To the Editor:
Solid reporting on whole learning vs. parts learning [“Learning how to read should not be political,” The Altamont Enterprise, June 22, 2023].

This premise, however, runs much deeper than just reading instruction and literacy. It personifies the unbalanced pendulum we find our society floundering in today. The holistic worldview, one of a Creator who placed humans on Earth with a plan for each of us, has been replaced with a partial fragmented view of each person’s miniature world.

This fragmented world view has no concern for interdependence until after one has internally “found themselves.” It has left many searching for how to piece together their part without any knowledge of what the full puzzle is. It also leaves our children with little insight on the purpose of a positive life or a deep understanding of why actions and choices matter.

Up until now, the worldview of a God who divinely created all that we see and who allows man to inhabit His creation has stood the test of time. Many generations before us used this worldview to shape their child-rearing, teaching, work, relationships, and communities. Why do we now feel that those methods are antiquated and no longer relevant to our day?

How are we supposed to tell our children that honesty and a moral compass matter or teach our students that how they treat others makes a difference if they aren’t first given a glimpse into the bigger picture of why that is important?

When the next generation is presented with the “parts approach” instead of a holistic view that the present has a divine connection to both past and future, they are done a disservice. Scientific theory, research, or artificial intelligence are not able to impart knowledge the way we can as interdependent humans with emotions and feelings.

If we teach our children only prescriptive step-by-step instructions, can we expect them to be any more than robots? Further, when we train our children to trust a part without a full understanding of how it should fit the purpose, we leave them susceptible to manipulation by bad actors with malicious intent.

Our children must have the ability to try new things, test boundaries, explore, but also know when to stop and turn back. This is “real” intelligence. Now seems to be a good time to hit the brakes and return to what is proven to build flourishing societies.

The discernment on when to do this can only come from one source, our Creator. If our children are not told about Him, who are they to rely on when imperfect humans have undoubtedly failed them, and they feel there are no more turns?

A common definition of sustainability is “meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” By this definition, the current strategy of teaching and instructing our children is not sustainable.

If we don’t continue to instill a humble, God-fearing attitude and inform our children that God will help them write their life story, we leave them no hope. If we don’t try and teach our children that we’ve figured out tiny bits of the picture, but it is up to them to continue searching and exploring for even better clarity, we compromise their ability to build on what we’ve achieved.

It is extremely important for our next generation to understand that life has a purpose, that we are not just numbers, and that every human life is divinely appointed, precious and significant.

Just as much as artificial intelligence is handcuffed by being simply a sum of its inputs, we would be handcuffing our children if we only give them the parts we have already figured out and don’t instill a drive to draw closer to their Creator and tap into the knowledge and wisdom He provides. Only then will our children be at peace with the choices they make, the families they start, the careers they choose. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.”

Christopher Longo

Guilderland