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(35.) P is for Personhood

(35.) P is for Personhood

(35.) P is for Personhood

“Yahweh God shaped man from the soil in the ground and blew the breath of life into his nostrils, and man became a living being… God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.” (Genesis 2:7, 1:27, NJB). And there is the starting point when thinking of self-identity, of how we identify ourselves and every other person, a handmade and sacred human being made in the very image of God himself.

And yet in many ways, much of society, including schools, are doing their best to dehumanize us, sometimes in subtle ways, sometimes it’s painfully obvious. For example, too often students are treated like numbers or letters… How’s your GPA, your SAT, your transcript, your resume. Something is wrong if the sum total of a student’s worth is based on productivity.

When classes are too large, students can be treated like a nameless face. The larger the group the more difficult it is to develop a working knowledge of each student, and to foster a sense of a learning community. Sheer numbers limit personal contact, and would render impossible the wonderful goal of relationship as described by Martin Buber: “The greatest thing any person can do for another is to confirm the deepest thing in him or her – to take the time and have the discernment to see what is most deeply there inside, most fully that person, and then confirm it by recognizing and encouraging it.”

Students are often treated like machines, as well, whether it’s standardized learning, state assessments, or a one-size-fits-all methodology. An infatuation with recalling information and producing a skill has resulted in schools which often resemble assembly lines, mass-producing students. Some words of wisdom here from Louis Cowan, professor at the University of Dallas, on the personhood of students: “We have enough sense to know that high scores have limited significance, that what we are really teaching is more profound than any accountability measuring device can possibly reveal. And, in our depths, we know that each human being is precious and unique. We know this in our hearts, or we would not be in the profession we are in.”

Interestingly, impersonal methodology grinds onward, flesh and blood replaced by wires and screens. Is there any doubt that virtual learning will soon create virtual teachers? Much of education seems to have accepted a model that dehumanizes the student. We have the very breath of God in our lungs. We are made in God’s sacred image. We deserve better.