Meanwhile… 012
As much as this episode is a commentary about conventional teaching methods, I think it also speaks to the deep affinity I have for fictional characters. There are times when I feel like they've spoken for me and I've spoken through them, be they characters of my own making or of others.
Anyway, back to the narrative on teaching. I have a lot of issues with the standard approach that conventional teaching takes. These issues range from educator wages including those within early years as well as primary and secondary schooling, teacher to student ratios, the focus on "the whole" to the extent that "the self" gets lost in the haze, and many other areas that need more balance.
In regards to the attitude towards teaching at present as I write this - during the COVID-19 pandemic - I'll say this, which I wrote in reply to a relative who feels likewise...
During this pandemic, people have underestimated what a great opportunity this social shift has been to engage children in much more different approaches to teaching. It's the perfect opportunity for the children to focus more on family, connections, homelife, and share that with one another through their education - rather than making them reflect on learning a curriculum, let them reflect on themselves, and let them share what they're comfortable sharing with their peers and teachers.
This opportunity, for children to be liberated from the structures and social moors that bind them, is a rare thing. These children have a wonderful chance of connecting with peers, teachers and even family in some cases, in a way that has meaning, individuality and sincerity.
Adhere to some curriculum guides by all means, but don't pretend this is a normal scenario. Doing that is an enormous disservice to how openly, sincerely and honestly children view the world. We shouldn't be letting one of the greatest challenges faced in their lifetime - in our lifetime - be a lesson in maintaining the status-quo. All that teaches them is that their own journey, their own selves, their own uncertainties, are things that need to be uniformly shaped so that they can be stacked uniformly in order.
Children could learn so much more from this if the perception of what "learning" is was shifted.
And in regards to the very valid argument that schools are a safer place for some children than it is for them being at home, that in itself just shows another facet of our social standards that desperately need to be addressed and why maintaining or returning to the status-quo shouldn’t be the end goal - not now and not ever as long as any child is at risk.
Education that includes growth that's emotional - not just academic - would be a lovely place to start. Because those children become adults. Teach them to be good ones, not just workers.