There are a lot of arguments about schooling, many of which can get hostile. Most arguments I see with regards to schooling focus primarily on what will be taught and who will pay for it. Nearly everyone I see weigh in on this subject takes for granted the current model that looks something like this: a handful of teachers are responsible for instructing dozens or even hundreds of students in a big building where almost everyone there spends the bulk of their day from early in the morning until well into the afternoon. Nearly every conversation on education involves simply tweaking one element of that model (teacher pay, start time, source of funding, and so on); I rarely see anyone thinking outside that model and discussing whether or not it should be drastically changed or even eliminated in favor of one or more alternative models. I have some thoughts on this subject that I’d like to talk about in this blog post.
The current model of schooling works well for some but leaves much to be desired for others. For example, kids are most often grouped by age rather than ability. As a result, kids who are exceptionally bright may become bored or restless by a curriculum that’s too easy for them while kids who need more time and assistance might feel that things are moving too fast for them to keep up. Additionally, some schools have minimized or completely abolished recess. This hurts kids who can focus better after taking some time to run around, play, have fun with their friends, burn off some extra energy, and enjoy being in a more relaxed environment. Personally, I loved having time to play in elementary and middle school and I can’t imagine getting through the day without some type of physical activity, and I feel sorry for the kids who are or will be in that situation.
Teachers also have a difficult time in the current schooling model. Among other things, they have to create lessons plans, instruct for hours at a time, maintain control of the classroom, grade assignments, and alert parents and administrators to problems they see. Sometimes they get blamed for problems that arise even someone else is at fault. When things are going well and major problems don’t arise, their normal workload is still massive and takes up a huge amount of their time both during and outside of school hours. The intense workload that both students and teachers have to bear, alongside a system that’s gradually become increasingly more centered around getting good grades on standardized tests, affords very little time for teachers to give additional assistance to students who need it; they also have almost no time to help kids become well-rounded, capable adults.
So many parents work long hours outside the house to support their families and countless kids are at school (or doing something related to school, such as homework, getting ready in the morning, and going to and from school) for most of their waking day. That’s a lot of time that kids can’t spend with their parents during their formative years, which is often hard on both kids and parents alike. The time they could spend together is often further reduced by the hours of homework that many kids have to do once they get home from school and the exhaustion lots of parents feel after working all day. Then, before anyone realizes what’s happened, the kids have grown up and left home to start careers and families of their own, leaving sporadic special occasions as the only opportunities for family members to reunite.
All of this has caused me to favor homeschooling. Time is precious and if I end up having kids, I’d want to be around them as often as possible. Even better if I could work from home and spend more time with my family. Plus I’d want to design lesson plans around the needs of each of my kids and teach them some practical life skills that are no longer taught in most schools. I’ve seen this sort of lifestyle firsthand as I have some friends who work from home and homeschool their kids; they’re grateful that they can spend so much time with them and do things they never could in a more conventional lifestyle.
While my preference is for homeschooling, I’d be content to see more awareness and use of different schooling options so every individual and family can find something that works well for them. Some of this could be done now by taking advantage of resources such as the Khan Academy, books that can be obtained for little to no money through the internet or libraries, educational materials on YouTube, and online teachers who can teach kids from almost anywhere in the world. The internet has opened up so many possibilities for learning and I’m glad to see people increasingly using it for educational purposes. However, I think some fundamental changes to how modern societies are structured would be necessary to bring about the next phase in education, including but not limited to the following: a system that allows most people to work from home instead of commuting to a job nearly every day, more community-based aid (neighbors taking turns babysitting, sharing money when times are tough, helping each other with repairs, etc), giving every kid a curriculum based around their strengths and weaknesses, and abandoning the idea that there is one direct path to success and fulfillment as well as the accompanying idea that anyone who chooses a different path is a failure.
Mark Twain reportedly said “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” This may initially sound like an attack on schooling, but I see it differently. I think it shows that education need not be confined to any one model or system and that learning can come from a variety of situations, even ones that look quite different than the ones to which we’re accustomed. Personally, I learned a lot from my time in school and I’ve continued learning through self-directed means. I don’t have a grand plan that will work best for everyone, and I don’t think there is such a plan. As I said above, I just want there to be more opportunities for people to find what works best for themselves and their families. I think most people want that as well, and if we really work toward making that happen, we can make it our reality.
