Thursday, July 17, 2014

Alternative Education

What do we do with students that are not able to achieve academically?  What options do we provide for them in our public schools?  Kids that for any number of reasons just don’t cut it in math and science and social studies.  Kids that want to be successful, they want to be liked, they want to ‘do something’ with their lives but they just can’t do school work.  

We have a lot of these kids.  Whether it is because they never learned how to learn, they are in a family situation that does not promote learning or doesn’t allow for it for some other reason, kids that don’t have the cognitive ability and kids that for some emotional or behavioral reason can’t make it work in the classroom.  These are not by definition ‘bad kids’; they just can’t be successful in our mainstream schools.  Does that mean we should discard them?  Pretend they don’t exist?  Assume everyone can and should achieve academically so keep pounding away at them?  Thank our lucky stars they are ‘someone else’s kids’?

None of these sound like good options.  We need to respect these kids, whatever gifts and talents they have and find a way to help them be successful.

- One idea is to more closely align our schools with the Finish model.  In Finland the kids don’t start school until they are 7, there is heavily subsidized pre-school which emphasizes playing and social skills,  90 minutes of playtime a day are built into school, some classes are taught outside, teachers have more planning time, kids have no homework and little testing, teachers are culled from the top 10% of the population and they do not have to pay for graduate school.  And Finland consistently scores at the top of the chart in standardized tests across the globe.   http://www.takepart.com/photos/ten-surprising-facts-finlands-education-system-americans-should-not-ignore/finland-knows-whats-best  And school is free for everyone from the age of 3 through college and beyond.  There are almost no private schools, it is all public and all free.

- How about we put more emphasis on trade schools at an earlier age?  Kids that are not working out in the academic classroom may be more successful in the shops.  We have some opportunities for that now but they still require academics.  Not all kids can do that part.  Why not let them get a high school certificate in culinary arts or welding or a variety of shops that do not necessarily require classroom.  That is not to say the classes don’t require knowledge, but some kids will do well learning material that is specific to the shop of their interest.  Why can’t we let that be what is required of them.

- European apprenticeship model http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apprenticeship  Many Eurpoean countries promote apprenticeships as an important step towards employment.  Some countries including Germany, Switzerland and China have dual education system http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_education_system where the student attends vocational school while working in their vocation at a local business.  This is all strictly regulated to ensure high standards are met.

We need to find options to ensure all students have the opportunity to succeed, whether or not they can sit still in class and/or pass standardized tests.

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