The Talents of All Students Must Be Nurtured in Schools
It’s time for educational alternatives
The COVID-19 pandemic and schools being closed have made many parents acknowledge that the mainstream educational system wasn’t serving their kids appropriately. I keep hearing from parents that although their kids miss their friends, they are less stressed and don’t want to go back to school in the fall. Some kids are diving into learning and creative projects in a way that parents didn’t expect. Others are frustrated by trying to replicate traditional school at home. Many parents are asking what alternatives are there?
Some students, parents, and teachers are realizing alternative educational options are critical for students who do not fit into the mold of traditional schools. More frequently than you may suspect, brilliant students fare poorly in conventional schools because schools reward conformity and convergent rather than divergent thinking. Talented youth are often nonconformists and independent thinkers. The expectation for them to conform may actually lead to underachievement and/or “behavioral challenges” (as defined by adults in the school system). Within the educational system, there is also the myth that high ability youth will do well regardless of what is happening around them. It is simply not true.
