My Ideal School—Part 1

Forgive me, I must blog about my ideal school. My husband said I should, and I think he is right. Caution: potential ranting ahead.

First up, the Classical Education.

I never understood why all my school subjects were handled as separate universes, sufficient unto themselves, when I was in public school (Private school is frequently not much different, mind you.).

Each subject, and let's list them for the sake of clarity—math, English (also known as Language Arts), history, science, music, art, handwriting (a rapidly dying art, I'm afraid, in the orgy [forgive me] of keyboarding that is taking place in our insanely frenetic world) . . . did I miss any? Probably. Anyway, each subject, was taught without any real reference to the others.

In history we might be learning about the French Revolution, while in math we're grinding away at Algebra without ever knowing who first discovered these functions and what made them want to. And over here we might be reading "The Catcher in the Rye", but learning about Degas and Beethoven.

Is it any wonder we don't retain what were being fed? Why should be hop back and forth around the world and across several eras all at once? Why couldn't we just pack up our trunks, make the journey, and plop our selves down for a good old-fashioned visit, remaining in one place and time for a few weeks or even—gasp!—a whole month?

Why don't we start with the ancients and learn about the individuals who discovered and implemented the principles of mathematics and science? It would have been simple enough in the early days, right? And I bet more students would retain more of what they learned in the process.

We could then proceed around the world, chronologically, using—and this is REALLY important—Original Source Material. That's right. Instead of reading about the Magna Carta, the would read the Magna Carta; instead of reading about the the Declaration of Independence, the would read the real thing, or a reasonable facsimile thereof; instead of reading pre-selected excerpts, pull-quotes and captions, they would get their (ideally greedy) little hands on the real deal.

To give them bits and pieces of an education is like giving a child a toy that is meant to mimic real tools and devices that big people, accomplished people, fully individuated people (And remind me again, exactly how do the aforementioned get that way? By eating pretend food and playing make believe at everything they do in life?) use for creating and operating in the real world. As anyone who has spent time with a small child will know, they will not long remain satisfied with the play kitchen, the pretend remote, the fake car keys, the computer replica, the toy tools, and other colorful plastic items of the same ilk.

No, of course not. They want the real thing. They understand intrinsically that they're being given a predigested copy of something that must be appealing or no one would have bothered with its imitation. But why, they ask, do I not get the real thing? Why is that being kept from me?

Are children wrong to feel this way? I know how I feel about news media choosing for me what is important for me to know and what is not. I know how I feel when an item that I purchase does not work well or breaks long before it was supposed to. It feels fake. I feel cheated.

So, why do we do this to our children? Why do we cheat them? Why in the world would we cheat their minds of the opportunity to learn as much as they are capable of learning? Why do we assume that the limitations we set for ourselves are necessarily appropriate for them? Many of us grew up on the gruel of mediocre education, but does what was deemed "good enough" for us have to be the same bar we set for our children?

Some of my teachers in school were outstanding. Some I barely remember. Along with the bland information they presented. The only texts I remember are the originals that we were somehow fortunate enough to be handed, or the ones I read on my own. Is that the way it should be? No wonder our children retreat to computers, T.V. and video games. It's for the lack of anything more interesting to come from the adults entrusted with educating them in the things they need to know to live this life, in this world.

And we only get one chance. Once they're out of school their education, or lack thereof, is a part of who they are and will be. No mulligans, I'm afraid. How many children, when out of school during a break or summer vacation, pick up a book that requires anything of them? How many high schoolers will pick up a book that requires more than a sixth grade reading level? Or do they need Manga actually to finish reading the story? Once upon a time, not so very long ago, it was stated that in order to read the original King James Version of the Bible, one needed an 11th or 12th grade reading ability. What is it now, I wonder? Masters, maybe? PhD?

Enough of my rant. Back to Classical Education. Back to the original drawing board. Back to my ideal school.

To be continued . . .