I wrote this blog entry when things seemed great at Fairfield School in Wolfville... but oh how we believers, the upholders of "curiosity, freedom, respect", allowed ourselves to be deceived, not wanting to see the truth, turning a blind eye to the insidious transformation that was taking place at our beloved school... and when our spidy senses tingled and the feeling that all was not quite right brushed against our collective consciousness, we refused to believe it... maybe we could have stopped the power-mongers had we removed our blinders, but we didn't because we trusted them...and a few weeks after I wrote this blog entry it was too late. Animal Farm was under way... the pigs had taken control, and all those who had run freely across the field, unrestrained by reproachful eyes, on the day the school first opened its doors (save the power-mongers' own children) were on their way to the glue factory... "'All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others"...

The entry below describes the great things about the Fairfield School we knew between the spring of 2001 and the fall of 2005... OUR school... before they took it from us.

I want you to think back to your school days...

What was school like for you?  What kinds of memories do you have? Did you enjoy school?  Why or why not?  If you enjoyed it, was it the education itself that you enjoyed?  Or maybe it was the social aspect -- the interactions with the people around you... friends, teachers, school staff, etc?  Or maybe it was because you felt great happiness and pride when you aced tests and assignments, and your parents and teachers were proud of you? Or maybe it was a combination of those things... or you had other reasons. And if you did not enjoy it, why was that?

 

This picture shows a classroom just like the ones in which I spent a great deal of my childhood.  

 

Have they really changed a whole lot?

 

I've been thinking a lot about schools lately, and how they affect the lives of the kids that go there, for better or for worse.  My kids go to an alternative school, Fairfield School, which is based on the Sudbury Valley Model of education - one that is radically different from the public school model. (Aside: Grrrrrrr to MSN for disabling the tool that allows links to open in new windows!!!). 

Why did I enroll them there? Jesse was in the fourth grade when Fairfield School opened. He did well in public school by most criteria -- he got great marks, he had plenty of friends, his teachers liked him, and he was exceeding all of the "curriculum outcomes". But... month by month and year by year, since he started public school, I watched his natural, intrinsic curiosity and enthusiasm for learning diminish. It seemed that whenever he really liked a topic and was keen to learn about it, no sooner had the surface of it been scratched, when he had to turn his attention to something else, often something that did not grab his interest and spark his curiosity. Despite "doing well", he didn't "like" school. He liked going there to see his friends... but there wasn't much opportunity to interact with them in the way he would have liked, outside of recess. By the fourth grade, most mornings he didn't want to go to school and complained of stomach aches and headaches, and dragged his feet getting ready. 

Then Fairfield School opened -- it was the middle of February. The first couple of weeks there, Jesse couldn't believe it -- "I get to do whatever I want?!"  He was sure it was some kind of a trick! He did nothing that would be considered remotely "academic" by traditional standards for the rest of that school year. But somehow, he learned to calculate fractions and percentages ("You have to figure that stuff out if you want to be the banker in 'Monopoly', Mom!") and he became an expert in Greek and Roman mythology ("This kid at school has this cool card game with these creatures on them and I wanted to find out what they were and did you know that there are whole stories behind them... they're from Greek and Roman mythology!"). He learned how to build a tree house from the planning stages to drawing a blueprint to measuring and cutting the wood to putting it together, complete with thatched roof. He spent a lot of time playing outside, just running around and having fun. At the end of the day, he wasn't ready to come home... and in the mornings, he was chomping at the bit to get going to school. Last year, he discovered the guitar... and he spent hours every day practising it at school, teaching himself to read tab and play by ear. Other students started to become interested too, so they converted a small cottage on the school property into a music studio -- and now there's a group of them that jam together regularly.

At Fairfield there is no curriculum of any sort. There are no tests. There are no classes except those arranged by the students themselves (the school will bring in the necessary people to "teach" the classes that the students want). There are no grade levels... all ages mix and mingle and they learn from each other. No-one tells the kids how to spend their time... and deciding how to spend one's time is a skill that is incredibly important, but not learned in traditional schools where every hour is scheduled and the tasks are laid out for the kids. Before Jesse had spent several months at Fairfield and learned this skill, a common refrain when he was at home with no friends to play with was, "I'm sooo bored."  I never hear those words any more.

I am not at all concerned that he is not learning the public school curriculum. I'm not concerned that he's not being tested on anything. When I look back on my school years, I only remember the things I was interested in. The rest was forgotten once I'd been tested on it. At Fairfield, the kids are just like any other kids -- motivated to learn about things that they're interested in or need to know... like the math necessary to be the banker in Monopoly or calculate how much wood they need to build the treehouse they've designed. A group of kids wanted to learn Japanese last year so they could read Japanese yu-gi-oh cards. I may shake my head in dismay at the reasons they wanted to learn... but when we flew to Thailand on Japan Airlines and ended up spending a night in Tokyo, Jesse was able to read a lot of the Japanese signs and speak/understand enough Japanese that it was a huge help! Jesse plans to go to university and he's already starting to flip through SAT books to see what he will need to cover... but he knows he doesn't need to worry about that yet. And I have no doubt that when the time comes, he will sit down with a stack of books and the internet and learn the entire highschool curriculum in a matter of months... because he wants to.

As for Liam... I just can't imagine what his life would be like in public school.  It's almost certain that he would be pegged as having ADHD and the pressure would be on for me to feed him ritalin. But at Fairfield school, he has no problem at all. He can charge around outside or play rambunctious games in the school's "great room" all day if he wants. And he too follows his interests in learning, and with so much enthusiasm that it's a joy to watch him go.  He's fascinated with astronomy and can tell you just about anything you want to know about the planets and the solar system (and trust me, I had *nothing* to do with that, lol... he's trying to teach me about them now!). His reading and writing have taken off over the past few months because he wants to be able to read his books about the solar system, he wants to be able to play "Magic" cards with the older kids, and he's trying to make up his own game cards (drawing pictures and writing out what kinds of 'effects' each card has in the game).  And he loves math... no-one pushed it on him... he just asked one day to be shown how to "do math" and he'll spend hours with math work-sheets.  I would guess that he has covered the grades 1 to 4 math curriculum in the past few months (in public school, he would be in the first grade). And, of course, there's the music. He too spends a lot of time in the music studio.

In my psychology practice, I see a lot of kids who are there because their parents and teachers are certain they have ADHD or a learning disability of some sort. These kids are miserable at school... they don't fit in... their self-esteem is gone, they feel hopeless... they are square pegs being forced into round holes. And their spirits are being chipped away by the process.  Learning isn't fun for them -- it has become a dreaded ordeal. The traditional public school model is forced on them. They are pushed to "pull up their socks" and try to get better marks, they're accused of not applying themselves, they're called lazy and rebellious, and eventually, they will probably become these things that they're accused of being. Many of them will drop out... angry, defeated, and although grateful to be free, without ever reaching their potential or developing the skills they need to succeed in the world.

For many parents and teachers, school is a means to an end. It's too bad that a child is miserable and struggling in school for five to six hours a day... too bad that every evening is spent battling over homework... too bad that they don't have time to develop a rich social life because that time is spent on trying to pass the next test or get that assignment completed... all of this is seen as necessary to ensure that the child grows into a capable adult who can hold down a job or have a career. My heart breaks for these kids.

John Grant is a pediatrician with five children. Three of his children attend Fairfield (the other two were in their last years of highschool when Fairfield opened).  He wrote the article below. I am posting it here because in it he echoes my sentiments about kids and school very well -- school is not just a means to an end, the journey also counts!

 

The Journey Counts!

By: John Grant, MD 

More than 40 years have passed. But I still remember...I bet most people do. That first day...the day a part of them left home forever, the day that childhood and time and freedom and play and work started to tumble around and get all mixed up…the first day of school.

Memories of my pre-school years remain magical to me. Days were passed in such innocence. Curiosity led me, while my parents watched from a safe distance. The world of fields and friends, sports, insects, dinkies and imagination filled my hours and answered my questions. Minutes seemed like hours and days stretched into weeks with never an idle moment. Everything was interesting, everything important. Jumping in puddles, swinging on backyard swings and watching clouds, catching grasshoppers or butterflies…or bumblebees! I also caught tadpoles from a neighborhood stream, and night crawlers for fishing with my friend whose dad was a fisherman. We played chase, baseball, hopscotch; skip, catch or tin-can-alley (a form of cricket)…there was so much to do, and so many questions to ask!

Even so, there was still plenty of time to explore such things as reading, coloring, drawing and printing. My mom, and less often my dad, as he had to work outside our home, served as my mentors. The days were long, but filled and bedtime was an ambiguous ally.

I knew that school was waiting, and I really thought that I was ready. Its mystery seemed somehow a prize, a sign of growing up. My two older sisters were already going, and sometimes I felt jealous of their experience, even as I missed their daily presence. Often I’d try and get them to teach me what it was that they were learning in that ...school.

The day finally came to go. A short graveled driveway led from the main road to the school building and grounds. It was lined with wild bushes and tall ‘elephant ears’. I passed along this route slowly surveying the strange faces of the many students. Something wasn’t as I thought it would be. I found myself close to those tall elephant ears as a loud bell rang signaling the start. I eased myself into the greenery, not willing to commit myself just yet, and watched. All of the children separated into straight lines near the front steps at the front door. Sounds of talking and laughter simply faded. The smallest children were being herded together by an adult, and then...in response to some hollered instructions...they all went in, in single file all unnaturally quiet and all just staring straight ahead. I was alone there in those elephant ears.

It took several weeks to adjust to the new way of life. Line up when the bell rings, speak only if questioned, no getting out of your seat, look straight ahead, no daydreaming, always do your homework, etc. I learned all about stars and stickers and report cards. Privileges like washing the boards, handing out papers or cleaning the chalk brushes were given to those who complied.

 

Unlike our neighborhood where kids of all ages mingled and played, in school, we were kept in classrooms only with kids of the same age and grade. The older or younger children were somehow above or beneath us both within the school, and out on the schoolyard. With bells or buzzers our learning moved in haphazard fashion from one subject to another, even if the first was really interesting. I learned the system of testing, became good at memorization and identifying what was needed to get good grades.

 

I saw others not so fortunate that struggled. They may have had trouble sitting still, remaining quiet, paying attention or doing all their homework. Their grades weren’t as good. Did this mean that they weren’t as good? Sometimes by the teacher’s remarks or actions it certainly seemed that we were all being judged, and of course we were. Report cards told us how we did, who we were and what we needed to work on. Coercion, both overt and subversive was used to ensure appropriate classroom behavior and effort. The strap was still a threat in my early school years, as was standing in a corner, sitting far from other pupils, missing recess or staying late. Notes home and parent’s night were other ways to ensure compliance. If you could decipher all the rules and meet the expectations, school was just something else to get through.

Generally speaking, all parents want their children to grow into healthy, productive, well-adjusted adults with good careers and happy lives. We all want our children to be socially aware, responsible and law abiding. And we all hope that our kids develop a love of learning, self-belief and self-confidence. We look to achieve these dreams by sending our children to school, five days per week, 40 weeks per year for about 13 years! And we trust that the educational facilities will ensure that our children succeed.

In 2001, Denise Clark Pope, an educator and writer published a book called "Doing School" that explored a typical U.S. high school, and followed some of the brightest students in that school during their final year. These students, and their classmates identified themselves as being in a system where achievement depends more on "doing"—going through the correct motions—than on learning and engaging with the curriculum. Instead of thinking deeply about the content of their courses and delving into projects and assignments, the students focus on managing the workload and honing strategies that will help them to achieve high grades. It is not necessarily knowledge that is being graded, but test ability and assignment completion. They learn to raise their hands even when they don't know the answers to the teachers' questions in order to appear interested. They understand the importance of forming alliances and classroom treaties to win favors from teachers and administrators. Involvement in extra-curricular activities and volunteer work is often done to broaden their résumé and marketability. Some feel compelled to cheat and to contest certain grades and decisions in order to get the scores they believe they need for the future.

As one student asserts:

People don't go to school to learn. They go to get good grades, which brings them to college, which brings them the high-paying job, which brings them to happiness, so they think. But basically, grades are where it’s at.

--From Doing School by Denise Clark Pope. © 2001, Yale Univ Pr

Is this what our public educational experience is causing? Is this what we want for our kids? What has happened to the curiosity of youth, the pursuit of interests purely because...you feel you want to know. Like chasing butterflies, catching grasshoppers, taking apart toys, learning to ride a bike, caring for a puppy. These things just need to be done. Reading can be that way, as can math and biology and economics and typing, if freely chosen as a desired goal.

In his book, "How Children Fail", John Holt, who is a former public school teacher, explores this very issue:

No one starts off stupid. You only have to watch babies and infants, and seriously think about what all of them learn and do, to see that, they show a style of life, and a desire and ability to learn that in an older person, we might well call genius. But what happens, as we grow older to this extraordinary capacity for learning and intellectual growth?

What happens is that it is destroyed, and more than by any other one thing, by the process that we misname education. We adults destroy most of the intellectual and creative capacities of children by the things we do to them or make them do. We destroy this capacity above all by making them afraid, afraid of not doing what other people want, of not pleasing, of making mistakes, of failing, of being wrong. Thus we make them afraid to gamble, afraid to experiment, afraid to try the difficult and the unknown.

We destroy the disinterested (not uninterested) love of learning in children, which is so strong when they are small, by encouraging and compelling them to work for petty and contemptible rewards- gold stars, or papers marked 100 and tacked to the wall, or A’s on report cards, or honor rolls, or Dean’s lists- in short for the ignoble satisfaction of feeling that they are better than someone else. We encourage them to feel that the end and aim of all they do in school is nothing more than to get a good mark on a test, or to impress someone with what they know.

We kill, not only their curiosity, but their feeling that it is a good and admirable thing to be curious, so that by the age of ten most of them will not ask questions, and will show a good deal of scorn for the few who do.

Schools should be a place where children learn what they most want to know, instead of what we think they ought to know.

--From How Children Fail, by John Holt, Pittman Publishing Company

My wife and I have 5 children. All started public school at age 4 or 5. Back when they entered the school system, these questions about educational issues were far from our areas of concern. School was something everyone did, and this is the way it runs and has always has run…or so we thought. Not one of our five wanted to go to school in those early years. They were perfectly content with the learning that went on in their home and neighborhood. In reality, when they started Grade Primary (Kindergarten) they were already doing things that wouldn’t be taught until grade 2. Their tears and their questions did bring back memories, but like most parents we looked at their adjustment as a necessary evil, not recognizing how curiosity and their very freedom was being taken from them and not knowing of any alternative for them.

 

Their experience at school largely mirrored that of both my wife and myself. They were too well prepared in the early grades, already knowing their numbers, letters and how to read. They were bored. Then as each year passed, the curiosity that was so evident as preschoolers gradually faded. Their enthusiasm for school directed learning began to dwindle; the teachers would choose for them what was important and what learning was necessary. They became excellent test takers, but were learning very little. Many questions began to surface, questions that needed facing but no easy answer was available.

Why do we insist on a timetable of skill acquisition? Why is a “cookie cutter” approach used to educate? Shouldn’t tasks be undertaken when each child shows the readiness and developmental maturity for that task? Does the course curriculum really address the varied interests and futures of our children? What are the benefits of homework and assignments on subjects that the children couldn’t care less about? What about the segregation of children by age? Social interaction among the various ages would promote a better sense of community. Bullying in schools isn’t going away; in fact it seems to be increasing. And why does the learning day need to be so fragmented? Don’t we learn best when we can really give it time and energy? What does the testing and grading really accomplish or show? How much of any subject do you retain after the test is over? Does this really prepare our children for the reality of life in this 21st century?

Ask yourself: what does this one-size fits all autocratic approach to education really accomplish? Well, in my mind it does what it did to our generation...it produces compliant students good at memorizing required facts and doing tests. It produces students whose self worth is reflected by grades and the praise of parents and teachers. But does it stimulate self-study or independent learning? Are the students happy? Does it produce people that know themselves, that are confident they can meet life’s challenges, with clear visions of their futures? Does it produce free thinkers, innovators, and people that question authority and demand accountability? We need these types of people in our democracy as our society struggles to adapt and adjust to rapid changes.

 

In our democratic society, our schools do not reflect the power of voice and vote and choice that we all cherish. Something is wrong here. Our children need to become self-disciplined and responsible for their own behavior and their life choices. This does not happen easily when they grow up in a world of external discipline and control. They need the freedom to choose, and the freedom to grow into their own unique futures. External controls may ensure a façade of conformity and acceptance, but there is always an undercurrent of resentment and rebellion as well. Is it such a surprise that violence, racism, bullying and underachievement permeate the current public school system?

And most importantly look at the number of children that are experiencing difficulties, academic, social or psychiatric, within the current system. Do the feelings of failure and frustration that accompany poor reports affect a child’s future willingness to try? Does failure before a child is interested stifle their curiosity and courage? How many children truly enjoy their educational experience?

It doesn’t have to be this way. School can be an enjoyable place where students learn to trust themselves and respect others. There are schools where different educational philosophies eliminate most of the above listed concerns…but they are not our current public schools.

 

In 2002, my wife and I became aware of a different type of school. Fairfield School (www.fairfieldschool.org), the first democratic free school in Canada opened in our community of Wolfville, Nova Scotia. It is modeled on Sudbury Valley School (www.sudburyvalley.org), which has been in existence in Framingham Massachusetts since 1968. In this educational model, students are responsible for their own educational experience and ultimately their vocational choices. Students from age 4 through 19 mingle and interact freely. There are no formal classrooms, no grade levels, and no testing. Emphasis is on individual responsibility within a socially responsible environment. There is no bullying! Throughout its 36-years, there have been few, if any students with significant stress related illness. The school does not force a child to be someone they are not. It does not force a child to do subjects that they are not ready for or not interested in. Children are not expected to sit quietly behind a desk all day; they are free to roam the school campus if and when they choose.

 

As each child matures, so does his/her recognition of the larger society beyond the school. To achieve independence in that larger world requires thought, and effort. But a task freely chosen is given more energy and vigor because it is done for intrinsic reasons. The success of Sudbury Valley School graduates illustrates this most impressively…with up to 90 percent going on to some form of post-secondary education. Equally impressive is the diversity of career choices of the graduates. The children experience an environment that allows happy transition through their school years…spirit intact…and are ready to face the challenges of life.

Numerous studies done in various countries (United States, Britain, Colombia, Australia, Namibia) all show quite convincingly that a democratic education produces some very desirable social results and outcomes:

1. Exposure to democratic principles and the power of voting fosters life-long democratic values, skills and behaviors in the students.

2. The open and fair policies in such schools, encourage and strengthen support for race and gender equality.

3. Democratic schools generally provide friendlier and more co-operative environments that actively encourage student participation. This increased personal responsibility and trust results in more confident students who feel more valued and respected.

4. Democratic free schools foster and encourage students to take responsibility for their own learning. This results in achievement at or above those from traditional educational settings AND better general behavior with less absenteeism and delinquency.

5. The freedom provided also aids students in developing a strong sense of self-reliance, initiative and problem solving, all very useful traits in any future vocation.

I work in an Emergency Room at a children’s hospital in Halifax NS. When assessing health issues of school age children, some informal questions can help them relax and improve co-operation. How old are you? What grade are you in? Do you like school? What do you like about school? The responses to the last two questions are very telling…70 to 80 % of answers are negative to liking school, while the most common things that are liked at school are lunch, recess, gym, and math. Hmmm.

Needless to say, our three children still of school age now attend Fairfield School. The oldest two have moved on with their lives and are doing well, but neither remembers their public school years with fondness.

The three that switched to the democratic free school did so of their own choice. They are learning things about themselves that most of us didn’t think about until we were in University or our first job. They have a comfort with freedom and choice that can take public school graduates years to achieve. And, they are happy, learning what they want and need to know as they define their own lives. So yes, you can have your cake and eat it too…a successful life with happy school years. The choice is yours, but the journey should count!

                              (by John Grant, MD)

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So... back to my original questions... What was your school experience like?  I'd love to know other people's thoughts on this topic. 

 

Peace,

 

Indigo

 

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Pictures from Fairfield School

 

Learning to write in Japanese


In the music studio


Playing soccer


Voting at a school meeting


Reading


Discussing


Computer


Playing cards