What do you really need to know...
- Sparrow Home School
- Feb 1, 2018
- 4 min read
I read posts on Facebook from those who have children in school, some home schoolers too, along with engaging in conversations with a range of people. Some of the people (of all kinds, from all backgrounds, professions etc) that I have read about or engaged with, come across as a bit panicked, worried, concerned or determined to ensure their child covers 'all areas of the curriculum'. I get it. No matter what educational system or style our children are undertaking, we all have moments of worry. Are they learning enough? Are they learning the right things? Are they being left behind? Do they know as much as the rest of the kids their age? And on it goes. It's because we love our children, we want the best for them. We want them to be the best versions of themselves and have a joyful life. I just don't think the currirculum is the answer.
Let's think about that for a moment...
Let's pretend that we all left our 'formal education' (whether it be public, private, Montessori, home school, whatever) with the basics of numeracy and literacy. Sadly we all don't but for the sake of pondering, let's level the playing field and pretend that we all do.
What else from school (official subject-wise) did you learn and moreso remember (including some of that numeracy and literacy), that helped you pursue the career, job, lifestyle, ambitions, passions, interests and more from your young adulthoodness and beyond?
I would argue, probably not much.
You see, it's not possible to learn, understand and master all aspects of the curriculum. No-one can know everything, master everything. Nor is it possible to truly know exactly everything we need to know for the future (based on how society will be, how it and we will function, what we are going to do personally and so on). We can make some assumptions and some educated guesses, but we can never know for sure. Information is changing and updating and coming at us at an increasingly fast rate. How much of those in uni now or those going to uni in the next few years will be learning stuff that will be obselete before they even finish their degree?
Yes, I believe we need to help prepare our children for their future, however, I think if we can focus on the basics and help them pursue their interests and passions, then we can set them up better for what they want to do with their lives.
When we reach the end of our 'formal education', we might decide to be a vet or a hairdresser, or a doctor, or an enviromentalist, or play in a band or be an artist or whatever. Because there is interest and passion, we go off and find out what we need to know and do to follow that chosen path. We then undertake the course, degree, mentoring, whatever, in order to achieve that. Being under the impression that we could have learnt all of that whilst undertaking our formal education is not achieveable. School is really not designed to teach all of us all things to cover off any possible career path we may take, nor should it. Not possible.
How much in the curriculum is a filler? What can be taken out and replaced with something that is potentially more useful to more of us? Stuff most of us actually have to deal with when out in the real world. Many a home schooler has been asked how do we expect our children to function in the real world if our children are not in school? Ummmm, how is school the real world? I would argue home schooled children perhaps live in the real world much more than one in school would. However, I don't want to foster an us and them mentality. I'm suggesting no matter where you undertake those 'formal educational years', make them more relevant, more real, more useable.
We need to get back to learning how to learn. How to follow our interests and passions. We will learn what we need to learn when we need it. Maybe you never learnt or remember you learnt XYZ math concept. Does it really matter? Maybe you will never ever need that particular concept. If you find out you do, then you can learn it as you need it. Better retention for that concept because it relates to something you want and need to know to follow that interest and passion. Learning does not begin nor stop with school.
We need to foster a life-long learning mentality. Life-long learners want to stretch and grow. They want to keep their thirst for learning, for knowing stuff, well hydrated. Life-long learners are motivated, they want to keep understanding the world around them, strive to be the best versions of themselves, improve their quality of life. I'm not just talking academics here, I'm talking emotional well-being, I'm talking about all of it.
The system needs to change. The emotional well being of our children, of all our souls should trump it all. How can we make it so that we trust ourselves, our children, our needs, wants, passions and interests to take us where we need and want to go?
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