"Holistic education is a philosophy of education based on the premise that each person finds identity, meaning, and purpose in life through connections to the community, to the natural world, and to humanitarian values such as compassion and peace (Millar, 2000)". To me, being holistic in teaching means considering and attending everything you meet and encounter. That is because everything counts in an individual's development.
The highest function of education is to bring about an integrated individual who is capable of dealing with life as a whole. - J. Krishnamurti
Why? It is for the learners knowing themselves and the society, understanding the social relationships, learning behavior and attitude, develop emotionally etc. It is needed to live meaningfully and know about the 'pressing issues' in life, such as:
Increased competitiveness in many aspects of a child's social life, such as sports, out-of-school activities, and of course, school.
Obsessive concern for their "look," from their body shape to their clothes.
Violence in many forms, from the physical to the psychological and emotional.
We can, no way, ignore all these!
References:
Miller, R. (2000). ‘A brief introduction to holistic education’, the encyclopaedia of informal education. [http://infed.org/mobi/a-brief-introduction-to-holistic-education/. Retrieved: 22/07/2018]
Holistic Education: An Introduction. Holistic Education, Inc. (2003)
Link: http://www.holistic-education.net/visitors.htm