Fear and Predictability
Control is overrated.
Sure, we want the world to work in somewhat predictable ways, but at what cost?
When my kids were little and fighting, sometimes the only thing I thought about was getting control and stopping the fighting.
And for a person or country that’s under attack and wants to make it stop, control seems to be everything, even if that control limits someone’s freedom and self-expression.
We get scared when the world seems out of control and we don’t know what to do.
We like being in predictable situations where we can fit in and know what to do, without challenge or struggle.
Controlling the Children in School
What’s the purpose of public education? Why did we and other countries set up mandatory schools?
If you ask the woman on the street or even educators what the purpose is of public schools, a few common answers would be:
- Teach important basic skills
- Make good workers
- Make good citizens
- Make good people
- Help each person to reach his or her personal best
- Teach people how to learn
I’ve had some wonderful teachers over the years that really cared about their students.
But let’s talk about how the institution got started.
The real answers are frightening
After the King of Prussia lost some major war to Napoleon, he created and enforced compulsory schooling. Following his advisors, he believed that schooling from an early age would create:
- People who were more loyal to the state than their own families
- People who wouldn’t question authority (you had to ask permission before being allowed to ask a question)
- People who have the same opinion on issues which were important to the state
This kind of school is all about training the children to be controlled.
But this type of school wasn’t for everybody in the kingdom.
Schools for Leadership
There was a second type of school set up for a small segment of the population.
These schools encouraged questions and original thought.
Who were these schools for? Children from selected areas of society. They were expected to be leaders.
In other words, those who would be leaders were taught to think for themselves, and most people were taught to be dutiful, non-thinking followers.
When compulsory education was established in this country, it was modeled after, you guessed it, the Prussian schools – the ones for the followers.
Has it changed much over the years?
In many classrooms keeping the kids under control is more important than what they learn.
In many classrooms teaching the basic skills which employers want is far more important than teaching children to think for themselves, and explore their greatest talents.
How many classrooms encourage dissent?
How many classrooms view any sign of opposition as arrogance?
How many times do we hear the message that all success in life is dependent on school?
I’m not an educator. I’m not an expert in educational methodologies.
I do have great respect for the people who face the daily task of teaching our children, often under less than ideal conditions.
And yes, classrooms can’t be totally wild and random and at the whims of the children.
And there are many subjects that should be taught to most children.
With all that said, we desperately need some vision for how schools can help children to find the greatness within them.
When will we get past the desire for a controlled and predictable cookie-cutter education, and move on to learning and personal greatness?
I feel that you article is well thought out and extremely lucid. As I read it, I was reminded of the sign that my husband hung in the front of all his classrooms (and which now hangs above my desk). The sign says, “A creative mess is better than tidy idleness.”
I realize that your article was not about tidiness in the classroom, but the compulsion on the part of some teachers to maintain rigid control, actually making it more important than learning. Some control needs to be maintained, because left to their own devices, children can be so rowdy that learning is impossible. The trick is to utilize techniques that maintain a child’s interest and attention, so that learning can take place and is actually enjoyable.
What I found most encouraging about your article is not the fact that you admit you are not an educator, nor familiar with the methodology, but that you care enough to write the article in the first place.
Our schools have been deteriorating for years, except in special cases, to the point where they are now ranked 24th among developed nations. Students in other countries openly laugh at our educational system and the level of our curriculum.
It is past time to completely revamp our public schools. We CITIZENS must make this an issue to be dealt with during the coming political campaigns. It is time to stand up and FORCE the necessary changes, including revamping curriculum to allow for teaching (and learning) critical thinking skills. If we do not train our children to be effective leaders capable of rational thought, and the awareness of consequences, then we will deserve the ever-worsening leadership we will get.
We are inviting parents, teachers, taxpayers and voters to JOIN US and help to Straighten-Out Public Education NOW!
Excellent, excellent post!
Periodically I work in the public schools…. I think if I tried to design a more unhealthy place for teenagers it would be the high school as it is today in most communities through our country.
We need to start over!
Thank you for this informative post!
Blessings,
jen
[…] Why Don?t We Teach Children To Be Leaders? – Fearless Dreams – Hey! That was going to be my line. […]
Fearless Dreams, I fully agree with your wonderful words:
‘we desperately need some vision for how schools can help children to find the greatness within them..’
A good post to ponder over. My best wishes.
Hello! Good Site! Thanks you!
Hi, great posting about leadership within kids! Creating these type of awareness is great. Good job!
http://www.scienceofgettingprosperous.com/rights
[…] You can find the post here: Why Don't We Teach Children to be Leaders […]
You know I have two teachers in my family. My youngest son-in-law holds a master’s degree in early childhood development and education. He himself is thinking of quiting because of such government control…standarized testing and such…he feels he can no longer be the kind of teacher he wants to be. Now my oldest daughter is a lecturer at A&M in corpus. She holds her doctorate in english Literature…..and, she is absolutely one of the most inspirational teachers I have yet to see. First off….she never gives exams…the word is not even in her sylibi….her students choose projects of their own design…within some boundaries of course….and, at the end of the semester….it is their projects that prove to be their exam. She comes up with all kind of games and such that truly get her students interested in English. Now many of her peers have even come to her and ask permission to use some of her ideas in their lesson planning…but, others frown upon her creativity…I actually heard this verbatim myself from another prof. while I was visiting. She was hanging up her student’s projects for the entire english department to look at and comment on and actually vote for….the comment”Oh great…thanks Pam….even more unnecessary work for all of us!” Well my goodness with all of that said…I totally agree with your assessment…I do beleive our system is designed for the elite….this is another reason my youngest is determined to home school. Thanks for a great post…sorry about such a long-winded response.~jackie