Goals of Teaching

What should be the main goal of a teacher, as a teacher? What is the most important thing a teacher can teach? Segel maintains that the most important thing is a "very special mode of belief-inculcation"(47). By inculcation, he does not mean torture, indoctrination, manipulation, brainwashing, etc. Instead he means that teachers should offer students reasons for their beliefs and try to justify them. They should also try to promote reason-assessment and critical thinking abilities in their students. I think this second part is extremely important, especially in light of the fact that many teachers skip over it. It is often part of the curriculum to teach critical thinking skills in relation to math or writing, or some other discipline in particular. Unfortunately, critical thinking skills are often not emphasized in other areas of every day life. I have rarely heard a teacher encourage his or her students to rethink what they've been taught before, to ask where someone got their sources from, to question authority, to challenge what their textbooks say. A good teacher should encourage their students to practice critical thinking in every area of their lives, both in and outside of school. I think that is probably the most important thing a teacher can teach.