Why should educators seek to accelerate the pace of socialization, which has declined in recent decades? Some young people are in no hurry to take responsibility for society, their families and even their own. Abandonment of the difficulties of life, indifference to public affairs are widespread. It is the fault of both the society, which does not provide young people with adequate conditions for accelerated development, and the system of education, which gives young people the role of “under-aged”, and the family, which creates conditions for dependency, long search for their own and in life.
Not for school, but for life is a call that was made to the students of Roman schools. Already antique teachers understood the meaninglessness of education, disconnected from life, practice. The formation of a person's personality is in direct dependence on his activity, personal participation in exchange and labor relations. Positive qualities are developed by work: the more it is, the more expedient it is, the higher the level of development and socialization of the individual. Therefore, it is necessary to include students in public life, a variety of useful things, forming an appropriate positive attitude to them. By participating infeasible work on the rights of equal members, pupils gain experience of moral behavior, develop spiritually and physically, understand socially important motives of work, consolidate and improve their moral qualities.
The school of life is the best school of education. Therefore, the principle of connection between upbringing and life has become one of the fundamental principles in the overwhelming majority of educational systems: 1) wide and operative acquaintance of pupils with social and working life of people, changes occurring in it; 2) involvement of pupils in real-life relations, various kinds of socially useful activity.
Adolescents actively strive for adulthood, and nature itself gives educators the opportunity to achieve the necessary pedagogical effect. The younger the child's age, the more opportunities to form his or her social feelings and stable habits of behavior; the plasticity of his or her nervous system makes it possible to achieve high results in solving all educational tasks. I. P. Pavlov pointed out that the life activity of the human body is conditioned by the influence of the environment, the conditions of its existence. He called this influence life education. Such upbringing — the “school of life” — takes place for all the younger generations. As a result, they accumulate behavioral experience, develop skills necessary for inclusion in public life.
In some educational systems, the link between upbringing and life is interpreted narrowly as the involvement of pupils in work and participation in social production to the extent possible. This impoverishes the process of upbringing, closes the way for the full participation of children and adolescents in solving the problems important for any person: the democratization of society, respect for human rights, preservation of the environment and many others. Socially useful work is one of the most important means of socialization of a person, its inclusion in the system of social relations.
The proper implementation of the principle of connection between upbringing and life requires the ability of the teacher to provide:
— students' understanding of the role of labor in the life of the society and each person, the importance of the economic base of the society to meet the growing demands of its citizens;
— Respect for the people of work who create material and spiritual values;
— development of the ability to work hard and successfully, the desire to work honestly and creatively for the benefit of society and its own benefit;
— understanding of the general bases of modern production, aspiration to expand polytechnic outlook, to master the common culture and basics of scientific organization of work;
— Combination of personal and public interests in employment, choice of profession in accordance with the objectives of society and economic needs;
— Careful attitude to the public domain and natural resources, striving to increase the public property through their work;