Acquisition and transmission of the social heritage is at the heart of the community experience because it establishes that self identity that we all need. Education is socially situated and the body of knowledge we work with is biased by our surroundings and prior beliefs.  The social heritage of a people consists of the persistent accumulative results of shared human experiences through which the social group carries on its existence.  This includes language, customs and traditions, skills and abilities in adapting to the environment, attitudes, ideals, patterns of thinking, and educational institutions.  Preserving the social heritage is necessary in order to provide social, economic, and spiritual stability and continuity to all.  The teacher as a leader of the community must recognize the social traditions of the school community and express the solutions of problems in terms that are respectful to those traditions.