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Our Philosophy (1)
With peace in our heart… to inspire, to love and to serve humankind.
Written by Erin Hulme
This planet belongs to us all; we are all earth citizens.
What would be our ideal society to live in? How would people relate to each other? Most importantly, how would people relate to self? What kind of harmony and balance would we find in all organizations and infrastructures? How would people rate themselves on the spectrum of love and inner peace? In 1778, Jean-Jacques Rousseau proclaimed that children are perfectly designed organisms, ready to learn from their surroundings as to grow into virtuous adults. Children are the mirror of society in which they live reflecting back to us the answers to these questions. Let's take a moment to reflect: Are we happy with the results?
At CCTP, we endorse a philosophy that respects all aspects of self and one that embraces the wholeness of oneself. This philosophy can be traced back to Plato, who in 348 BC was a strong advocate of holistic and humanistic approaches to education. Even before Plato, the illustrious philosopher Aristotle in 322 BC was recognizing the value of creating good and virtuous citizens.
When we look at the state of our world today, never before has there been such an urgent need to provide our children with a loving and living model.
In support of this reality, our main core values are:
Respect for self
Respect for others
Respect for the environment
Teachers are mentors whose primary role is to accompany students on their path of self–discovery and self-honouring. Carl Rogers, one of the founders of humanistic psychology suggested that "The only kind of learning which significantly influences behavior is self-discovered or self-appropriated learning - truth that has been assimilated in experience." This is at the heart of our philosophy. At the same time, teachers are also partners with their students, enabling all to become ethical leaders. Students would be encouraged to be agents for constructive transformation of their own community and the 'global village'. They would be empowered to serve. Integrated into daily school life would be opportunities for students to demonstrate their self-motivated and self-directed learning skills in shared leadership projects in order to develop a servant leadership attitude. Collaborative learning, service learning, student-centered and student-driven approaches would be the focal point of the daily programs delivered at schools.
All curricular and extra curricular expectations would be woven into real life situations that are relevant to students. As engaged citizens, they would be encouraged to envision and explore new ideas and concepts. It would enable them to put in practice the theory of constructivism where people gain knowledge and meaning from their own experiences. John Dewey, Jean Piaget and Maria Montessori, all notable educators, were among the leaders who influenced constructivism. Thinking outside the box would be the norm in such a school environment, thus cultivating a culture that would enable such deliberations.
By drawing on real life materials and community needs and expertise, they would have the privilege to shape their own values, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and skills.
It is our belief that a school culture and curriculum rooted in the timeless principles of holistic education will bring forth generations of children who are first and foremost happy, balanced and ethical.
Published in Our Philosophy
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