Open the Door

 

I discovered a lot of things in school. I discovered that I was good at reading and writing and loved music class. I struggled in math and hated P.E. I discovered that I loved history if it had to do with how people lived - - what they ate, what they wore - - and had no interest in memorizing lists of kings or battles. I was bad at the day after day responsibilities that got you good grades, but I discovered that I was great at the last minute bursts of creativity that pulled off a major project. I was never going to be the Popular Girl but I discovered that I would usually have a friend or two.

I wasn’t conscious of this, but I discovered that I did better academically (and emotionally) if I felt that the teacher liked me. Like most kids, I learned that the day in and day out of school could be wearing and even boring, but that the moments that sparked my interest opened up whole new worlds for me.

To me, that last phrase defines something so important about education: the moments that spark interest and open up whole new worlds. Let’s call that Discovery.

Schools have so many missions thrust upon them because our society expects them to pick up the slack when children and families have unmet needs and challenges. I cringe when I hear critics demand that schools stick to “reading, writing and arithmetic” because it reveals so much ignorance of what schools must do.

At the most basic level schools protect children in their care. They provide for basic needs such as food, water, clean air, heat and air conditioning, bathrooms, and physical activity. They bandage skinned knees and alert parents to illness. 

Schools nourish children not only physically but educationally and emotionally. How? In the day-to-day relationships and in the building blocks of each individual lesson that builds to greater mastery.

An aside: I have argued here many times about how schooling must not be reduced to mere content delivery, as though students were mindlessly moving through a cafeteria line and the teacher’s job was to plop “content” on their plates. That’s not how real learning works. It ignores that most crucial part of the learning process: the humanity of everyone involved.

Schools create and support the conditions for discovery. It may come in a delighted “aha!” moment or it may come gradually over the years. Discovery may mean: 

• I like this.
• I’m curious about this.
• When I work at this I know I’m getting better.
• I want to do this more and more.
• I want to work with others to make this happen.
• I can feel how good I am at this.
• This is something worth working hard at.
• Discovering this made a difference in my life.

Discovery is that ineffable experience which is impossible to predict but is nonetheless important to plan for. The best schools and the best teachers create environments and lessons in ways that foster opportunities for discovery and leave room for encouraging it. 

Discovery is how students find out what matters most to them and what they are excited to pursue. Every  child needs that experience, no matter what they choose to do in life. It is intrinsically a part of how we find meaning as human beings. 

Today as we begin the school year I am thinking about how many places in this country are cutting back on education and narrowing what children (and even college students) will be learning. And this means they are flattening the educational experience and removing possibilities for discovery. 

I am so grateful that we are not doing that here in Howard County. I do think we should make sure that we are always ready to support and defend the kind of schools that value the essential humanity of the students in their care. 

Whether you are a parent, a student, or a teacher, I wish you a school year where the door to discovery is open. 

Village Green/Town² Comments