Analysis and Evaluation of Aspects of Pastoral Care and Mentoring in Essay

Analysis and Evaluation of Aspects of Pastoral Care and Mentoring in the Educational Contest - Essay Example ..............................10 Opportunity Costs V Opportunity Gains.....................................................11 Specific Pastoral Needs and Strategies.......................................................12 Conclusion †¦..............................................................................................14 References...................................................................................................15 Introduction This paper undertakes an in-depth enquiry into the concepts of pastoral care and mentoring in the educational context. This involves a critical analysis meant to evaluate aspects of pastoral care and mentoring. In attaining this end, the researcher undertakes a critical evaluation of the specific pastoral needs of students and examines the strategies for the attainment of this end in educational institutions. The paper examines how pastoral care and mentoring supports in effective learning. This is done through an examination of t he needs of people in the educational system. It also analyses the various strategies in the attainment of these ends. There will be an assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of each of the strategies. The analysis will conclude on the ends that each strategy meets in terms of specific pastoral care. The following objectives are examined: 1. A critical analysis of pastoral care and mentoring in the educational system. 2. ... Best states that â€Å"pastoral care marks an evolution of education from a purely academic system to one which incorporates social and family oriented lessons† (2000 p3). This means that Pastoral care seeks to integrate the important aspects of life that were primarily taught by parents and the society to children in the society before the coming of the Industrial Revolution. In other words, the social system of Britain was quite distinct in about five hundred years ago. However, in modern times, changes in the socio-economic system of Britain and other nations has caused the focus of society to shift from social values to one where efficiency, economic gains and independence are emphasized. As such, pastoral care attempts to recreate and inculcate the social value systems and structures that were taught informally before fundamental changes to the society occurred. The system through which most schools do this is through pastoral care, affective education, guidance and couns elling and personal/social education (Best, 2000). This is strongly steeped in Christian traditions and systems of trying to get people to be morally and socially upright right from an early stage. The world Pastoral care has a Latin root, pascere which means to feed. Best traces it to the early Anglican systems of Britain where Pastors were required to 'feed' their 'flocks' through care and other forms of mentoring and supervision systems which ensured that the members of the Church carried out what was taught in the Church and also raise their children in accordance with acceptable standards and traditions (Best, 2000). Pastoral Care became common in Cambridge and Oxford and gradually spread to secular state