“You’re such a good student.”
We hear it at parent-teacher conferences. See it in glowing report cards. In the proud smiles of teachers who never have to remind or redirect.
Good student means easy to manage and compliant.
Sits quietly. Works harmoniously. Completes tasks as instructed. Doesn't ask too many questions. Doesn't challenge the system. Doesn't disrupt the plan.
We seem to be in a world where a child's greatest achievement is being low maintenance.
The ones who question everything? Difficult.
The ones who need to move? Disruptive.
The ones who see things differently? Challenging.
Gold stars for keeping quiet. Top marks for fitting in. Glowing commendation for not making waves.
Every raised hand must wait its turn. Every creative solution must follow the template. Every spark of curiosity must fit the schedule or else forgotten since there never is enough time for that. There is no way to grade curiosity anyway. Straight lines. Stay within the box. Inside voices. Eyes forward. Still bodies. Approved answers only. Permission to use the bathroom. To get a drink. To stand up. To move.
Excellence is measured by how little attention you need. How well you follow directions. How quietly you can sit in your chair for extended periods of time.
We've turned our children's submission into something worth celebrating.
Called it achievement. Named it success.
But our children deserve better than praise for being easy to control.
How do we create a school culture in which being a learner is more valuable than being a student? We call ROA children Learners. Learners are more active participants in their education and are driven by curiosity. The main difference is learners can learn without teachers, but students are only students when they have teachers.
Our goal is empowerment and a desire to tap into the unique passions, talents and interests of each Learner. Learning is unleashed and young people are co-creators, adults are co-learners, and they come together to support each other’s goals and dreams. Mastery replaces excellence according to specific pre established standard or mediocre level competence, the ability to do real things replaces the ability to simply name and know things, and a deep sense of agency and desire to improve replaces the need to please or compare ourselves to others.
“Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.”
― Plato
Comments