.
For the effectiveness of the educational project, it is important to take advantage of the first years of a child's life - from before birth to the beginning of adolescence - when most of the sensitive periods of a person's education take place, when everything is assimilated better and with minimum effort.
Recommended reading: "Educate today". Author: Fernando Corominas, Collection: "Hacer familia".
Physicist. High School Mathematics, Physics and Religion teacher.
