I think it's fair to say that most of us take for granted the idea that a good education is the foundation of a good life and a good society. I believe this to be true, but in taking it for granted, I wonder if we fail to define what we mean by a good education. Furthermore, I wonder to what extent we ask ourselves how the shape of our education impacts the shape of our society.
Thank you Tom. This strongly aligns with my opinion of our current school system; and our children being so bound to it for their education during their precious time up to adulthood. Seeing my two, both with very different needs and ways of learning, travel through their school years, has really opened my eyes. I really don’t think school in itself is a bad place for them to be, they should be in school, with others, learning academically, physically, creatively and socially - being inspired by the world - but our schools are far from what they should be. From the physical environments through to the curriculum, the lack of flexibility, the constant testing and definition of what success means. For many parents it is now all about damage limitation - how can our children travel through the system with the least amount of damage done. They have such a far reaching impact in the short and also the much longer term, and therefore hold the power to make a big difference - good and bad. For us to create a more sustainable way of living, big changes in our school system needs to happen!
Thank you May, I really appreciate hearing your perspective on this topic from a parents point of view. Your words very much resonate and while I kept the focus of this article intentionally narrow, the broader question of how the school system can be reinvented is something that feels incredibly important.
Tom, this newsletter resonated with me in several ways. First was one my father said to me 50 or so years ago which was “the main purpose of acquiring a baccalaureate is to truly learn how to learn.”
Second was the distinction the staff at my children’s school made between advanced placement (AP) courses and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. The objective of AP is to teach specifics while the objective of IB is to teach deep and independent ways of thinking.
I certainly agree with your main premise that there are adjustments that can be made to our education system to better prepare people for the future. I also think there are pockets (and individuals within), albeit small, where those adjustments are being made.
Thank you Tom. This strongly aligns with my opinion of our current school system; and our children being so bound to it for their education during their precious time up to adulthood. Seeing my two, both with very different needs and ways of learning, travel through their school years, has really opened my eyes. I really don’t think school in itself is a bad place for them to be, they should be in school, with others, learning academically, physically, creatively and socially - being inspired by the world - but our schools are far from what they should be. From the physical environments through to the curriculum, the lack of flexibility, the constant testing and definition of what success means. For many parents it is now all about damage limitation - how can our children travel through the system with the least amount of damage done. They have such a far reaching impact in the short and also the much longer term, and therefore hold the power to make a big difference - good and bad. For us to create a more sustainable way of living, big changes in our school system needs to happen!
Thank you May, I really appreciate hearing your perspective on this topic from a parents point of view. Your words very much resonate and while I kept the focus of this article intentionally narrow, the broader question of how the school system can be reinvented is something that feels incredibly important.
Tom, this newsletter resonated with me in several ways. First was one my father said to me 50 or so years ago which was “the main purpose of acquiring a baccalaureate is to truly learn how to learn.”
Second was the distinction the staff at my children’s school made between advanced placement (AP) courses and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. The objective of AP is to teach specifics while the objective of IB is to teach deep and independent ways of thinking.
I certainly agree with your main premise that there are adjustments that can be made to our education system to better prepare people for the future. I also think there are pockets (and individuals within), albeit small, where those adjustments are being made.
Thanks Michael. I absolutely agree, and I think those pockets are very much to be celebrated and hopefully, amplified!