Thomas, Your post brought to mind a couple of things that were hot in education during the post WWII era. One was the Summerhill experiment in England which, I believe, was structured pretty much along the lines suggested by your post. Children were trusted to know what they needed and not forced into any 'system'. They controlled the structure and the content of their lives. I'm not sure that any studies were done that followed the kids but from what I have read, some kids did very well in that environment and some didn't, pretty much proving out what you are saying.
So the question becomes, what kind of a structure can we provide that will allow us to mentor each child in such a way that s/he will be best able to develop her/his potentialities? I don't think this is terribly difficult. I think we already have the tools to create stimulating environments that will allow all children to develop in such a way that they will be able to ask for what they need and we will be able to provide the form and content appropriate. The problem, as I see it, is that the corporate dominance of social structure and culture in Western society insists on our producing adults who will fit into that structure in which materialism and performance is valued over other human possibilities. The other experiment that your post brought to mind was the teaching processes with the Maori in New Zealand. There was a book called 'The Teacher' and I've forgotten the name of the author. She was able to teach Maori children successfully after decades of failure by others because she 'paid attention' to where they were coming from. Admittedly, in this case, the goal was to teach them English and Western ways but the point, I think, is that if one'pays attention' to where children are coming from, one can have great success in helping them develop their potentialities. This is true regardless of whether one wants to allow children to develop in their own terms or whether one wants to impose other goals on their development or whether one wants to find some way to combine the two. There were some wonderful teaching innovations in England immediately after WWII simply because of a lack of classrooms, books, etc. Teachers were forced to innovate and create and found all kinds of wonderful ways to engage the children. I think someone on this list mentioned 'streaming'. It was described in a way that was a little different from what I remember reading about but the basic idea was that children learn different things in different ways at different times. Some kids may be great at reading and not do too well at math or art or science. So the kids that were good at reading would help the kids that weren't and the kids that were good at math would help the kids that weren't who may be the same kids that were helping them with reading because they were better at it. It was called the 'family' system then and there was no stigma attached to anyone needing help and no particular prestige attached to anyone giving help and it worked wonderfully. So, as I said, I think we know what we need to know to create environments in which children can develop their potentialities the way all of us would hope. Now all we have to do is change the basic values and structure that demands that we produce the cogs that will keep the corporate profit wheels moving. Selma ----- Original Message ----- From: "Thomas Lunde" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, April 20, 2002 2:07 PM Subject: Re: Schools/education > Hi Selma: > > Let me attempt an answer from my own family. I have three children. The > first is Dharma, an individual who did very poorly in the school environment > and who showed no scholastic aspirations. However, he has a gift for > socialising and blending into a community as a very well liked person. > Along about 16 he started writing poetry and it was very mature and > intelligent poetry - far divorced from his lack of education abilities. He > started in the working world as a dishwasher, became a cook, and over the > last 10 years has pursued that vocation. Recently, he worked with a > European trained chef who praised him as one on the most talented chef's he > had ever worked with and that his skills where comparable to the training he > had recieved in Germany while apprenticing in prestigous hotels. > > My second child is Ashley, now 15 and living with me in an Airstream Trailer > and taking home schooling. Up until several years ago she was in public > education but became disenchanted with the social life of public schools. > She reads a lot, has just finished Chapter 7 of her own book which I feel is > publishable. She is a very organized person who sets her own schedules and > maintains them as well as any disciplined adult. She has acting abilities > and high English abilities both in writing and speaking. > > My third daughter is Emma. She is great in the public school system, > consistently at the top of her class, well liked, participates in school > sports, has won metals in dancing. In a school two years ago, she was so > effective in a muliticultural environment in providing assistance to the > teachers that a special "Outstanding Student" award was given to her by the > school authorities. She has won writing contests, loves group projects, is > a constant enabler for those less gifted. > > What can I take from this. Simple! No two alike! > > In our crazy world of statistics, corporate organizations such as schools, > companies, style and fashion, the assumptions are against individuality and > towards quantifiable bracketing by age, education, job title, etc. The SAT > tests to get into University is one of the most obvious insanities. > > Now, in the article you recommended and that Keith posted I noticed a > similar trend. That was to treat the student as a consumer - someone who > had to consume some education and clever ways were found to entice that > consumer into producing new statistics and helping them move up the > acceptable social ladder of academic achievement. > > In my family, that has failed in two out of three cases. My son found his > vocation - by chance? And has become successful in the terms of self > interest and compendency. My second daughter has successfully mentored > herself with me and I would not hesitate to compare her English skills with > second or third year University students. My third child has found success > within a corporate structure. > > I think somewhat differently. I think the purpose of education should be to > observe students/children and facilitate what interests them. If it is > cooking - fine. If it is solitude and writing - fine. If it is a corporate > environment - fine. There should be no standards other than the > facilitation of allowing the child to develop in the way their talents drive > them. > > Now, I also live with three dogs - Sarah, the grandmother, Sheba the mother > and Thumper the male puppy. Now Sarah is a yellow eyed bitch that knows no > fear, wants no dog company and will rip the face of anyone who displeases > her. Her motto in life seems to be 'leave me alone'. Sheba is just the > opposite, she is forgiving, affectionate, playful and does not seem to have > a mean bone in her body. And young Thumper has yet to reveal his defining > characteristics except he seems to be sensitive to mom and grandmom's > idiosyncracies. Same rule though - "no two alike." > > So, I think we should stop looking for - "the best education system" with > all that implies and start looking at children as potential - that within > themselves they hold potential and that education means releasing that > potential - whether it is for a cook, a truck driver, a mechanic in a junk > yard or an artist of mathmatician. And yes, we should even allow some the > sin of laziness and indolence - for they are human potentials too. > > Respectfully, > > > Thomas Lunde > > > > on 4/16/02 7:07 AM, Selma Singer at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > I am particularly interested in the response some of you may have to the > > idea that each child should have a program individually tailored to her/his > > needs and that some children will graduate at 14 and others at 21. > > > > Selma > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Keith Hudson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: "Selma Singer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Cc: "liz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "JOHN AND MARIA GRIMANIS" > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Varda Ullman Novick" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; > > "Irenestuber" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "nick" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "liz2" > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "jennifer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "trish" > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2002 3:43 AM > > Subject: Re: Schools/education > > > > > > Hi Selma, > > > > At 13:24 15/04/02 -0400, you wrote: > > (SS) > > <<<< > > I tried to email this article directly from the Globe but, for some > > reason, it refused to cooperate to print. I do hope you can get it and > > would love to hear what you think. Selma > >>>>> > > > > A superb article and most encouraging. I show it below for those interested. > > > > The two strong points I took from it were: > > > > (a) that Richard DeLorenzo had a great degree of autonomy; > > > > (b) he consulted with his "customers" rather than the authorities or > > experts (he thinks this was the strongest factor of success). > > > > This is what we badly need -- whether we have state supported education or > > private. We need diversity. We need schools to respond to their local > > needs. We need freedom for those who have a real vocation to teach. > > > > My main complaint against state education in England is that it has been > > centrally directed, and very heavily, too. It is failing badly. We have > > variations in standards far greater than if we gave freedom to schools. > > Slowly, painfully, we are learning the lesson of Richard DeLorenzo. > > > > Keith Hudson > > > > <<<< > > CHUGACH'S MODEL OF SCHOOL SUCCESS > > > > David S. Broder > > > > The Chugach School District is one of the strangest in America. > > Encompassing 22,000 square miles of remote Alaskan wilderness, ranging from > > the islands of Prince William Sound to isolated ''bush'' villages, it has > > only 214 students and barely two dozen teachers on its staff. Unemployment > > in the area tops 50 percent, and three-fourths of the people, many of them > > Aleuts, are below the poverty line. Two of the school board members live > > what are tactfully called ''subsistence lifestyles.'' Another is an > > 81-year-old retired woman bartender. > > > > Yet in seven years, this school district, facing challenges of almost > > unimaginable scope and complexity, has transformed itself into a national > > model of education reform whose methods are being copied not only across > > Alaska, but now in the Seattle public schools as well. > > > > Last week, the Chugach superintendent, Richard DeLorenzo, stood before a > > ballroom full of high-powered executives, explaining how little Chugach had > > won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, an honor that in the past > > has gone to companies such as Cadillac and Ritz-Carlton as a signal of > > their success in providing customer satisfaction. The rigorous competition- > > named for the late commerce secretary in the Reagan administration- has > > been around for 14 years, but this is the first time any winners have been > > found in the education world. In addition to Chugach, the five honorees > > this year included the Pearl River School District, an affluent area in > > Rockland County, north of New York City, and the University of > > Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie. > > > > All three represent remarkably successful collaborations among local > > communities, educators, and businesses in setting common goals and > > relentlessly measuring where they stand in achieving them. But it is the > > Chugach story that carries the strongest message to districts that take > > seriously President Bush's challenge to ''leave no child behind.'' > > > > In 1994, when DeLorenzo arrived, the average Chugach student was 3 three > > years behind grade level in reading and lagging badly in other areas as > > well. Now these students have moved from the 28th percentile nationally in > > reading to the 71st percentile; from the 53rd percentile in math to the > > 78th; and from the 22nd percentile in spelling to the 65th. When state > > proficiency exams began in 2000, Chugach students topped the Alaska average > > by 8 percent in reading, 17 percent in math, and 35 percent in writing. > > > > This was not accomplished, DeLorenzo stressed, by ''teaching to the test.'' > > To the contrary, the Chugach curriculum goes beyond the basics to include > > technology (a laptop is provided every student), science, and social > > studies. Special emphasis is placed on service learning (involving students > > in community projects), personal health (to offset alcoholism, which is > > widespread in the villages), cultural awareness (to broaden horizons) and > > career development (to ease transition to work). > > > > The district provides performance pay bonuses and scholarship benefits to > > its teachers and offers them an unusually robust 30 days a year of > > in-service training. It has done this while cutting the administrative > > overhead from 25 percent to 10 percent of state and federal funds, putting > > the savings and a growing amount of foundation support into instructional > > programs. > > > > But the key to success, DeLorenzo said, was the application of ''Baldrige > > principles'' to the whole process. It began with structured discussions > > with the ''customers,'' the parents and other villagers, local businesses, > > and the students themselves, to identify their needs and goals. The whole > > system was then redesigned to achieve those results. > > > > Instead of measuring ''seat time'' in the classroom and promoting students > > from grade to grade, whatever their skills, an individual work plan is > > developed for each student, who then proceeds at his or her own pace. > > Teachers monitor pupils' progress constantly and report to their families > > on how they are doing. Some students meet all the graduation requirements > > by 14; others have stayed in school until 21. > > > > Subjecting familiar bureaucratic structures and methods to rigorous > > scrutiny in pursuit of measurable improvements in customer satisfaction is > > the defining characteristic of the Baldrige approach, whether it be in > > check-printing companies or fast-food chains (two other winners this year) > > or in schools. > > > > This systemic approach to education reform, championed by organizations > > such as the National Alliance of Business, is being tried in a growing > > number of districts across the country, and DeLorenzo recently lobbied > > Secretary of Education Rod Paige to embrace it as the best bet to achieve > > Bush's goals. > > > > Few places face the physical and social challenges of Chugach. DeLorenzo > > says he will not rest until at least a million other youngsters are > > experiencing the success his 214 students have come to know. > > > > 15 April > > > > David S. Broderis a syndicated columnist. > >>>>> > > > > __________________________________________________________ > > "Writers used to write because they had something to say; now they write in > > order to discover if they have something to say." John D. Barrow > > _________________________________________________ > > Keith Hudson, Bath, England; e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > _________________________________________________ > > > > > > >
