The document discusses the role and responsibilities of teachers. It argues that teaching is both an art and a science. As educators who grew up in the 20th century, teachers must educate students about the great acts of violence and cruelty that occurred during that time in order to fight amnesia and prevent future horrors. However, teachers must find an appropriate way to discuss these difficult topics with students by considering their emotional maturity and backgrounds. Overall, teaching should aim to develop students' moral character and civic virtues so they can think critically about both the good and bad sides of humanity and history to improve society.

1. Critical Issue in Teaching
Winda Ayu Utami
Dadan Sumardani

2. Outline
• In what ways may teaching considered to be a science?
• In what ways may teaching considered to be an art?
• How are teachers portrayed in the popular media?
• How much influence do teachers have in making the world a better
place?
• How should schools and teachers address the horrors of 20th-centurt
violence?

3. Remembering the Dead (p. 85)
• As educator who grew in the 20th century, we must
now educate student of the 21st century that the
most cruel act against humanity were committed in
20th century (1900-2000). Our relative died.
• As teachers, we need to make sense of our past
through philosophy, history, literature, art, poetry,
and music.
• As teachers, we are required to ask our students to
think about the true zealots (extremist), the
oppressor, who ravaged (destroy) the earth.
The Oppressor

4. Good can prevail over evil
• We must try to provide, as part of the
teaching role, some reassurance to our
student that good can prevail over evil, that
morality can topple immorality
• We should remember all the nameless and
voiceless victim because of political zealots
that committed the acts of violence against
these victim.
• So, we must fight off amnesia, so have a
chance to prevent the worst nature of us
Cornerstone of peace, Okinawa, Japan

5. Deal with life and society (86)
• As teachers, we should inspire our student to deal with nature of life and
society; this is one of our most important professional roles
• Among the thinkers, including teachers. There should be a thirst for
knowledge of remembering the dead (our failure), to elaborate on life
and improve society

6. Student Learning Opportunities
• Edward Pajak: is teaching children
about evil is likely to make them
virtuous (morally correct) ?
• Introducing this content before
they are emotionally mature may
have exactly opposite effect of
what teachers is intended
• Like many adult, There are human
tendency to identify those in
power and laugh at ridicule the
victim.

7. Horror of our History
• But we cannot protect the new
generation from the camber of
horror that have characterize most
of our history.
• The writer rely on Piaget principle
of cognition, where child formal
mental operation (11-15), is
capable to clarifying value (good
and evil)
• How about children in War?

8. There are some variation (86)
• Due to the biases and prejudices that develop outside the schools,
teachers need to consider student family, religion, and cultural
background.
• Teachers in the past, have emphasized the good side of humanity [only].
I urge that both side need to be explored.
• By ignoring the ugly side of human. It can create a lack of humanity,
compassion, and moral constraint.
• Of course, knowledge is important, but teach it without morality leads to
extreme competitiveness, human stratification, and survival of the fittest.

9. Bad side of Imperialist
• In fact, all militant and imperialist societies stress their own efficiency
over other societies.
• Using law, religious theology, or political ideology to superiority other
societies

10. Moral and Civic Virtues
• Teaching and schooling should be committed to a higher purpose, a
humanistic-moral purpose
• It designed not only to enhance academic grades but also for personal
and social responsibility.
• “Why” is the existential question that everyone must be permitted to ask
and must receive an appropriate answer.
• Who among us care to know or can explain why it happened? Why the USA pilot
drop bomb in Hiroshima?

11. • Moral practice start with the family and continue with the communities
• Teachers also need to play an active role to be more caring to the society
• Teachers need to open debates concerning bad issue in past and present.
Without ad hominem attack or stereotypes.
• The idea is for teachers to capture the student imagination, to have them
explore ideas and issues, support argument, and draw conclusion – what
some of us call critical thinking
•

12. Bomb is an eclipse (left behind)
• Finally, we need to look into the future
• The bomb is the eclipse
• And the product of technology and
biological science (DNA replication)
affor new way to play god and leave us
with many moral issue to ponder

13. Final Word (Writer View)
• I hope a deep sense of human guilt and teachers' triumph of
consciousness of humanity will help future citizen be more responsible.
• It is the teacher's role to keep revisiting history, to fight amnesia and
become spokesperson for the dead.
• Thus, to improve human condition.
• All of my favorite teachers are gone, who taught for 25 to 30 years and
made a difference for thousand of kids from my generation.
• And all of you, the new teachers, can ponder the larger role of teaching
in changing world that we live in.

14. • Finally, Writer remember of an old generation saying:
“We don’t know what World War III will be fought with, but World War
IV will be fought with rocks.”

16. Thanks