TOPIC: ISSUE78 - "Schools should be required to teach the essential interconnectedness of all human beings and thus help eliminate wars, cultural clashes, and other forms of conflict." WORDS: 463 TIME: 00:45:00 DATE: 2008/8/13 下午 03:15:35 The speaker asserts that schools should be required to teach the essential interconnectedness of all human kinds and thus help eliminate wars and cultural clashes. I agree with the statement. While some might argue that students are too immature to such materials, schools are the best places to socialize, and understand deeply about others. Admittedly, the interaction between the peoples is complicated. Most students may not have deep understanding about international events such as wars and cultural clashes. An elementary school student in China is not capable of criticizing about the latest conflicts in Africa, for instance. Therefore, it is not appropriate for schools to teach such issues, which may be ineffective. I concede that students may not analyze these events as well as adults. However, we can adjust the materials according to students' developing stages so that they can learn effectively step by step. In my point of view as a teacher, students can learn the international events deeply, and contribute to eliminating clashes. If we manage the learning process well, students can first have general knowledge about the world, like geography and history in elementary schools; they can learn about some existing problems in the world in high schools, and in universities, they can act for peace and help to eliminate conflicts-- since they have attained enough basic knowledge. History has shown that college students can contribute greatly to peace. For example, in Beijing, China, students defend ideal human rights against the government, which is a shock to the world. Also, many anti-war activities can be attributed to college students. Besides, they are active in international conferences to speak aloud for social justices. Schools are places to learn about socialization. Students spend several hours in school and interact with other students with different backgrounds from theirs every day. Schools have the duty to teach them how to deal with other students well, which is what is the topic is about. All we need to do is make the teaching formal and extend it more widely-- including world issues. Furthermore, students are easier to accept new ideas. If we cannot teach them these essential concepts when they are teachable, they are not likely to learn them after they grow up. On the contrary, with sound understanding about the importance of peace, they know how to prevent conflicts and how to ease the tension. When they are matured enough, they possess the key to maintaining the harmony between races, and do all they can to stop wars from happening. On balance, I agree with the speaker that schools should teach the essential interconnectedness of all human beings. As long as we arrange the material to teach carefully, students can play important roles in maintaining the world peace, and declining the clashes and wars. --

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