The “School” of Everyone

We are individuals, with our own learning rates, and as we explore this idea of school and how it functions, we should keep this in mind.

In order to have a school grounded in the ideas and principles of democracy, we must turn our thoughts to individual people, the ones who have to experience our education first hand. Though it may sound cliché for a person to say that they are unique, we should really unwrap such a simple statement, because when a person says that they are unique, my mind goes to the deep complexities of a person, and then I conclude that the person is right, they are unique, but “unique” does not even begin to describe us as individuals and as a human race.

Individuality and uniqueness carry a lot of weight. My whole being, the way I speak, the way I talk, the way I look at life, down to the way I write, it stands to be different from any other person, even my own peers, my friends my family. Perhaps the folly of school is that the basis is a one-way kind of teaching, that no matter what, it can only be suited to some types of person and not many others.

School in it of itself, inspires very rigid thoughts in me, thoughts of not being able to be myself, or even discover if I want to be someone else, for we are simply melded into being someone else, someone who learns exactly what they are told, and does not stray from the norm. I think that we should unite as individuals and change the definition of school. School should mean freedom to participate in class and change it into a way that is best for all us. School should be students of all kinds being able to carve their own paths, whether we chose public, private, Montessori, or Home schooling, or no schooling. It should be the choice of whether we need to go to school at all. School should be following our own individual passions, because that drives us, that makes us want to study harder and excel. I think these quotes from Mike Rose’s Why School demonstrate this well.

“As students begin to invest in particular areas of study, this desire channels into occupational or academic fields” (Rose, pg.191)

“As students get more courses under their belts and begin to acquire more substantial knowledge and skill, they develop a sense of competence and confidence…” (Rose, pg.191)