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The ability to think critically, to communicate and to see another's point of view are three essentials every school should teach. Perhaps a test like the high school assessment or college prep could be given to test one's ability to reason, dialogue and compromise before sending someone out into the world to fend for themselves. How could someone teach these skills? Here's a few examples, taken from my own experience and education.

Critical thinking and reason: In some of my college and graduate classes, the teacher would emphatically give a wrong response or answer to a query. The professor was purposely testing an individual's ability to not only spot a lack of reason in another, but to defend their own, by challenging the answer. This not only earned the respect of the professor, but that of the other classmates as well, since only the student who speaks out or is willing to stand up for what they believe in(by reasoning out the proper response) showed true courage. Of course, without courage (as John McCain tells us) all the rest could not be exercised.

Dialogue: Students should be taught to write and speak clearly and concisely so others can understand. They should be able to make a strong appeal to their own opinions without coming across like they have an axe to grind or agenda to push. This means communication skills of every sort are essential, like spelling, grammar, punctuation and debate. Teachers can test these skills by questioning a student's comments as to how they came up with that comment and why they believe it is true. A student should not only state their case, but examine the opposing viewpoints as well, so as to prove why they chose one answer over the other.

Compromise: This brings us to mediation and tolerance. Compromise should not be a dirty word for settling or blind acceptance. True compromise comes from understanding that there might be more than one right answer, that perhaps truth has not yet been revealed for that fact, or for that person. It means respect for another's viewpoint or credentials and patience in understanding what those might be. Meeting someone halfway does not mean you are caught in the middle, but have chosen to see the glass half full rather than half empty. It allows room for critical thinking, only when all sides can be examined and understood without interference or dogmatic unequivocation.

If society would only exercise these three "graces" just think how much better our world would be. That's the other guy's world as well as our own.

Learn more about this author, Cinda Smaagaard.
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