When I think back on my own school experience, I can remember fondly preschool, kindergarten, and fifth grade, that’s about it. I often wonder if it is because that is when I could “play” during the school day. Play allows a child the time to both apply what he/she has learned as well as reflect upon what he/she has learned.
Fifth grade I remember fondly and more vividly because that was when we did a mock JFK trial (some could argue a form of dramatic play). I remember it so vividly because the whole class worked individually yet also together. We were not competing but rather working together towards a common goal. I also felt that I finally really shined in school, and my classmates celebrated those talents with me. I was able to showcase both my writing and public speaking ability (as I was the prosecuting attorney). I can remember the feeling of exhilaration that year. All of my motivation to go to school was internal.
What if every school year children had an experience like that? School would be such a different experience for so many children if we focused on helping each student find his/her “gift” as well as on learning to work together. As with parenting, our educational system could be more successful by a focus on guiding children towards developing skills that help them to figure out which path is right for them rather than forcing them to follow the track we’ve decided is best for them.
Recently I gave a parent workshop on Positive Discipline. In the introduction, I talked about how times have changed and how that impacts how we parent and even how we view our children. The social situation in our society has changed including within our very own families. Previous hierarchical, limiting roles have shifted to relationships no longer demarcating the powerful from the powerless. Not only have our relationships changed but so has our economy. We no longer work in factories with one parent at home.
Today most households need both incomes to survive. Our economy has now become global and competitive, in many ways increasing our proclivity towards competition. This increase in competition drives us towards some false assumptions which affect our parenting as well as our educational system. One such false premise is that there is a narrow path to success. Due to this false assumption, our parenting becomes riddled with anxiety as we fear our children can so easily fall off of this narrow path to success and be doomed without our micromanaging of them. We falsely believe that to do well in life our children must do well in school. And even our educational system right now is not keeping up with the changing times or our changed social situation. It is not taking into account our children’s well-being or what they need to learn for their future lives.
Times have changed and so too must our educational system. Yes, we have adapted slightly, but we are working from a broken framework. We are still educating children as if they are going to work in factories. The children of today do not need to sit down and shut up, we no longer adhere to hierarchical, limiting roles. They need to work with others, problem solve and innovate. The children of today, our children, will be competing with computers. How do you compete with computers? You need to develop “soft skills.” Some soft skills include effective communicator, team player, empathetic, creative problem solver, adaptable, self-aware, perseverant, and resilient. How do you teach these skills? You can teach many of these skills through play-based learning, mindfulness, project-based learning (cooperation) as well as no longer compartmentalizing knowledge meaning that we can learn math while learning social studies, science, art, and even physical education. They do not have to be separate entities.
Last week I attended an excellent presentation by the Superintendent for the Patchogue-Medford, New York school district who is trying to make changes in his community. He called it, “The Importance of Student Well-Being and Play in Schools.” He has made some tremendous changes in his school district including doubling recess time, adding play both structured and unstructured to instruction time as well as adding yoga/mindfulness and dance. This came from a lot of reflection on his part; he actually sat down and thought about what is the purpose of education. He also asked parents and students their opinions about what education should “look” like. He regularly meets with students in roundtable discussions to see what is working and not working in the schools in his district. What a novel idea! How about asking children about their own education? One important measurable outcome so far has been an increase in attendance across the district. Children want to go to school! Other changes he is looking to make include questioning the “bell curve” approach to viewing and tracking children as the antithesis of learning and motivation. He would also like to have a stronger vocational program as he quoted Pablo Picasso, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” We need an educational system where our children are guided to develop skills that help them to find their gifts.
We have to stop and think about what the purpose of education is now today. For me, and for my children, the goal of education is to learn how to think, how to work with others, be curious and be motivated to learn. I want my children to have a love of learning. Too many children are so turned off by school because they are round pegs that do not fit into square holes. We often look at changing the round pegs when what we need to change are the square holes. Together we can change the system, we just have to speak up!
