The Potential To Become Great
What does it mean when we talk about children “reaching their potential?” Let’s consider. When we see a tadpole, we see the potential for a frog. When we see an apple seed we see the potential for an apple tree. But when we see a little child . . . what is it that we see? The answer is not immediate. We know intuitively that it is not just physical maturity, and if we ponder long enough we also have to admit that it is not merely adult accomplishment. Then what is human potential?
The early Greek philosophers, Aristotle in particular, answered this question in a manner that affected moral, ethical and religious thought for more than 2000 years. Aristotle defined human potential in terms of human virtue. For Aristotle, the essence of being human is to be virtuous, and within every boy and girl is the potential to become a virtuous adult. In becoming virtuous, the child becomes fully human. Virtue does not necessarily suggest a successful professional life, or one of fame and good fortune. According to Aristotle, virtue describes those characteristics of conduct that spontaneously elicit respect, honor and admiration regardless of cultural or religious background.
Aristotle’s view has powerful implications for parenting and education. Virtue is given center stage. Its importance includes but also trancends intellectual development or any other kind of personal achievement. The cultivation of virtue is at the heart of what it means to be human and correspondingly what it means to lead a fulfilled life. The development of virtue makes a human a human.
Children can become doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, or trades people. But these professions only describe what people do. They do not define what it means to be human and, according to Aristotle, they cannot fulfill human life. On the contrary, it is within the personal struggle to “know the good, love the good, and do the good” i.e. virtue, that the child finds fulfillment in adult life. Yes, life may include intellectual and financial success, but the sum of a virtuous life is much more than achievements.
Having worked closely with children, young adults, and young parents for more than 35 years, my experiences support Aristotle’s viewpoint, and I have let this perspective shape much of my work as an educator. It is a work that I call “raising great kids.”On the one hand it includes achievement, talent development, and personal success. But it also includes building good work habits and shaping the ethics of achievement. It includes nurturing healthy attitudes, aspirations, and determination. It expects and requires that children learn social intelligence – they know how to interact with others at all times and in all places. This work has as its end a “great” kid, one whose life and conduct elicits respect and honor from others, a life that brings a sense of personal fulfillment and positively affects family, friends and the greater society.
This will be the topic of the Clipboard essays during the 2010-11 school year. I will explore with you Aristotle’s notion of virtue, particularly as it applies to parenting and education. I will also show how both history and modern research supports this perspective.
By Charles Debelak
