By Dr. Carlota Morales Ph.D. - Sts. Peter and Paul School
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
Students at Sts. Peter and Paul celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by processing into Mass with flags and patron saints from the Hispanic nations of the Americas.
MIAMI | What is education in the 21st Century? We who are educators think of what we knew as a school, but education today is far from what it was. Education today is flexible, challenging, complex and creative.
Doctor Douglas Kellner of UCLA states that the technological revolution will have a greater impact on society than the transition from an oral to a print culture. Time will tell.
The fact is that our students today face many different challenges. Among them, I cite famine, global warming, health issues and a global population explosion in various levels. Do you realize that our kindergarten students today will be retiring in the year 2072? Are we able to imagine the world then?
At the beginning of this month, we at Sts. Peter and Paul celebrated one of our first STREAMS Day in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month. It was simply extraordinary to see how our students Skyped with students at the Helen Keller British School in Mexico; they were able to share live experiences and learn from each other. We have become a global society, indeed.
On Oct. 10, our Hispanic Heritage celebration started with the center of our educational life: Mass. We then proceeded to the various projects. Students’ presentations, using QR codes, filled the auditorium. Walking around while scanning the QR codes, the students were able not only to see but also to listen to an explanation of the projects done by their peers.
We saw how the various subject matters were integrated. We saw how students used different modalities to learn, as we take baby steps into the future of education in the 21st century.
Yes, I am so grateful to the parents who have entrusted their children to us. I am so proud of the faculty who want to move the school forward in this challenging world. But most importantly, I thank the Lord for the students under our care. They will be the future of the world.
Yes, we live our mission every day. The mission of Sts. Peter and Paul School—and indeed of all Catholic schools—is to empower and enable students, spiritually and academically, to live the Gospel message and the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church while facing the challenges of the 21st century.
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
A Sts. Peter and Paul student asks a question of a Mexican student using the Skype app.
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
A Sts. Peter and Paul student asks a question of a Mexican student using the Skype app, while fellow students watch her response on the big screen.
