First of all, let me proclaim my love for whiteboard videos. I dig watching thoughts turn into art as if it’s completely spontaneous. Very cool.
But on to the question at hand. Is school broken?
I struggle with this question quite a bit. The Dude Clan has a young one in 2nd grade and two more minds to be molded on the way to the prison that is the compulsory public education system.
Don’t get me wrong. The Dude is a fan of education. I love to learn. Thanks to the internet, I consume information and try new things at a faster clip than I ever imagined possible. I survived 12 years of public school, four years of college, and I even spent a successful year at law school.
But in the end, what did I get out of it? And was the end result worth 17 years of my life?…not to mention the endless money and stress that accompanies the process. Could there have been a better method? Better for me, and better for the world as a whole?
I understand the value of learning. But the school that we know and love is not about learning. It’s about systemizing and building public servants…but that’s a whole different discussion.
Is school broken? My simple answer is yes, but I don’t have a great solution to this conundrum. I struggle with it daily, and I continue to consider options. We still send the Princess to the public brainwashing daily. For now it works. It is what it is, and we’re all surviving.
But is it the best we can do…the best we can offer our kids? I’m not sure it is. And that’s a painful thought.
I reckon the Dude will have more to say on the education topic, but for now, let’s listen to Sir Ken Robinson’s view of the education system – and enjoy the whiteboarding that rolls along with it…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U[/youtube]
Hat tip to the Jefferson Sudbury School for sharing the love.
Thanks for the hat tip!
If there isn’t a Sudbury school near you, consider homeschooling. That’s what my family has been doing from the start. Here is a collection of my writing and the writing/videos of others on the topic of freedom in learning. http://michelepixels.com/unschooling/
Well, one thing that convinced me is to experience the graduates of a Sudbury school. You can see the trailer for a documentary about Fairhaven on our website. When I met them in person, I was wildly impressed by their maturity and fearlessness. The truly do not have a fear of failure. I myself do not know what that’s like. We have been raised in boxes, so we don’t know what freedom feels like. I would be a different person if I had gone to a Sudbury school. Good luck and best wishes.
Hi Michele,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Homeschool is definitely an option we are strongly considering, and I love the idea of unschooling. It’s just a matter of figuring out how to make that commitment work.
I’ll take a look at your writing and videos…thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Any idea how challenging it is to start a Sudbury school?
Thanks for tuning in,
Dude
Hi Dirk,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I’ve just started learning about the Sudbury schools recently, but from the little I know, it seems like you are spot on. It’s amazing what a sense of freedom will do for us.
Thanks for tuning in,
Dude