Earthlight Magazine / Books / Home
Copyright © 1997 by Twelve Star Publishing
All rights reserved. Inquiries should be addressed to
Twelve Star Publishing, P.O. Box 123, Jefferson, MD 21755
Quietly, the little guy pads into my early morning bedroom
and touches me awake. In a whisper, with subdued yet intense anxiety
in his voice, he says, "Mommy, I don't want to got to school
today." This scenario is repeated at least three times in
two weeks. My heart sinks for him. I feel his sadness. I share
his anxiety.
This is normal, my friends tell me. Kids have good days
and bad days at school. "It's a phase" another one assures
me. I'm not convinced. We are talking here about a very bright,
normally-enthusiastic 2nd grader. He should be thriving in school
because he is so bright. He's been keeping up with the work. He
has plenty of friends. So of course I have to ask him the question
for which I suspect there is no easy answer. "Why don't you
want to go to school today honey?" Maybe it's not about school,
I'm thinking. I probe gently as he climbs in bed bedside me. Is
he having trouble with another student, or group of kids? No.
Is he having trouble with Spelling? Math? Reading? No.
"So what then, my boy?" I ask. "Can you tell me
why?"
"No, Mom. I just don't want to go."
Burned out in October, at seven years old.
Time travel, back to last spring and it's kindergarten
orientation day at pre-school. My beautiful, creative, well-rounded
daughter excitedly boards the school bus for her first-time ride.
I'm along as parental support. The drive to the elementary school
is a short but sufficiently bumpy ride to thrill the kids. They
are downright jovial!
We arrive at the entrance to the school. Before they ever
get off, a big man boards and in a booming voice, outlines for
the children what is expected of them as they tour the school.
They will be QUIET, and use SAFE WALKING (stay in line). They
will practice SAFE SITTING when they're told to be seated, and
remain QUIET. They will LISTEN, and stay QUIET. I look around
and realize that they ARE now quiet. Some of the enthusiasm drained
from their little pink cheeks, they obey, because they are all
"good" kids. Welcome to Kindergarten.
This was the first of a series of turning points for me.
It caused me to think about what was really important for my own
children, and not just for today, but for ever . . ..the long
haul. What skills and abilities would they need in order to thrive
in this ever-changing world of ours? I began to wonder how much
of what my children would experience in a typical school day would
help them grow up to be critical thinkers, creatively challenged,
happier and healthier, spiritual, physically fit and motivated
-- because all of this is vitally important to me. After all,
seven hours of their twelve hour days for years on end would be
spent in a school environment.
As I read and observe, I am beginning to better understand
the state of education today. According to an article in the Washington
Post in October 1997, "Popularity Grows for Alternatives
To Public School," the number of children being schooled
at home has tripled in this decade. Enrollment at private academies
which emphasize the Bible or Christian principles has doubled
in the last 10 years. In 1992, there was one charter school in
the entire nation, now there are more than 800. This article doesn't
even mention independent schools which are springing up in communities
country-wide.
What does all of this tell us?
Well, it tells me is that my family's situation is not
unique. Parents everywhere in this country are seeking something
outside the structure of public education, even if it means they
have to pay dearly for it. I see such defection as a temporary
answer for some children, but . . . public education remains the
source of education for 90% of the children in this country. What
about them? What about our future as a nation -- as a world? It's
not really about where the children are taught, but how they're
taught, and most importantly what they are taught.
I was driven, out of caring and concern for my children,
to seek the answers to some pointed questions. These are hard
questions which may seem rhetorical at first. A key to seeking
the answers, however, will be in the realization that we must
look beyond what we think we "know" to be true. We must
ask the questions with our heads and listen for the answers with
our hearts.
How does my child's school experience foster a love of
learning?
Does my child's school experience teach her facts and figures
or how to solve problems? As imagination is an essential step
in problem-solving, is her imagination being developed or curtailed?
Does my child's school experience help him to recognize
his own natural skills and abilities, or does it encourage him
to be more like the other kids? What opportunity is there for
my child to move at his own pace?
Is my child being trained to take a test, or to create
his own tests? Is he taught to memorize and regurgitate information,
or is he taught to integrate what he is learning into his future?
In my child's daily educational experience, what acknowledgment
is there of the natural rhythms of human functioning? Is time
on task in balance with social time and rest time, nourishment
- both physical and mental? (Does she get plenty of food and fresh
water? Is she enjoying her day?) And in the larger picture, does
the yearly school calendar utilize knowledge of our natural rhythms?
What facilities are in place to provide my child with experiential
learning, which is known to enhance memory and function in any
given subject?
Does my child's educational experience emphasize competition
or cooperation? Does it reinforce the old social structure of
few winners and the rest losers?
Since it is predicted that the children of today will have
a minimum of five careers in their lifetimes, does my child's
educational experience help him learn to be flexible, to learn
new skills easily, and to transition smoothly?
Do schools demonstrate the values they attempt to teach:
Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and
Citizenship. What other important concepts can be included?
Are teachers satisfied with what they have to teach, how
they have to teach it, and do they have the resources they need
to do their jobs well?
It seems to me that our current educational system is reactionary
and antiquated. We can do a better job with our children! We must
demand a transformation in education from facts to concepts, from
academics to whole-child, from impersonal to nurturing. We can
create the grandest vision of ourselves as a human race and steer
towards it. We can do this right now.
Tucking the covers tightly around my precious boy, I say
to him, "I think I'm beginning to understand what you're
telling me. You DO have to go to school today because it's the
law of the country and your responsibility as a child. But I hear
your dissatisfaction and I promise I will try to make it better
for you, because that's MY responsibility as a mom."
Nancy McCarthy, earthlight! editor, publisher, and
concerned parent, holds a B.S. in Education.