I'm tired on this school system. In fact - after Maru's first year in school - a year that started with such hopes and celebration - I'm at a point where I feel great resentment to send him there for another year.
I wish that in the summer of 2012 a wonderful school would magically appear, which recognizes the absolutely amazing potential that every human being has. A school where I could send my child without being afraid that he'll be turned into a zombie.
As it's highly unlikely that such miracle would happen - as it feels that nothing, absolutely NOTHING has fundamentally changed in the school system since I walked away from there 10 years ago - the minimum I can do is to share my opinion (and thank god that my son is not reading my blog, as I'm doing a hard labor every day trying to give him reasons why it's important for him to put up with this s''''t that they call "educating").
Every child is born with an amazing potential
I gave birth to this beautiful boy 8 years ago. If you've ever seen a newborn baby you probably remember one thing very clearly - their eyes are full of wisdom. When you expect to see a helpless, mindless creature, you find an "alien" who seems to possess a godly intelligence and gives you a look of a king, who owns the world and the universe.
This is PURE POTENTIAL. And every caring parent who has ever seen this look in a baby's eyes is instantly sent off on a mission to do whatever is in their power to help this human to achieve as much from his potential as possible.
Then - countless amount of love and care, also countless number mistakes and errors later - my baby is 8 and is about to finish his first year in school. And we're back talking about his pure potential - but in a very different key.
Schools are focusing on weaknesses
I find myself discussing with Maru's teachers his WEAKNESSES - different situations in school where he didn't excel, where he misbehaved, where he didn't measure up to different standards. And when asked about Maru's strengths I hear an answer that makes me sick to my stomach: "He's a bright kid, he has a lot of potential."
It's not the first time I hear this good-sounding phrase, which is a clever way to say: "I haven't noticed any good sides in your son, I was so captured by recording and fixing his shortcomings." In a development-talk a few years ago in Maru's kindergarten I got the same phrase: "Well, he has a lot of potential."
Seriously? Every child is a born genius and I've witnessed this pure potential being turned into an amazing human being. I have no reason to doubt in my child potential unless he'd be born as a complete medical idiot.
As fortunately he wasn't, then I'm rightfully asking - what is the school doing today about this potential besides disciplining, warning, talking and homeworking it into a comfortable "box"?
Strong average schools are not enough
Maru's school is not bad, in fact - it's strong average. His teacher is not bad, she's strong average. Could be better, could be worse, can't complain.
What sucks is the system. The system that puts the child as the LAST and focuses on creating listen-carefully-and-follow-all-the-rules type of people.
Am I happy with this?
NO.
In fact - it makes me feel completely unsafe to send my child back to school. Unsafe because the world has changed and doesn't need the follow-all-the-rules type of people.
NO.
In fact - it makes me feel completely unsafe to send my child back to school. Unsafe because the world has changed and doesn't need the follow-all-the-rules type of people.
We need entrepreneurs. Connectors. Networkers. Creators. People with IDENTITY to be able to manage the HUGE amount of information we're dealing here every day.
It feels that schools are robbing children from this future.
There are better tools available
Now if you think that I'm too critical and radical then you're probably right.
Does this mean I should accept the system as it is? You bet no.
I know for fact there are better tools available. There are better and more flexible systems available that actually encourage learning.
It just feels that everyones too busy doing what has always been done, just keeping the system going so that there's no time for innovation. And it feels that the ones who once suffered in the same system have now grown into busy adults who have forgot to care (and forgot how much time they spent in various forms of rehap in healing the wounds that the system created).
I've come to the point where I'm open to every possible alternative.
Nice post, Marjam.
ReplyDeleteHave you heard of the Waldorf_education? It's very interesting ad unconventional, maybe Maru will like it :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldorf_education
Käisin just konverentsil, kus muuhulgas üks Rocca al Mare kooli õpetaja rääkise sellest, kuidas nad on viimased aastad järjekindlalt püüdnud hindamissüsteemi teha ümber niimoodi, et ennekõike tuuakse esile lapse tugevused (algklassides ei panda numbrilisi hindeid, vaid antakse sisulist tagasisidet; töid parandab õpetaja kahe pliiatsiga: ühe värviga toob esile, mis lapsel on õnnestunud, teisega juhib vigadele tähelepanu jne). Tundus igal juhul natuke teistsugune ja lapsele lähedasem süsteem. Kui õigesti meelde jäi, siis kujundava hindamisega oli tegemist.
ReplyDeleteDaniel, I have - Maru even went to Waldorf kindergarten here in Tallinn. Unfortunately Waldorf schools in Estonia are still in baby-steps and the government doesn't support alternative education enough for this to grow strong enough. In the end I didn't feel confident enough about the specific school. That's the sad thing about Estonia - there simply aren't good alternatives available.
ReplyDeleteKristiina, see kõlab hästi, võibolla Rocca al Mares on tõesti juurutatud midagi, mis reaalselt ka töötab. Audenteses, kus Maru käib, räägiti samuti, et hindeid ei panda ja antakse hinnanguid, paraku on reaalsus see, et need hinnangud ongi valdavalt negatiivsed. Ka nö sisuline tagasiside on tegelikult sarnane hindamisele, lihtsalt formaalselt numbrid puuduvad. Olen Domanit õppides järeldusele jõudnud, et igasuguse hindamise eesmärgiks on välja tuua nõrkused, mis on ise-enesest õpimotivatsiooni oluliselt vähendav. Hindamist on eelkõige vaja õpetajale, mitte õpilasele. Inimese põhiomadus on soov õppida ja areneda ning minu ootus koolile on eelkõige see, et lapses see soov säiliks ja kasvaks, mul ei ole vaja teada, et ta pole matemaatika klassi parim - usun, et igaüks areneb vastavalt oma võimetele ja kui koolis valitseb õppimist soodustav atmosfäär siis ilma kahtlusteta arenevad edasi kõik lapsed. Idealistlik muidugi :)
Though of sharing Glenn Doman full quote on testing here: “Babies love to learn but they hate to be tested. In that way they are very like grown-ups. Testing is the opposite of learning. Testing is full of stress… The more you test him, the slower he will learn and the less he will want to.” (Glenn Doman, Janet Doman How to Teach Your Baby To Read, 2002. Page 186).
ReplyDeleteAccording to Doman testing is a sign of distrust, it is the opposite of fun. The more you test him, the slower he will learn and the less he'll want to do. The less you test him, the quicker he will learn and the more he'll want to learn.
I can see that every day in real life. Last week Maru came home with a math test. He said a big red writing there "7 mistakes". He saw me looking at the paper and said with a regret in his voice: "I had 7 mistakes." I looked at the paper and noticed that the nature of these mistakes was insignificant, he had understood the point and made some careless mistakes. So I counted all the correct answers and said: "Did you know that you had 37 correct?" It frustrates me how huge focus is on the mistakes at the current system.
It is a complicated and endless topic indeed. But I have to say, I came through the worst box-school in Estonia (in Middle-school) and I still didn't get caught up with the system so much thanks to my mother who gave her own meanings to the grades and teachers. When I got a bad grade, she said it doesn't mean much and that the grades are not that important. If I was dealing with a bad teacher, she told me to take it as a lesson because there are lot of these kind of people in the future I have to deal with. So of course the pressure from the school was huge but in the end of the day mother (the nr one trust person) is the one to give meaning to those grades and situations.
ReplyDeleteKeep going Marjam!
Erik, you have an awesome mom and thank for that reminder! I believe that parents have a big part in our kids life and education, even after they've entered school.
ReplyDeleteMany people have told me that I went through a crappy school, but look at me, I've turned out quite well. While I agree with that argument and believe that the "strong survive", it doesn't excuse the utter waste of our kids time. It's the best time in kids life, never again will learning and growth be so effortless. And kids spend in this system 12 years (!) of their life, so there should be no excuses in wasting any of this time.
There are schools in the world that consistently "produce" more productive, happy and successful people than the others. I recently had a chat with a friend of mine who visited a private school in Bangladesh. Her conclusion was: "Now I understand why many diplomats and ambassadors are coming from schools like this."
Why? Because she was completely blown away by the kids in that school. She described a school fair, where 5th graders were presenting their social projects. These 11-year olds had visited local schools and interviewed teachers and students to draw conclusion how well they are using computers - after which they made tons of recommendations how to improve the situation. Their analysis, research and presentation skills blew my friend away, as she didn't expect this from 11-year old kids.
This is education out of the box and I want to see more of this in our schools. Going out there. Doing real things. Communicating with the local community. Exploring their own strengths and exploring their personality.
I have no doubt many parents have similar thoughts, worries and expectations to you Marjam.
ReplyDeleteI know that it is not testing that makes my son´s want to learn. It is the feeling of success. Feeling that I am actually doing well! (and it is the same since the very early days).
And if you allow your kid to feel the feeling of achievement after he has put some effort into something. The kid will get so much enthusiasm about whatever he was doing and will work even harder (my older son (5) was learning to read this winter - I remember, learning to read was one of the toughest things).
And you do not need to be an education specialist to tell this.
So why does it often end up in school in a way that kids feel that their effort is not appreciated... Taking away the last wish to even pursue the feeling of success...
Märt Aro
Today, the last schoolday of the year, I discussed with my son his experience in school during this 5th grade. He had a really tough time for the last years which in the end of 2011 resulted in major problems in almost all subjects at school. He was so much under stress that I got extremely afraid for him. Luckily we figure out that the root cause was one specific teacher who was then replaced in January. After that his grades and attitude changed a lot.
ReplyDeleteNow, the weird thing is that several of the teachers seem to have an impression of him as a problematic kid. They don't see even potential, they see the problem that was there several months ago and they treat the kid based on that belief.
My son said today that only 3 of his teachers are able to see the child as he is and don't see only problems. Kids are extremely smart and can detect more than we assume. So all the other teacher, how do they see the kids? They were not only unable to support the child when he needed it but they also make it extremely hard for him to move on after the really hard times are behind him. Great stuff... :(
Where are the good teachers who actually love the children and want to see them shine? It's so sad when teachers forget that our future depends on our children...
Märt, I hope so too! The more I talk to parents the more I see people dis-satisfied with the system and asking for a change.
ReplyDeleteParents have seen their kids growing from a little baby to a capable 1st grader and are therefor the best ones to notice any negative changes in their kids. Many parents often describe this as a "shut down", as if some blockages suddenly came up and their kids change stop believing in themselves. Something happens in school and I see more and more parents not willing to accept this anymore.
Mirje, I don't think that any 5-grader deserves to be labeled as a problematic kid. It's the time when their developing their self-image and are most acceptable for grown-ups opinions. It's sad to see that instead of promoting strong self esteem many schools focus on bringing out the weaknesses.
I just finished reading interesting material that Maru brought from school called "evaluation sheet". You really don't have to look far to understand how this negative circle of low self esteem starts. Here are some examples of his evaluation sheet (notice how every positive evaluation ends with big fat BUT):
Estonian language
You read already quite well, BUT you make mistakes often.
Math
You count within 20 mostly right, BUT it takes you a very long time.
Biology
You're interested in the nature, but pay more attention in the class.
General
You understand the rules, BUT need repeated reminders about them.
Ma arvan ka,et see on endless topic. Mina muidugi valiksin ennem natuke vähem teadmisi, kui katkise hinge. Seda aga tuleks kindlasti vaadata lapse pealt. Käisin just oma kursakaaslasel külas ja tema mees on ajaloolane. Ta tunneb palju õppejõude ja rääkis,et mingi kuulus tegelane ütles(mina ta nime ei mäleta),et tüdrukute ja poiste arenguvahe on 3 aastat ja punkt. :) Et segaklasse ei tohiks üldse olla.
ReplyDeleteJa olgem ausad, loota,et riigikoolis saab kvaliteetset haridust on naiivne. Riideid ostes me usume küll,et odavat ja head ei ole olemas. Samas mujale valdkondadesse seda üle ei kanta. Sul võib olla suur missioonitunnetus, kuid kui sa ei saa oma töö eest väärilist palka, ei ole see lõputult nauditav. Küsi millise loominguga tegeleva inimese käest. Starving artist ei ole tänapäeva teema. Ma arvan,et riigikoolis ei saa töötada pikalt õpetajana ilma kibestumata. Erand ei ole ka kõik erakoolid. Minu tütar käis Audenteses väikelaste tunnis (2-3 aastastele mõeldud). Mul jäi suu mitmed korrad lahti, kui kuulsin õpetajat lapsele ütlemas asju, mis tekitasid lapses negatiivset minapilti. Sama õpetaja töötas riigilasteaias kasvatajana (pole ime). Kindlasti ei peaks ma seda üle kandma tervele koolile, kuid tõrge tekkis ikka. Ja paistab,et tunne ei pruukinudki vale olla.
Kuid lõpetuseks, usun tõesti,et vanemad saavad siin ise palju ära teha. Ja kõik on võimalik, kui piisavalt tahta ja uskuda :)
http://www.bioneer.ee/eluviis/ilu/aid-214/Kodu%C3%B5pe-%E2%80%93-mis-see-on-kellele-ja-milleks-