Independent Education

A few bookish helps

 

Yesterday I showed you some various tools I use every day in our learning lab. Today I'll give you a peek into a few more things that help me keep us organized and learning. It's all pretty basic.

These are portfolios.

 

They're simply huge three-ring binders that I create for each subject. As the year passes, the munchkin adds work to his portfolios, printed info from Google, and any other sort of thing that is necessary, interesting, or helpful. We lump spelling, reading, grammar, and writing into one big English binder. There is a history portfolio as well as one for science, math and art. For more information on setting up a portfolio, check out The Well-Trained Mind. 

Here is the English portfolio. It's kind of a big dog : )

Tucked away in the front pocket is a copy of Washington's Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour which we began paraphrasing this year. It was fun, and we had some great conversations that delved into lots of things from what it is to be human to world history. 

Here are some reference books we use again and again throughout the year. These books often inspire us to Google various aspects of whatever subject we're researching, and Googling always seems to turn up something new, updated, and interesting. And then, of course, we print it and add it to the portfolio :) 

 

Portfolios aren't just a collection of work; because they contain drawings and anything else the munchkin finds interesting, they become almost an art form as the year passes. The older he gets, the more interesting the portfolios become because he writes more, his interests grow ever wider, and his natural wit comes through. He makes me laugh! In another way, the portfolios are almost like scrapbooks that record wonderful moments that I never want to forget. 

I am a firm believer in, and a great lover of, life-long learning. I am convinced that life-long learning is something that must be caught, not taught. In a sense, it's a life to life transfer. Kids need to see us interested in things and actively learning and working on those interests. 

While the kiddo is working independently, I am typically right across the table from him, and,I'm not sitting there doing nothing. If you stop and think about it, I have a fantastic opportunity to do some quiet mentoring (even though he's busy on other things) by pursuing my interests with him sitting across from me. I'm working on that life to life transfer of the importance of life-long learning. 

I'm interested in a ton of things, but first, I love art. I love drawing. I wish I were better at it, and of course the only way to become better at it is to do it regularly. So, I always have a sketch book and pencils close by for my own artistic growth while he's working independently. 

The day I stop reading and learning will be the day I turn up my toes and die. I'm not kidding. I have absolutely no idea what it would be like to live a life where I didn't have 25 books on my "I cannot wait to read this" list. The books are on many different subjects--everything from aquifers to educational philosophy and practice to a good work of fiction (I refer to fiction as brain candy because it's not on my regular mind menu). I want the munchkin to remember me as an avid reader, and I want him to really catch the reading bug. Thus, I always have a book going. Actually, I have about 5 going at any given time, and I can often be found reading during his independent work. It's all conducive to a very happy, peaceful atmosphere. 

Something I've done when I teach biology is sketch right along with the children. They see me enjoying it and valuing it (authentically--you can't fake it), and they seem to give themselves more fully to the process as well. Here is something from a class I facilitated for several kiddos a while back. I ended up not using that sketch book again because the paper was so chintzy. Yuk. I'm all about great paper. I'll be devoting a whole blog post to my very favorite sketchbooks in a couple days. Stay tuned. 

Of course, working along side the children whenever possible is a grand thing. They just love it because I'm partnering with them in the work. It's a very real way for me to express my belief that education shouldn't just be top-down-because-I-said-so work that I, myself, wouldn't even find interesting or enjoyable. I truly believe it makes a lasting impact on students particularly if I want to inspire them to be life-long learners who are both interested and therefore interesting people. 

For core work that I try to keep us moving through at a fairly good clip throughout the year, I have come to the conclusion that for us it's more workable to write out simple to-do lists rather than elaborate assignments. Quite frankly, things change when the student gets into the lesson and does what I hope he'll do--create his own meaning, his own way of interacting with the material. That's not something I can just "plan" because him being deeply involved in his educational process is far more important than creating some technically perfect lesson plan. I write down our goals for the week, so we know where we need to be (the form), but within that he is able to tweak things to create an experience that is meaningful and lasting (freedom within form). 

I've created my own binder that includes the road map of where we need to go throughout the year as well as a calendar, my CHAMPs checklist, important notes and info, and journal pages. I try to write, as I have time, about what went right, what went wrong, and how I can tweak things to make them better. Sometimes I jot down cute or insightful things that he said or did I would like to remember. 

Here is an example of a journal page. Cool pens are mandatory.

 

Another thing I have right next to me during the day is a little notepad that I like to call my brain dump. It's where I write down things that come to mind that I've GOT to deal with but can't while I'm teaching. It keeps me sane, relaxed, and helps me get things done. 

And yes, that is a Rhodia notebook. I told you I'm a paper maven.

 

I also have a sick addiction to office supplies. Capt. Canuck is just as bad, so we sorta make a dynamite combination. It goes beyond fabulous paper and fun pens. Did you know that Pottery Barn has the snappiest stapler ever? It's bright and shiny and will bring a little bling to our table (because I just bought it!). I love that thing. And it's hefty! Heaven knows we staple a million papers in the course of a year.

One day the Cap'n asked me to go to Office Depot (this is like giving an alcoholic a pass to a 24 hour bar) and find him some clips to keep papers together. Oh, no problem, honey! Check out these babies--I could NOT say no! My favorite 'cuss' word! And in HOT PINK!! Well, they had other colors in the box, too, and I will say that he laughed right out loud when I presented my nifty clippy find to him.

 

Not that the munchkin's work is crap or anything. But, I gotta keep things light. 

There are lots of tools and thing-a-ma-jigs that I use, but I've only tried to list some of my favorites and the highly used ones here. I am, however, saving the best for last. But first, a story. 

When I was a teen, I had a neighbor who played the guitar. I played, too, so we often would talk shop. I had a starter guitar, an acoustic Ibanez, but he had...oh my...a Martin! The guitar was beautiful and had incredible sound. His son loved the guitar and wanted to learn to play, but his dad wouldn't let him play that one. That one wasn't for kids. It was special. Expensive. Exclusive. 

And I couldn't have disagreed with him more. You see, if you want your kid to excel at something, share with them the best you have. If he loves to paint, get some quality paper, brushes and paints. If she wants to play the guitar, and you have a Martin, share it with her. What's she going to do? Deliberately destroy it? I think not. 

Using quality tools is like getting into a fine, sleek sports car. It's like hitting the sweet spot. The experience is utterly inspiring in itself. Why would we deny that to our kids (if we're at all capable of providing them with it) when they're so interested in it? They care about it! Nourish  and inspire their interest by sharing the best you can. You want them to fall in love with it, with the process, with the feeling of creating something that is meaningful. You want them to keep going!

And so I've reserved my favorite tool for last. Trust me, it's used every single day. And not just by myself.

This camera is my Martin guitar. Because it wasn't inexpensive, my first, less generous instinct, was to never let the munchkin touch it. But, I decided that was ridiculous. It was a thing. If something horrible happened, it could be fixed or replaced.

But, amazing learning opportunities cannot be fixed or replaced when you've missed them, and that's what this is all about. 

As it turns out, the munchkin has watched my photographic interest and skills grow over the fall and winter. It made him curious. One afternoon in December, while I was taking a nap, the little elf grabbed the camera and started snapping pictures all over the house but didn't tell me. 

He even got one of me sawing logs. Shocking. Do I really have my mouth hanging open all the time? I fancied myself a more dainty sleeper than that...

Imagine my surprise when I downloaded the camera! What I saw made me laugh loud and long. And, I also discovered that he has a natural eye for seeing beauty. It was such a gift. 

Since then, he's continued to be allowed to mess with it without me eyeing him. It's been a playful experience for him--but a very real learning experience as well--as he has experimented with aperture, shutter speeds, lenses, automatic vs. manual modes, and so on. 

One benefit that I didn't "plan" on was him using the camera to document almost all of his science experiments this year and then creating a Pages document for each one. It's been a delightful addition to the portfolio! While he's been focusing on chemistry experiments, he's been learning how to paint with light without hardly even being aware of it. I love that. 

And it never would have happened if I'd gotten all huffy about him touching my nice, new camera. 

Not surprisingly, he's taken very good care of it, and I've yet to replace or fix any part of it. 

Here is a picture he took during a molecule experiment. It's just a bouncy ball, but he can tell you exactly what was special about it because he was so creatively involved in the whole scientific process--and of his own initiative. 

 

On that colorful note, I'll close this little series of posts. I hope you've enjoyed this peek into our daily life. I hope you'll write and share your favorite thingies that help keep you organized and happy. It's always interesting to see what others have discovered! 

Ciao for now.

Some handy things

Yesterday I invited you into our lovely little learning lab, and today I'll show you particular little things therein which help make our days a little more organized and enjoyable. 

First and foremost, I must introduce you to two products that we simply cannot live without. Everything is simply happier when these are a part of our daily lives. Addicted? Well now, that's a strong word.

It's no secret that before we get working each morning, I walk, bike, or drive the one, blissful, little city block right down to this bright establishment: 

 

I grab my favorite drink: a straight black Americano, which I order iced if I need a hard, fast jolt of energy, or I order hot if it's a cold fall or winter morning, and I need some comfort as well as a good boost. Nothing beats a rockin' cuppa Joe.

Since my adrenals would flip out if all I did was drink coffee all day, this matcha green tea is my favorite through-the-day drink. Plus, if you drink a few cups of this stuff, it reduces your breast cancer risk by 50%. That's some good medicine.

 

Next, we are a happy Apple family and are completely shameless about it. It's Capt. Canuck's fault. This little baby goes with us everywhere. Really. 

The next thing we use several times a day, every day without fail, is this fabulous tool which has, if I may say so, single handedly changed education--for the better :) 

One of the main programs the munchkin uses is Pages which can be found in iWork. It's a newsletter program, but has some useful word processing abilities as well. While the kiddo can get around in Word just fine, Pages can be downloaded onto the iPad for about $10. And, as we are all beginning to find out, the iPad is an amazing educational all-in-one tool. I will devote a separate post to the iPad because, let's face it, it's freaking awesome. 

 

We made templates for written narration, science labs, outlining and a couple other things, and we use them almost every day. 

Here is one template called 7 Things. As he reads through a text (typically history), he chooses 7 things that interested him about the reading and records them. 

 

Upon our workspace sits a nifty little spinner in which we keep pens, pencils, markers, scissors, a stapler and whatever other things we use all the time. It's part of a set of office organizers that I found at Pottery Barn, but Michael's carries a very similar line. 

 

Here is a nifty little drawer/shelf that holds paper, supplies, and provides a place for the kiddo to place his finished work if we're in a hurry and can't place it right into the appropriate portfolio. 

 

These shelves hold extra paper and match the ones with the nifty drawers. And don't miss the nifty little art guy, running, of course.

 

These little baskets are so cool! They hold a lot but fit neatly on bookshelves. I found them at Bed, Bath and Beyond. They have a place for labels, but I've not messed with that yet. 

I suppose I could devote a whole separate post about how much I utterly despise the red pen. It's depressing. It is a tool that points out all the bad and seemingly never the good. Thus, I have vowed never to use one again. I do like to add splashes of lots of different colors, though, and these are so much fun to use! I use them for journaling and drawing, too. There's nothing like a fun pen!

 

OK. That's enough for today because it seems that this post is getting a wee bit long. Tomorrow, I'll show you a few more tidbits that are more bookish in nature, and that will complete our tour. 

Ciao!

Come on in!

In the course of time, new IEs often want a little peek into how I run the show around here. As a matter of fact, someone is coming over for a visit soon whereupon she'll peruse my library, take a look at what our activity room looks like, ask questions, and generally get some ideas about what the day-to-day looks like for me. I decided that I'd include you as well, virtually.

Before we begin, you must know that we are absolutely NOT confined to this room. But, as far as learning goes, it's the hub, the point of departure for all the comings and goings. 

I'm pretty lucky. I have a whole separate room for this stuff, so it doesn't have to be cleaned up after each day if we're just exhausted. Although, I do tidy up for company. 

This room is worry free. There is nothing in here that children cannot enjoy, and I try to keep the good stuff on shelves that are easily accessible to them. 

So, disclaimers given, come on in! 

When we get ready to do book work in the mornings, this is where we head.

 

When we unfortunately had to completely gut our lower level on the house, I knew exactly how I wanted to recreate that space. 

It doubles as an art studio, of course, and to that end we have a utility sink and some shelves in the opposite end of the room. It gets heavy use! 

The french doors have satellites that we always throw open to catch spring and fall breezes. And, we can often be found swinging on the porch swing reading, narrating, or just watching the world go by. Of course, it's looking a little damp today...and it's due for a new coat of paint...and a cushion (which I have to make because it's a weird size). But, it works.

You won't find cutesy little calendar borders and pre-fab bulletin board cutouts at our house. The calendar is simple, and we typically write all over the thing during the school year--crossing off the days, marking out vacation times and parties and so on. It's displayed on a framed bulletin board (I took the material to Michaels and told them how I wanted it done), and we put up notes and our own artwork around it to add some color and fun.

 

One reason I liked Bill Strickland's book so much was he really got the importance of light and beauty. Education is an atmosphere as well as a process, and I believe in making it as beautiful as possible. Therefore, I refuse to use those nasty, flickering fluorescent monsters and opt for ambient halogen light which warms and brightens our workspace. Plus, a plant is an absolute must. I don't particularly have a green thumb, but this little guy is still alive although he looked less peaked on St. Pat's Day.

 

I always have candles in every room. They're cozy. They smell good. They make you feel peaceful. So, we always have one. We typically have flowers somewhere down there as well. Again, beauty is important.

Along the lines of making sure we have lots of beauty around us, I buy artwork and display some of the munchkin's. This is a piece I bought at Signs of Life. It was an oil sketch I really liked, and it wasn't very expensive! It inspires the artist in all of us. 

 

And, the figurine reminds me of how tender I really feel about my little guy--and it's a good reminder to be patient on those days when he's sideways, and I'd really just like to pull a Little-Bunny-Foo-Foo on his poor, unsuspecting head.

 
 Tomorrow I'll show you some stuff I like having around that helps the daily routine run more smoothly. 

Rethinking Failure, Part IV: Inspiration

Here are the two videos I promised to share with you that I believe will inspire you to follow your own genius. Don't tell yourself that these men were "exceptional," and therefore their approach isn't practical for the common man.

Bah!

Genius is as common as dirt. Recognizing it, however (whether as a teacher or within ourselves as people), isn't such a common skill. Be inspired! 

Last, but not least:

 http://www.ted.com/talks/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die.html

Rethinking Failure, Part III: Failure and Success

 
 

As an independent educator, I give a lot of thought to what I'm teaching my students, tacitly and explicitly, about failure and success. Inevitably, I can't think about failure and success without also thinking about how fear influences both things in my student's lives--not to mention my own. 

I wonder, am I unwittingly teaching my students to be driven by fear when it comes to learning? Do they know how to appropriately view failure, so they can expect it and use it to move them forward? Are they fearing failure in the right things or the wrong things? Do they understand the concept of their own genius? Am I spending most of my time teaching in line with their unique genius, so that when they fail, they're quicker to pick themselves up and brush themselves off because it's something they're utterly fascinated with--and because they're so fascinated, there isn't even a place in their brain for quitting on learning? 

I am afraid sometimes we teach that educational success looks like denying our genius and spending all our energy and time in school working to master the thing in which we are least gifted and not meant to do. And if we do that, people tend to see us as having achieved the apex of self-discipline--yet a bit of martyr syndrome often creeps in as well. Is this really success?

Personally, I'm more interested in genius than martyrdom, and I'd be willing to bet that you are, too. 

What if, because students are so afraid of not getting an A, they fail to fear the very thing at which they should fear failing: learning itself and the brave exercise of their unique genius?

Rethinking Failure, Part II: Failure Takes Time and Space

^{Failure is intrinsic to learning and it is totally critical to exercising and exploring genius. Because the deepest learning often is a result of trying something, failing at it, and learning something from the failure, there must be time and space within the learning environment for a student to fail.} 

^{A good example of what it looks like to have the time and space to fail, thereby allowing a student to explore and plumb the depths of their own genius, is that of Thomas Edison. One of his more famous quotes is:}

                    ^{"I've not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."}  

^{The privilege of failing at something 10,000 times takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of space. The point is that Edison was able to exercise his genius because he was in an educational environment that gave him those things. His school system logistically couldn't handle the space and time his genius demanded. Thus, his mom pulled him out and taught him herself. He needed to be able to accidentally blow-up some things in her basement or the back yard, not worry about experiments smoking and bubbling, ask outrageous questions and have the time to hound out the answers without being told to wait or simply be ignored because the questions seemed ridiculous. He failed 10,000 times and more. But he didn't fail his genius, and that's the most important thing. His family got him into an environment that could nourish genius without logistics getting in the way.} 

^{Education should teach people to work smart and to fail smart. That is, they need not try the 10,000 ways something has already been proven to fail. Rather, they should fail forward by pushing the envelope and allowing the space for genius's often chaotic path to creating new learning. Every failure can push us forward--if we're given the space and time to fail.}

^{If a man or woman, or a younger or older student has no place within their educational environment to ask all the 'wrong' questions or try all the crazy experiments, then their genius is in danger of slowly being killed off, and they aren't the only ones who will lose. The whole world will lose.} 

^{We have to give students the space to get messy, ask all the questions that drive instructors nuts, try all the inconvenient experiments that turn our kitchens into places nearly as messy as a war zone, and let them learn what works and what doesn't without the time pressure of things that have nothing to do with their genius. There will be time for those things. They will come as well. And, they shouldn't come at the expense of genius.} 

^{Of course, as an independent educator, you have quite a bit of freedom to allow for this sort of space because you don't have a bunch of bureaucracy and red tape to work around or hundreds of other people to wait for. You can just do the thing. RIght now. And start experiencing the benefits posthaste.}

^{I'm encouraged by people who have the courage to realize that their genius is more important than doing what the status quo tells them they should do, and so they embrace what the system deems as failure because they know that sometimes it's the only way they can save their genius, their great gift to the world. It's very radical, and very brave.} 

^{Genius is not easily measured by tests, grades, or recognized by letters after a name. You can't corral it. It has to have room to make a huge mess (failure) that pushes it--and quite possibly all of us--forward.} 

^{The reality of genius working itself out makes us very uncomfortable. But, I'd be willing to be uncomfortable if some high strung kid with an unbelievable love of biology and chemistry--and a corresponding hatred for grammar--was allowed to go wild, to fail forward in his genius, and thereby find a cure for for some devastating illness--physical or environmental.} 

Hey--there are editors for brilliant scientists who write with dangling participles and other egregious grammatical errors. See? Each to his own genius! And together, we rock the world!

What are ways that you can start honoring and cultivating the genius within each student you work with? 

Instead continuing on with the notion that a student has to do it all, by himself, all the time, how positive could it be to teach our students to seek out and honor the genius in others by looking for ways to create complimentary study and work partnerships? After all, isn't that how it works in the grown-up world? 

"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."

-JFK

 

Rethinking Failure

 

This past week failure has been coming at me from all sides, both from negative and positive aspects. 

On the negative side, I can list exactly 32 different things I literally failed at this week. However, I'm not sure I would survive if I listed each one right here on the world wide web for anyone and his dog to peruse.  

I have my limits.

In each moment of failure I felt a little overwhelmed and defeated. The human tendency is to excuse it away or blame it on something external to myself, so I could just get over the hump of feeling like a nitwit. I admit I wanted to curse or stuff my face with something like home made cinnamon rolls with gobs of sugar and butter. 

I didn't do those things.

Well, I mighta cussed. 

But I did step away from the sugar and butter. 

But just barely. I created a vegan strawberry shortcake concoction with no processed sugar or butter involved. So, technically, that doesn't count as giving in to sugar and butter. 

Right?

 

OK, so maybe I did stuff face, as well as cuss. Just a little. It could have been worse.

 

Butter could have been involved.

*#$!

I could have used a four-letter word.

And I could have stayed stuck, overwhelmed, and inert. 

On the positive side of failure, I received a couple bits of encouragement, and I think you might be encouraged by them as well. First, by way of a friend. Second, through the stories of two outstanding men who for all practical purposes would have at one time been deemed educational failures (more on them in subsequent posts--stay tuned). 

On Tuesday, before my week took a decidedly merciless nosedive, my friend, Autumn, and her husband, Magnus, stopped by on a move across the country. In conversation over coffee that evening, Magnus told us that his big brother once told him that it's hard to adjust your course if you're not moving. 

Later, when I felt like an abject failure, dangerously close to being stunned into inertia, Magnus' words came back to me. 

Just keep moving.

John C. Maxwell said it's possible to "fail forward."  It has a great deal to do with how we respond to the failure. So for instance, I had the choice to respond with fear, as the ol' lizard brain would have me do--by blaming and excusing it on anyone and everything around and within me. Like hormones...

...the rain...

...a kid who had a sassy little tongue at one point...

...Jack dropping a stink bomb... 

 

In the end, managing not to heap the blame for my failure on everyone or everything around me was the first part of pulling out of inertia, thereby being able to fail forward. 

It's also the place where I carved out ever more personal freedom in, and in spite of, the limit situation that had a hand in my stumbling. (Remember, "Freedom is acquired by conquest...not by gift." -- Paulo Friere)

Instead of feeling worse, I felt better. I felt clear-headed and objective. I felt...like the path of empowerment and change was still open to me. 

I was moving. The failure wasn't pleasant, but it served a purpose: it moved me, pushed me forward.  And therefore, as a moving thing, I was able to adjust my course. Failure wasn't the enemy. My response, however, could have been. 

I realized that while inertia is a danger inherent in failure, failure does not equal inertia. 

A wise man once said something along the lines of not all things that we fear are things we should fear.  

I would add that not all things we fear failing at are things that we need to fear failing at. 

Sometimes there is nothing like a good bit of failure to re-energize and awaken every good and creative impulse that lives within me. Because, like Chi Running, failure is a bit like a controlled falling forward.  

It's OK. 

It's adjustable. 

It's natural.

And it's not to be feared or avoided at all costs.

Ongoing learning and creativity simply demand it.

And, our students vitally need to understand how to view failure, how to deal with it, and allow it to move them forward.

Freedom Within Form

 

I've been giving a lot of thought to the concept of freedom within form. It's an important concept--one that balances the need for structure with the need for freedom. 

Freedom within form is a universal principle. You can look almost anywhere and see the need for it if it doesn't exist. Conversely, when it's done well, life looks pretty good, and it's utterly taken for granted. 

Here are a some places we find great examples of freedom within form:

Poetry is my favorite example of freedom within form. A friend of mine, who is an incredibly talented poet, told of a time when she had a poem within her, but it took the discipline of working within the form of a Shakespearian Sonnet to finally bring it to life. In essence, by yoking herself to the liberating form of the Sonnet, she was able to channel all her creative energy in a certain direction and succeed at creating a masterpiece. She’d tried just jotting down the ideas that came to mind, but…it wasn’t working. She was free not to use the form, and she was free to use the form. In this instance, working within the form proved to be a freeing thing, and her creative idea finally saw the light of day. The form existed, but she was not forced into it. She chose it freely. Also, she still was free to work beyond the form, as it suited her needs. 

There are other examples of forms that provide freedom. Marriage (only when void of abuse-of-power and abusiveness in general) allows those within the union an incredible amount of emotional and physical freedom. The form of faithful marriage allows a relatively secure structure for deep attachments to be built upon, for people to grow into their own beauty and possibility, for loving sacrifice, for amazing amounts of joy, for ecstatic delights (with no fear of the health risks that come from, um....ah....not being monogamous). Thus, faithful marriage at its best can also be considered an example of freedom within form.

Of course, Capt. Canuck and I know all about this. Mmmmhmmm!

Here is another everyday picture of freedom within form. Car insurance is required if you want to drive a car on public roadways. It simply makes things safer for all involved if everyone is insured. As a person who was rear-ended by a guy who refused to hold auto insurance, I can testify that this form is a liberating form because I’d be about $2000 richer right now had he purchased at least liability.  While we have to acquire insurance in order to enjoy the freedom of the high-way, we are free to choose which insurer to get that from, what kind of a deductable to hold, and if we are really financially strapped, we can hold, at the very least (assuming we own the car outright), liability insurance. Heck, we're even free not to drive at all if we so choose. It’s a liberating form that holds lots of options to go above and beyond the call of duty and doesn’t demand that one-size-fit-all.  

Another example of freedom within form occurs when governments create and uphold just laws. Basic laws exist that we all must comply with in order to live in a healthy, orderly society. You're free to live your life and raise your family however you choose--as long as you're not taking life, abusing others, stealing things that aren't yours, and so on. 

When freedom within form is done well, it is poetry in motion. It provides support for people to create their own lives without being completely externally controlled. It’s brave, beautiful, and oh, so humane.

Freedom within form gives a nod to the fact that many life decisions aren't always either/or kinds of deals. Generally speaking, the more humane thing is to have a both/and option. 

In other words, there are things in this world that don't have to be this OR that. Period. There are lots of places where we can experience both/and options. Freedom within form provides the both/and option. 

What might freedom within form look like as it relates to government?

A good government has this conundrum: how to provide a base line standard of care, so that that every citizen, particularly those at a disadvantage, has a chance to succeed in life while still allowing for a great deal personal liberty across the board. After all, as Abraham Lincoln stated so succinctly, "You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong." Freedom within form, when done well, provides a real measure of humane support to the "weak" among us while not preventing the "strong" from mining the depths of their own talent and ability. 

So, what could freedom within form have to do with education in general, and why independent educators do what they do?

Ian Cunningham recently wrote an article about the idea of freedom within form (his word for “form” is “structure”) in the Fall 2009 issue of Education Revolution magazine. It was titled, Structures for Autonomy: The Experience of Self Managed Learning College. In particular, he was addressing the idea that democratic free schools' whole objective is that the students who choose to be there experience a  truly democratic, liberating educational journey free from someone forcing them to learn a certain thing at a certain time. It's tricky because in a free school,technically, the students can choose not to attend classes. 

It’s made trickier when educators and other caring adults think in a very limiting either/or mindset: total freedom without form on one hand, or an unbending state of total control over the students and their education on the other hand. The reality and humanity of it is actually somewhere in the middle.

The problem is that an either/or mindset simply doesn't display much creativity. Generally, either/or is informed by fear, which of course has its residence in what Seth Godin calls the "lizard brain." 

The better question is: how can we have both freedom and form? And, in order to gain freedom within form, what should those forms look like? Inevitably, when the great balance of freedom within form is achieved, very, very few democratic free school students choose not to take classes giving credence to the unfailing curiosity of the human intellect. Au contraire, they have a fantastic excitement because the whole world and it's many intricacies and mysteries are there beckoning them, and they can't wait to dive in!

In the article, Cunningham states that: “….we adults should support young people to grow up to be autonomous human beings who can lead a good life (which includes moral, social and ecological dimensions) as created by themselves….we need to provide structures for autonomy. And good structures reduce control.”

Read that last part again. A lot of people don't have room in their brains for structures that reduce control! But this is the essence of freedom within form! Keep reading...

He goes on to say that while “structures of schooling such as classrooms, timetables, and lessons imposed by adults, rules imposed by adults and institutional buildings inhibit autonomy…and control young people…,” we still live with structure every day of our lives. It is, he states, “impossible to live without structure.” 

So, how to reconcile this need for structure (form) with the need for freedom of the human person? 

Cunningham points out that “the Taoists have a good take on appropriate structures [emphasis mine].” Using the example of a glass, they point out the value of it. It is an “empty, rigid, transparent, resilient structure.” He goes on to show us that the glass’s emptiness is extremely useful. But, it wouldn’t be a useful vessel if there weren’t some rigidity to the structure (some form), so as to enable it to actually contain a liquid. The transparency is obviously important—we need to see what is in the glass. And last,“Thin glass is more resilient than thick glass when it comes to coping with temperature changes." That is to say, the form is most useful when flexible to some extent. 

Cunningham understands that the bottom line is that “We need a minimum of structure to achieve our aims.”

We need a deep understanding of the concept of freedom within form, and what a liberating form looks like.

Total freedom without some form of limiting, liberating structure is often a recipe for disaster. Yet at the same time, free-form has an important place in life as well. It can't be all of one and none of the other. 

It shouldn't be either/or. It must be both/and in order to be truly liberating and humane.

Here in America, we value education so much so that we have laws in place that require all people to be educated. That’s not a bad thing in and of itself. Who doesn't want a well educated populace?? Well, there are those people, but trust me, they're not the types of people you want running anything!

A government that requires its citizens to be educated is a good structure/form to have. However, the problem comes when the form becomes restrictive of human liberty and intellect rather than being a liberating, flexible form. When all are demanded to be taught the same thing, in the same place, at the same times in the same types of ways, we have totally bought into a destructive form--a form that while well-intentioned is simply not very liberating--for teachers or students.

Inflexibility does not particularly encourage or give rise to great imagination or inventiveness--and we desperately need both!

We know that all children, and especially many boys, are simply not ready to begin school by age 4 or 5 or even 6. It is simply wrong to force a parent, who knows better, to put their 4 year old son in an institutional school setting when he simply is not ready to to do so. Thus, for a government to require that all children aged 4 be in an instutional schooling setting is simply foolish, and is a way to exert far more control over people’s lives than is actually necessary to ensure the government's goal of having an educated citizenry. That same little boy could still start his official education at age 4, but in a more relaxed, differentiated learning environment. To outlaw such an option is the height of unjust law, the very picture of controlling rather than liberating form.

I'll say it yet again: one size does not fit all. It's not sensible to expect that it would, and it's inhumane to force it. 

The form—all American children should be educated--requires us to provide education for our kiddos. However, in order for the form to be a liberating structure, it must honor the fact that different people learn better in different scenarios and at different paces and therefore the form must be flexible enough to provide the freedom for us to choose those places that work the best for us and the students in our care. 

When the liberating form which requires all people the privilege of being educated devolves into an inhumane, controlling structure where it is demanded that all children learn in exactly the same environment, at exactly the same times, and at exactly the same pace, it ceases to be freedom within form and simply switches over to controlling behaviour which is very detrimental. 

Of course, this is why I am an independent educator, and why millions of people across America are choosing independent education more and more with each year that passes. Many want to say we're just religious weirdos who do it to brainwash our kids. That's simply a cheap shot.

And, it's total hogwash. 

Freedom within form says that life doesn’t have to be lived as a succession of either/or choices. Most often, a path that includes the both/and can be taken. For instance, would it be so impossible to be glad that a basic, fundamental, educational safety net exists for those at a disadvantage yet also be glad that many educational options exist beyond it thereby providing environments that can honor all sorts of students in whatever phase of life they find themselves--disadvantaged or not? This is a very noble thing! And more importantly, it is sustainable and should be encouraged. It is decidedly American, decidedly democratic. 

I believe that the job of a good government is to provide order and certain foundational safety nets for its citizens—education, healthcare (many would assert), and just law being a few obvious examples. These are forms that will liberate. The forms become controlling structures when government oversteps its bounds by forcing people to have only one type of schooling (or whatever), and sets about punishing people who don't choose that type of schooling. Then it becomes something undemocratic and unjust.

Government safety nets are necessary, but freedom demands that people still have options above and beyond that basic safety net.

So here we have a picture of freedom within form: In America, it’s required that all people be able to take an education (there is the form). The freedom comes in the form of options. First, our government provides a basic schooling that all children are welcome to attend. However, it’s not the only form of schooling allowed, and it shouldn’t be lauded as the only legitimate form in which to receive an education. The second option is that we can choose to attend a private school, or another type of independent setting with very good results and still honor our government's mandate that all citizens be educated. 

Voila! Freedom within form!

We create ever more freedom when we live with a both/and mindset rather than an either/or mindset.

It doesn't have to be either public schooling (where everything is standardized to the last dot and tittle) or independent education (where the ability to choose what works best, when, how and with whom is a freedom well loved). Both mediums are absolutely necessary. Both are legitimate.  

Other than the obvious examples of education, just government, insurance and faithful marriage, where else can you see the concept of freedom within form at work? 

Today, as you go about living life, I encourage you to intentionally create your own freedom by looking at challenges--and other human persons--with a both/and mindset rather than the limiting either/or mindset. 

Trust me, it'll make ya happy and be water to your soul!

P.S. For those of you who have signed on for the self-coaching experiment led by Jim, here is the link for the new assignment: How to Deal With Destructive Emotions http://bit.ly/2PkcWm

 

 

What Captain Canuck is up to these days...

 

Catp. Canuck is the love of my life. We have a shameless mutual admiration society going, and in honor of that, I want to share his latest blog post with you. I think you'll find it interesting. 

He's currently working on his new book, and it includes self-coaching. Hundreds of people have signed on to learn how to coach themselves, and you are also invited! I believe that if you participate in this experiment, you'll be acknowledged in his new book, and you'll receive a copy of it as well. His blog has the details. Currently, we're one week into our first two-week assignment.

This week, our mission is to coach ourselves on how to be better listeners, and in today's post, the Capt. shares his experiences. 

http://jimknightoncoaching.squarespace.com/

Enjoy!

The Watkinson School

Did you see Anderson Cooper last night? He profiled the Watkinson School in Hartford, CT which just added on totally green buildings—filled with air, light, and space. So beautiful! And the buildings themselves are energy neutral. Amazing, eh?!

 

Take a peek here: http://www.watkinson.org/podium/default.aspx?t=120290

 

According to Cooper, the school needed buildings that could not only go up quickly and be environmentally responsible, but also the architecture had to inspire the students who worked within the buildings. Incredibly, these structures can be made larger or smaller fairly simply.

 

It’s a simple solution that is not simplistic. In mathematics, this is called an elegant solution. Simple, powerful, beautiful.

 

Amen.

 

What if all school buildings were so beautiful and green, inspiring and elegant, filled with warmth, light and spaciousness? What could that do for the psyches within? What an awesome idea!

 

This is yet another example of how the innate inventiveness of Americans and our “can-do” attitude can add to our economy by creating and operating green technology. We’ve got to be in the forefront, here. I fail to understand how embracing the truth that our planet needs some serious respect would somehow bankrupt us as a nation. Seems to me that if we are in the forefront of creating and implementing green technology, the economic fruit is ripe for the picking. We cannot lose by seeking to be better stewards of energy!

 

But, I digress.

 

I was thrilled to find, upon further reading, that the Watkinson School is rather independent in their approach to learning. They know that one size does not fit all, and their practices reflect that.

http://www.watkinson.org/podium/default.aspx?t=26767

 

The school is a part of a greater Coalition of Essential Schools. You can read more about the CES history and common principles here:

 

http://www.essentialschools.org/pub/ces_docs/about/phil/history.html

 

Some of what drives a CES school is similar to what drives a democratic free school. That is, they seem to want students to have a meaningful say in their learning, they allow students the time they need to sink into a course of study instead of being constantly interrupted by a bell every 50 minutes, and they organize learning by what best helps a student learn how to use their minds rather than what can “quickly be graded” and packaged for a standardized test. Of course, a free school would give a student a lot more control over what he learned and when. But still, I admire the CES approach.

 

As I understand it, public schools and private schools are able to be certified as a CES school. However, if someone out there with CES schools can tell us a bit more about this, I’d be happy to share your thoughts on this blog.

 

I’m always so excited to see all the various ways people are thinking and educating outside the box—and doing it so beautifully and so well.

 

Makes me happy!

 

http://www.watkinson.org/podium/default.aspx?t=112237