Understanding the Other

The American public-school teacher has a monumental charge of socializing American youth (our greatest resource). A goal of socialization is to produce responsible, contributing citizens. This charge is expressed in various school districts' philosophies of education or goal statements. The obligation of adequately socializing our youth to be aware, to understand, and to interact successfully with a vast array of individuals and groups requires mastery of communication skills. Thus, it becomes teacher's responsibility to educate children so that they are able to communicate with the other. Here, the other is defined as any person differing from one's self. To analyze this mandate properly, we must recognize a variable acute in today's political arena. This variable is conservative climate which dominates education in 1980s. Conservative educational administration has charged educators to exact basics for schooling and to evaluate accountability of all practices in achieving these basics. This suggests that educators should clarify what is meant by socialization and extent of communication skill development needed to foster proper socialization. Two concerns pivotal to socialization mandate should be addressed. The first concern questions appropriateness of socialization as a basic requirement of schooling. Obviously, if socialization is important enough to be placed in formal documents of a school district (as philosophies or goal statements), then we must agree that charge to socialize is basic. The overriding rationale for socialization is that citizens must be capable of communicating with others if our nation is to survive in this age of

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