Education is on everyone’s mind, but more so when you are an adult and especially if you are a parent who has an opinion on school’s effectiveness. We all look back on our years of learning and gauge whether we followed the right path by where we currently stand. Add everyone’s opinion about the lack of effective standards or good teachers in education, and it becomes even more complicated. But who is to say that there is only ONE standard path to education? Perhaps it’s our desire for simplicity that lulls us into the false narrative that there can only be one solution. But that’s more about our personal choice or maybe how we’ve always been taught. A system is developed for standardization, but it can’t be so immutable that we stagnate in our own learning process. Systems should evolve just as life evolves.
So, what brought up this conversation? Well, I was recently approached by a researcher who helped find answers to the choice of home schooling. Home schooling is resurging as a method of alternative education for your child. And that is the key, teaching YOUR child the skills that YOU think they will need in order to proceed in this complicated world. After all, we know what is best for our child, don’t we? If you’re interested in learning more about whether the option of home schooling is good for you, then check out: Home Schooling: Good For Your Child & Your Finaces?
I was drawn to the conversation because I feel very strongly about life-long learning. And I responded to this researcher with my curiosity and a whole lot of comments and questions that I hope will expand this necessary conversation. In today’s society, there are too few open conversations happening that seek to better our collective world. Most voices push out in one direction, with tiny shouts coming back, but little to sustain an on-going discussion. Some discussions do expand in limited gatherings, but they too do not encompass the larger group that is our society. The results of these expansive silences are now showing in the cracking foundations of systems and standards that aren’t being kept up by the collection that is all of US.
Now, let’s hear from a single young voice who is passionate about the pursuit of open learning, because he understands that education is our foundation. Meet Logan LaPlante from Ted X University of Nevada:
Logan’s method of learning is much like the one that I continue to pursue in my adulthood, though I did start my education in both public and private schools. I have my inspirational teachers who helped me stay curious so that my learning progressed forward. The key to my concern about systems is that we continue to limit ourselves by not seeking all available options. And for something as important as education, why does there only have to be one solution? With over 7 billion people on this planet, there is no possible way that standardized education can answer each and every one of our needs.
Looking at education today, the biggest concern that I have is that schools today do not focus on the student more than they do on their results. Actually, today’s society is all about results: awards, likes, connections, and any other status that places us on a specific level or label. So where does the individual fit in? Why isn’t their curiosity fostered more, even if it goes against the grain of status quo? Why does everyone accept the norm when it is obviously so broken? I’m sure that I’m not the only one with these types of questions.
Education is not only about schooling. It is a bigger foundation that encompasses the many types of knowledge that we humans need and want. It is not something that needs to be measured, unless we want to know if we are well-rounded enough yet. It can’t be standardized, because that is a form of limitation. Scores can provide a temporary standing within a controlled environment, but since when is life controlled? Ask any adult who has left school, and I’ll bet they wish that control existed so that they could know what to expect in the future.
And that is what education is all about: The future – yours, mine and ours. Am I concerned that home schooling is a viable alternative? I’m more concerned that education is available to every child and adult so that they can get the chance to become who they dream of being. The how is an option that we choose throughout our lives – even home schooling should be an available option as we all do it already. It’s the why we need education that is much more important because it will shape our lives.
Want some resources for open learning? I found this awesome Reddit thread on OpenCourseWear with a list of available online learning sources. There’s more than one way to learn and there’s more than one moment in life to learn. Considering that this life is your life, you probably should take an active role in it. Don’t let a system or people make decisions that are yours to make. You need to do what is right for you and your expectations. Not even your parents will know what is best for you, because they’ll be using themselves as the model and not you. There are models all around you: a teacher, a craftsman, a writer, a scientist, and many many more. Whatever your interest, there’s someone out there who can help you find the necessary knowledge.
Systems are breaking down everywhere because we think that they are perpetual in their current form. History and current events are telling us that nothing remains the same in life. But the one thing that is a constant is that we all need foundations to stand on. What we build on those foundations is up to us. The world needs more dreamers, just like it needs more students like Logan. Education isn’t just our foundation, it’s our common denomination. Only when we all understand one another can we build a world that is big enough to hold all of us and our dreams – together. Just like no one person who is always right, there’s more than one way to become educated.
If you feel passionate about home schooling or education in general, continue the conversation here or at Money.co.uk. It’s an important conversation to grow, and there’s a lot more to talk about.
…just saying
