Teach students how to use skills to serve their community

Those so-called 3 R’s (reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic) are not enough for pupils in United States public and independent schools. Our schools should be turning out small "d" democrats as well as readers and thinkers. And there’s a step toward this goal that has been missing in teacher preparation for a couple centuries.

Those studying to be teachers in the vast majority of US colleges and universities don’t do any community service integrated with their course work. They don’t learn the strong connection between helping to meet community needs and the study of civics. Nor do they learn how to integrate community service with the teaching of civics, and other academic subjects.

By Cynthia Parsons

Full Story: http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0125/p09s02-coop.html?s=hns