What's the background for your perspective?
I see it as both, and more. Thinking? Damned straight. Thinking is at the top of my list of academic and intellectual skills to teach.
Social work? I wish it weren't needed, but it is. We've known it for a very long time. Learning doesn't happen in a bubble separate from safety, security, and health.
My students just last year:
2 who were sexually abused for an extended period of time before being removed from their environment, both severely damaged people, one not getting any counseling or therapy to help.
6 were homeless.
12 (documented) living with alcoholics and addicts.
9 documented cases of neglect; I showed up early every morning for those who needed to shower or do laundry because they couldn't do either where they slept.
One whose parent attempted suicide, another who found a beloved family member dead. The latter's family refused assistance to get him counseling because it would interfere with him getting his chores done.
Several with bizarre, dysfunctional dual home/parent situations in which parents battled, manipulated, bribed, and tried to use kids against each other. A few of those were bad enough that my adolescent students were chewing their lips until they were so chafed the skin around their mouth bled, wetting themselves, scratching themselves, cutting themselves, writing about running away, writing about suicide...
There were more. And these are all before we get to those on IEPs for cognitive disabilities. If you add them all up, about 50% of my student load was in crisis of some kind. It wasn't about my perception. So yes...social work. Academic and intellectual growth doesn't happen in those circumstances without it.
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