Random Rants
I recently read an article from an Indian newspaper about homeschooling. In the article, three families enumerated their reasons for homeschooling. The reasons all were related in some way to the title of the article: "School is an Artificial Social Environment"--Hindustan Times. This seems to me to be a self-evident truth, and I'm always surprised when people feel obligated to debate it.
The social environment classroom schools most closely resemble is the industrial model--if that can be considered a social environment at all. A mechanical environment might describe it more accurately. John Taylor Gatto, who is a highly acclaimed American former public school teacher, traces our American educational roots to the efficient systems developed in Germany for the manufacturing industry. The most alarming part of this insight is that a key component of making such a system work is to churn out people who do what they're told without questioning, and who learn not to resist mindless, repetitive tasks. Both industry and education work best when this happens.
It's true, of course, that many, many teachers do not idealize the industrial model of education. They do their best to awaken minds and encourage passion and inquiry. But whenever they do so, they ramp up the inconvenience factor of classroom instruction exponentially. The bottom line is that traditional classroom instruction is simply not an environment in which these things can happen easily.
Outside of school, people almost always work with others in some non-academic capacity (sometimes in addition to academic pursuits), they work with people of varying ages and levels of competence and disability, they are free to come and go as needed--no captive audience, in most cases. People gravitate to and delve deeply into developing their natural interests and abilities. Learning in "brick and mortar" classrooms, with only other close-in-age people, on academic subjects only, as part of a captive audience, with everyone following the same educational track--the antithesis of a typical social environment outside of school.
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Some things in life simply defy efficiency. Taking care of children, the frail elderly, people with mental deficiencies, and the infirm are examples. In fact, I think looking out for almost any living thing can fall into this category. Routines can help, but they will never cover all the bases. Yet the need to carry out these caregiving tasks is compelling. Jesus says we're doing for Him whatever we do for "the least of these."
Efficiency can become a limiting value when people become so focused on efficiency that they sometimes seem blinded to caregiving necessities--or at least unwilling to consider an inefficient option to accomplish a greater good.
Examples:
If we plant grass there, we'll have to water and mow it. So, year after year, the yard transitions between dust and mud, depending on how much or little rainfall there is.
Don't plant anything in the garden that grows on a vine. It's too hard to keep the weeds out. So some of the best treats of summer have to be purchased at a dear price or they can't be enjoyed at all.
In big church gatherings followed by a meal, if we dismiss everyone at once, people will take too much time to visit, and serving lunch will take too long. So everyone is whisked from their seat to the lunch line, and there is no time to connect with people you hoped to touch base with.
When we lived at the Trail West house, our kitchen was a galley style walk-through room. At the end of one row of counters we had a small table where the family often ate. The end of the table butted up against the base counter along one wall, and the table was also backed up along one long side against the west kitchen wall. This easily allowed for only three people to sit at the table--along one exposed end and side. When our second child was born, we often had a high chair near the table, protruding very inconveniently into the kitchen walkway, but we never considered banishing the baby to another room to eat so that we could have our efficient kitchen back. Yet, in our public places, we are tempted sometimes to do similar things. The old people can't navigate the stairs to the basement for carry-in meals? Let them eat upstairs. The Sunday School class meeting place is not convenient for people with mobility issues? They'll get along somehow.
This logic pains me. An inefficient or expensive option, if it would address these needs satisfactorily seems justified to me.
The social environment classroom schools most closely resemble is the industrial model--if that can be considered a social environment at all. A mechanical environment might describe it more accurately. John Taylor Gatto, who is a highly acclaimed American former public school teacher, traces our American educational roots to the efficient systems developed in Germany for the manufacturing industry. The most alarming part of this insight is that a key component of making such a system work is to churn out people who do what they're told without questioning, and who learn not to resist mindless, repetitive tasks. Both industry and education work best when this happens.
It's true, of course, that many, many teachers do not idealize the industrial model of education. They do their best to awaken minds and encourage passion and inquiry. But whenever they do so, they ramp up the inconvenience factor of classroom instruction exponentially. The bottom line is that traditional classroom instruction is simply not an environment in which these things can happen easily.
Outside of school, people almost always work with others in some non-academic capacity (sometimes in addition to academic pursuits), they work with people of varying ages and levels of competence and disability, they are free to come and go as needed--no captive audience, in most cases. People gravitate to and delve deeply into developing their natural interests and abilities. Learning in "brick and mortar" classrooms, with only other close-in-age people, on academic subjects only, as part of a captive audience, with everyone following the same educational track--the antithesis of a typical social environment outside of school.
************************
Some things in life simply defy efficiency. Taking care of children, the frail elderly, people with mental deficiencies, and the infirm are examples. In fact, I think looking out for almost any living thing can fall into this category. Routines can help, but they will never cover all the bases. Yet the need to carry out these caregiving tasks is compelling. Jesus says we're doing for Him whatever we do for "the least of these."
Efficiency can become a limiting value when people become so focused on efficiency that they sometimes seem blinded to caregiving necessities--or at least unwilling to consider an inefficient option to accomplish a greater good.
Examples:
If we plant grass there, we'll have to water and mow it. So, year after year, the yard transitions between dust and mud, depending on how much or little rainfall there is.
Don't plant anything in the garden that grows on a vine. It's too hard to keep the weeds out. So some of the best treats of summer have to be purchased at a dear price or they can't be enjoyed at all.
In big church gatherings followed by a meal, if we dismiss everyone at once, people will take too much time to visit, and serving lunch will take too long. So everyone is whisked from their seat to the lunch line, and there is no time to connect with people you hoped to touch base with.
When we lived at the Trail West house, our kitchen was a galley style walk-through room. At the end of one row of counters we had a small table where the family often ate. The end of the table butted up against the base counter along one wall, and the table was also backed up along one long side against the west kitchen wall. This easily allowed for only three people to sit at the table--along one exposed end and side. When our second child was born, we often had a high chair near the table, protruding very inconveniently into the kitchen walkway, but we never considered banishing the baby to another room to eat so that we could have our efficient kitchen back. Yet, in our public places, we are tempted sometimes to do similar things. The old people can't navigate the stairs to the basement for carry-in meals? Let them eat upstairs. The Sunday School class meeting place is not convenient for people with mobility issues? They'll get along somehow.
This logic pains me. An inefficient or expensive option, if it would address these needs satisfactorily seems justified to me.
posted by Mrs. I at
10:21 AM
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