President's Pen

The Other Path

In past editions of Youth Truth you've heard about the horrors currently taking place in our educational system. The drugging-up, dumbing-down, and brainwashing of youth, and the police state-like atmosphere to which they are subjected, rightfully shock and terrify us all. But, are these things just a sign of our society's virulently anti-youth attitude at this moment, a mere sign of the times? Or are they more then just an aberration - are they the inevitable result flowing from the fundamental premises and structure of what most people consider an education?

Traditional schooling is textbook-based and teacher-led. Any deviation is at the discretion of the teacher (who often is far too disinterested to make any worthwhile attempt at deviating from the dull lesson plan). The students must comply with the instructions of the teacher and the demands of the lesson plan or take the risk of their parents receiving a call (and given that we live in a culture that sanctions the physical abuse of young people by their parents, it's easy to understand the reasoning of those young people who cry uncle when confronted with this threat.) And as the years go by, and the intensity level is raised, we find ourselves with a most curious situation; young people put in the pressure-cooker of worrying about their future (for which their educational experience often ill-prepares them), and at the same time undergoing a high-intensity course in boredom.

On a personal level, it never ceases to amaze me how school can make a fascinating subject like history seem dull to so many people. But when the past is ripped from its context, from the human passions and ideals and dramas that made it happen, and is reduced to a series of dates to be correlated with particular events, well, how could it not seem boring?
Treating history as just a bunch of events and dates, and nothing more, makes it seem as exciting as the prospect of opening a dictionary and memorizing the definition of a random word (in fact, the latter seems possibly more appealing.) This is just one example. I offer the theory that the problem with education is systemic, and not merely with regard to the lack of respect for children's rights (though this is certainly a part of the problem). No, I want to suggest that even in an ASFARian world, where all arbitrary age-based restrictions were repealed, we would still be functioning sub-optimally if we continued on with our authoritarian model of schooling. For an ASFAR kind of world, or to help build one, one needs a school based on the premise that young people are individuals, with rights, and a school that respects that fact to the utmost.

Enter Sudbury

Sudbury Valley School, based in Framingham, Massachusetts, was founded in 1968, and was, to my knowledge, the first of the "democratic" schools. Sometimes, it's simpler just to let what you're talking about speak for itself, so here I quote from the Sudbury home page:

"Sudbury Valley School is a place where people decide for themselves how to spend their days. 
Here, students of all ages determine what they will do, as well as when, how, and where they will do it. This freedom is at the heart of the school; it belongs to the students as their right, not to be violated.

One of the concerns frequently voiced about this method of education is the worry that, if youth are not forced to learn a certain minimum amount in certain subjects, a "base of knowledge" if you will, that they will be incapable of functioning in our society. Ignored is the fact that, if there is a certain minimum base of knowledge necessary, people left to pursue knowledge on their own will tend towards learning it, on their own. This is affirmed by the fact that, despite the lack of coercion, of structure, of all the "rigors" we associate with traditional education, not one child has ever left Sudbury without knowing how to read. This may seem unconvincing, in the context of our information economy, with its dependence on specialized knowledge that goes above and beyond the "basics", but when one considers the fact that traditional high schools cannot claim anywhere near the same 100% literacy rate for their graduates (in fact, I've seen statistics that say anywhere from 10% to 20% of high school graduates cannot read their diplomas), and when one considers that reading is the essential gateway to the library of a knowledge economy, and when one considers the fact that if young people can learn to read in a democratic school much more proficiently then their "normal school" counterparts, that logic dictates they must be able to learn various other things with greater proficiency as well ... not only has one done a lot of considering, but one must conclude that perhaps there is something to this whole "learn in freedom" thing after all.

While this form of education has taken root across the country over the years, there remains a lack of sufficient democratic schools around the country. What a travesty it is that even in my home town, New York City, one of the most cosmopolitan and purportedly open-minded cities in the world, one can look high and far for a democratic school and come up with nothing. But perhaps the time is ripe for a change in direction. One looks at the growing popularity of homeschooling, and wonders; maybe America is ready for new perspectives on education?