Confucianism and Modern Education (Part 2): Book I and Personal Integrity, Honesty, and Honor

I read through Book I of the Analects, and I am continuing to ask the following question:
What timeless and universal educational values exist within Confucianism that can inform teaching and learning in my life and in my classroom?

As I read and re-read Book I (it only consists of 16 analects or "selected sayings"), I marked which themes I recognized in each analect. Here are the themes* that I recognized and the analects that I felt expressed each theme:

Personal Integrity, Honesty, Honor: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16
Modesty, Humility: 1, 2, 3, 8, 10, 11, 14, 16
Filial Piety: 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13
**Learning and Education: 1, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15
Maintenance of Harmony, Tradition, or Ritual: 4, 7, 11, 12, 13, 15
Friendship: 1, 4, 6, 8, 14
Reflection: 1, 4, 14, 15
Focusing on the "Trunk": 1, 6, 15
Punctuality: 5, 14
Affection and Benevolence: 5

*There is clearly much overlap between the different themes and different interpretations possible; therefore, they are not mutually exclusive. However, this process may still be helpful in identifying trending themes and ideas.
**I believe that "Learning and Education" is omnipresent since the purpose of these analects is for learning. However, I noted in which analects learning and education was directly referenced.

Analysis of Personal Integrity, Honesty, Honor:
(To identify which analect I am referring to, I will write I:2, which would refer to Book I, Analect 2.)

In Book I, personal integrity, honesty, and honor, while possibly being the broadest theme, was certainly the most identifiable. Nearly every analect reflected the importance of integrity, honesty, or honor. These values were crucial for all social relationships, including family and friends, business relationships and transactions, and for governing and leadership positions. These values represent the foundation upon which good character and behavior must be built. For example, I:4 states:

"Master Tseng said, Every day I examine myself on these three points: in acting on behalf of others, have I always been loyal to their interests? In intercourse with my friends, have I always been true to my word? Have I failed to repeat the precepts that have been handed down to me?"

Likewise in I:5:

"The Master said, A country of a thousand war-chariots cannot be administered unless the ruler attends strictly to business, punctually observes his promises, is economical in expenditure, shows affection towards his subjects in general, and uses the labor of the peasantry only at the proper times of the year."

• In contrast, a "bad ruler" would be listening to music or hunting when they should be attending to business, and the ruler would use the peasantry to build vain and ostentatious monuments or buildings.

Finally, in I:8:

"The Master said, If a gentleman is frivolous, he will lose the respect of his inferiors and lack firm ground upon which to build up his education. First and foremost, he must learn to be faithful to his superiors, to keep promises, to refuse the friendship of all who are not like him. And if he finds that he has made a mistake, then he must not be afraid of admitting the fact and amending his ways."

(pp. 84-85)

These three analects in particular express the emphasis on the superior and even enlightened character expected for those taking this "Way" to be a true gentleman or lady. These analects describe traits that ask us to be fully considerate, honorable, and responsible in our social relationships and dealings with other people. In order to live up to these standards, it's important to be diligent, alert, and hard working to continually attend to our business and friendships. In addition, we should never take improper advantage of a situation or a position of power in which we find ourselves. 

As a teacher within the system of modern education, I am not sure how often these values are taught or considered in classrooms. There is an emphasis on learning discrete skills, but it seems equally important for us to be considering the "type" of people we are attempting to equip these skills with. What values and standards of character do they have? These types of discussions do occur in my English class when we discuss literature that we read collectively but perhaps there ought to be more space and time devoted for the more direct inquiry into integrity, honesty, and honor in our family, social, and business relationships as timeless and universal values. When we only set standards for academic skills, are we considering the types of human beings we are cultivating? Shouldn't that matter in our society?

Confucianism and Modern Education (Part 1)

In an earlier post, I wrote about Confucius and the influence he has had on my teaching and learning. I have returned to The Analects of Confucius by Arthur Waley to delve a bit deeper into why Confucius is renowned as a great teacher and learner. The question I have brought to my reading is:
What timeless and universal educational values exist within Confucianism that can inform teaching and learning in my life and in my classroom?
First off, I would point out that from my reading, it seems appropriate to reference Confucianism rather than directly referencing Confucius since he was most likely not even around when these Analects took written form. Confucius can certainly be credited with inspiring a tradition of educational and cultural philosophy, which many disciples and followers have taken up to ultimately create these Analects. (Arthur Waley warns, however, that a couple of the books in the Analects have been, in his opinion, carelessly assembled within this text, but they do not represent authentic Confucius thought. Therefore, I will be paying most attention to the books within the Analects that are suggested to be the most Confucian.)

With those caveats, I'll turn back to my question. I believe that there are timeless and universal values within education practice that do not need to be lost in a world of constant reform and innovation.

Confucius' philosophy is directed at teaching the proper "Way" for which noble gentlemen and ladies should follow to be superior in character and behavior (p. 34-35). (I am taking the liberty of modernizing his philosophy to be inclusive of women.) Therefore, it is important from the outset to recognize that a primary (if not the) "instructional goal" of Confucianism was in the development of moral character his students to have the integrity, work ethic, and sincerity that ancient rulers have mastered before them. To achieve a harmonious society, this cultural legacy must be honored. Those who can honor and live by the "Way" can contribute to a more harmonious society; those who do not would be considered a small or common person. While Confucius most likely educated wealthy noblemen during his era, his philosophy is not limited to any one class. Anyone who would follow his teachings would merit the identification of the "chun-tzu" as opposed to a common person (p. 34).

The "Chun-Tzu" is a term for noble gentleman or lady who maintains superior character and behavior in his or her life. As far as I can understand from this point of my reading, the purpose of the Analects and the education associated with it is to develop this "Chun-Tzu" cultural identity within those who study it.

This point is interesting to me because in modern schools, I am not aware of many explicit standards or educational expectations that students be taught values of integrity or good moral character. They are penalized if they do not have it, but we do not have standards to teach and explain integrity in the same way as I have standards to teach and explain how to write an essay. In addition, we live in a post-modern society with so many different views on what is and is not "moral" that this may be more difficult to do today. When I think of where my students learn their moral character, it seems to only explicitly come from their parents or their religion if they have one. Moral development in my classroom comes implicitly through the process of learning together in a shared space. Despite our post-modern society and moral relativism, I believe that it may still be possible to inquire into these values that Confucius wants us to consider. As far as I know, integrity, respect, and kindness in social interaction seem universal enough to at least explore and inquire into more explicitly in a classroom setting.

Next, I will be diving into the actual Analects themselves to expound on how they could inform education practice both in and out of the classroom.

Video Killed the Radio Star and "The Medium is the Message"

I happened to turn on AXS TV during halftime of a World Cup game, and they had program featuring the creative exploits of Duran Duran. A lead singer of the band immediately made statement that connected with literacy and the constant inquiry educators often have around new mediums for expression, especially in this age of constant technological advancement. He said of about music videos (and I'm paraphrasing):
"There was a new medium available, and you had to get involved or else you ended up being left behind."
As new mediums for expression develop, it's crucial for literacy specialists in particular and educators in general to consider ways in which it can be used to express ideas and communicate, while maintaining a balance of these new mediums with traditional mediums and skills that students should know. For example, I would like to do more to explore twitter, instagram, and the vine as means for expression, but I also want my students to be able to write academic essays with thesis statements and organized support. When it comes to language capabilities, I always try to emphasize dynamism and complexity with my students. I believe they can and should be able to master multiple forms of communication. New mediums, however, tend to be a lot of fun and a way for more students to access a more sophisticated understanding of literacy, since that is where many of them are already expressing themselves.

This seems like an appropriate place to mention Marshall McLuhan and his famous thesis, "The medium is the message."

Why Write?

On Studio 360 Tuesday night, I listened to author Neil Gaiman talk about his success as a writer. Towards the end of his interview, he spoke about writing in a way that intrigued me and resonated with me. He said of writing:
"That is my sane place. That is the stuff that fixes me. That when I feel broken and tired, when I'm hurt, when I'm upset, going away and writing is my way of putting the world in order." 
Writing plays a similar role in my own life. Through writing, I discover, I clarify, I sort through stuff. I am able to explore ideas and decisions that I have and need to make. I'll write on anything available, which may be a scrap of paper or an old envelope.

As a writing teacher, I'm often thinking about writing for what purpose? There are so many academic standards to meet and academic writing goals to accomplish, but what about writing for self and sanity? What about writing to simply explore our thoughts? What about writing to construct worlds and characters?

I found comfort in Gaiman's explanation of this particular purpose of writing in his life. It's what I do, and I was reassured by the fact that other people have discovered this important purpose for writing. Hopefully, I can find more ways to model these writing purposes with my students.

Teaching Writing in a Project-Based Environment

Designing curriculum around project-based assessment while figuring out how to teach literacy skills (or any academic skills) is challenging. As I reflect on the units and projects that I developed and taught this year, I realize that in many cases the writing was something that was attached to projects, instead of the writing being an authentic and essential part of the project itself. For example, the students would be asked to create a piece of art or an artifact in response to some text, and then they would need to write about what they have created. What I would like to do moving forward is to design projects where the writing involved is an essential part of the generation of the product. In this way, I wouldn't always be teaching the formal academic writing skills from introduction, evidence paragraphs, and conclusion, but I would still be teaching the crucial understanding of writing as a purposeful endeavor within a particular context. I still recognize how important it is for students to learn and build their skills with formal academic writing assignments, and when I assign them, I would like to focus my instruction on that writing as a project. I believe these writing assignments, when taught appropriately, can be considered projects. You can see evidence of this through the depth of good writing instruction in many sources, and I would recommend Teaching for Joy and Justice by Linda Christensen. By focusing the teaching and learning of my classroom towards specific projects, instead of different assignments layered on top of each other, I believe we all learn more.

The Need to Express

Everyone needs to find a way to express themselves. Whether it is through music, sport, art, singing, or some other medium, it is crucial. Through whatever medium we find, we access a way of expressing ourselves, naming our world, and in this process, constructing a sense of self. Through any form of expression that we become passionate about, it is possible to learn and reflect upon life lessons. It is important and useful for anyone to learn "academic and professional" mainstream means to express ourselves, but it must be at least equally as important to find our unique voices that allow us to name our worlds and construct our identities.

Art of Stepping In and Out

"I cannot control others. I can only control myself." I have that posted on a post-it note next to my desk.  This is a crucial reminder for me as a teacher trying to educate my students everyday because, in reality, I cannot control them or what they are thinking and valuing in my classroom. The best I can do is to set up the conditions, environment, and experiences in which they can learn for themselves. Today, I set up two dialogue circles with about 15 students in each circle. I prompted them to talk about several key questions that arise in 1984. It was difficult to distinguish the moments when my input and direction was needed and when it was better to step out. However, it seemed that the more I stepped out, the more opportunity there was for them to learn, but there were also moments when I needed to prop up a disoriented conversation. I believe that this is part of the art of teaching: knowing when, how, and if to add insight to a learning process to stimulate further learning, perhaps with a question or some slight guidance.

Confucius: Inquiry, Reflection, and Joy

Within the theme of life-long learning as June teaching begins, I cannot resist quoting Confucius' first Analect. He asks:

"The Master said, To learn and at due times to repeat what one has learned, is that not after all a pleasure?"

I have also heard it translated: 

"To learn and to regularly review what one has learned, isn't that after all a great pleasure?"

When I heard this translation of his first Analect, I knew I liked Confucius. His teaching is grounded in inquiry, reflection, and joy. He recognizes the value and the privilege to learn and reflect upon what we have learned. How do we invite this type of wonder and joy in the learning process into our classrooms? How do we maintain this love of learning within ourselves? Why do so many people fall into periods of ennui when there is so much to learn in this world? These questions remind me of Thoreau's famous line, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." The world is too amazing for this to happen, and yet it does.

Sunday Evening Teacher Anxiety

I don't think I am alone in feeling anxiety before a week of teaching begins. Teaching requires all of your intellectual, emotional, and even physical energy to do well, and it can seem daunting that you are about to engage in another week of this work. I've found that in the face of this anxiety, one of the best things to do is to find a way to be productive in preparation for the week. I can put myself in a position to be excited for the week rather than anxious about the week if I plan well. Here is what I came up with as a clear explanation of my final benchmark project that I will be leading with this week. The planning relates to this earlier post about clear expectations for projects.