The "ideal" vision of the greek citizen :
And How It Still Affects Western Ideas of Education Today
Athena Parthenos, Athens, Greece, Sculpted by Phidias and his assistants, Classical
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The Parthenon was the cumulative result of the Greek's century long effort to create geometrically perfected architecture. When the Athenians erected the Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens in the mid-fifth century BCE, it was a symbol of triumph and success. It was a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, honored as the goddess of wisdom, craft, just warfare, mathematics, and strategy. It can be argued that the temple itself was a summation of all of these attributes.
At one time, if you gazed up above the doric order columns into the 92 metope reliefs of the Parthenon, you would have found the idealized and perfected forms of Greek warriors locked in battle with centaurs. Perhaps surprisingly, these pictures of war still have relevance to educators today. Why? These battles between man and beast were articulating a narrative of Greek views of the time, that they were the culture honored to overcome barbarianism and chaos, in pursuit of a knowledgeable and civilized society. These ideals which honored the creation of the well-rounded and educated citizen are the very belief systems we find at the root of education today. Today the Parthenon remains a symbol of ancient Greece and the pursuit of high ideals and knowledge. Where do we find this in our education system today? We find our focus in education on instructing the "whole child" is a model of Greek ideals. In our public school system, the student will be instructed in literature, science, mathematics, history, the arts, and physical education. As educators, our role is to facilitate and encourage this well-rounded development. This method of educating children not only offers them a more diverse curriculum that can find root in individual interests, but it works to build a more informed base of citizens. For this we have Greco-Roman influence to thank, which we still find in this and many other aspects of American culture today. |
This information of how our current education system developed is of value, and today we see it is far from perfect. How many times a day will the teacher be asked, "Do I really need to know this?" The question is valid! In the effort to develop many different disciplines with the student, some information is bound to not seem relevant to that student's personal goals and objectives. There are students that love math and hate reading, and also students that excel in sports while they can't see any value in being forced to take an art class. The teacher must value this system of developing the whole child to make lessons not only appealing, but relevant to the student. Our role is to present information in such a manner that children see the power and benefit of exploring a number of different subjects.
The Parthenon
Athens, Greece
Classical
Athens, Greece
Classical