Education has two major purposes: to celebrate the traditions, values, and
accomplishments of the past and to prepare students to negotiate the challenges and demands of the future. By utilizing history, criticism, and authentic experiences, students are exposed to concepts that have been reaffirmed as valuable over many generations and among diverse cultures. Simultaneously, students gain an appreciation for contemporary thought as they speak to the issues and conditions prevalent today. It is important as an educator to achieve a balance among modern and ancient theory by exposing students to ideas that challenge and ideas that affirm conventional modes of thought, as well as, embrace tolerance, understanding, and acceptance of all peoples and cultures. Consequently, education helps students identify global issues that sometimes result in finding answers, but at other times, simply raises awareness as a beginning point to a solution.

While it is important to study the traditions of other cultures, it is also important to consider the needs of the student that are reflective of contemporary society. Educators connect experiences with the contemporary life of students by exploring the concept of leadership, as well as, social issues of our world. Leadership is an important component in our society. One could argue that the concept of leadership reaches back to the Greco-Roman period but the focus of leadership has a sustained interest for society because a community that is always evolving must have minds that understand change and can help its members to navigate the points of contention. Educators reflect 21st century learning through the introduction of lessons that explore contemporary issues of our society. In The Arts in Contemporary Education, Eger states that research has shown that we are facing challenges in education because students are preparing for jobs that do not exist today in order to “solve problems that we don’t yet even know are problems” of the future. As a result, it is important to have engaged learners.

“Engaging learners is about getting [students] involved to the point where they push the boundaries and go beyond what is required. Motivation grabs students’ interest and gets them excited about what they are going to do, but engagement takes that excitement to another level.” (Delaney, 1998)

When students are engaged in a maker’s process through arts and sciences, they not only learn a craft and hone a skill but they also exercise a component that is at the very essence of being, enriching one’s soul. The maker’s process perpetuates a social consciousness necessary for an ever-changing world.

As an educator, I strive to teach students to be patrons of our world. My hope is that they have an appreciation for the complexity of our past and its influence on our society. The two- headed Roman god, Janus, looked both forward and backwards. It is thought that he was represented in this way to exemplify the transition of growth and change. He symbolized the idea that progress in our future could only be achieved by looking at the past (Wasson, 2015). He served as a reminder that we must preserve the heritage of our past while looking forward to the capacities of the future. Change by definition connotes the process of transforming, and without transformation a society cannot move forward and improve. If we cannot be open to change then we cannot lead others or create a better world through inventions and events that promote progress. As a result, education is truly powerful through its ability to be moving and intellectually stimulating. Education brings passion, understanding, and tolerance to a world that would otherwise be mundane and without purpose.