Comments on EndsWithSaurus...: My musings on the education system...

@Berin Thanks for your response, it raises an int...

2010-06-29T10:34:25.365-07:00

@Berin

Thanks for your response, it raises an interesting question. How *do* we give children an introduction to a topic without tying them to a contract?

It's a topic that intrigues me though - having a (not quite) 2 year old and a 5 month old, it's a problem I'd like to see solved before they make it into the school system.

My eldest daughter is not yet two, and from watching her and interacting with her, it's already fairly evident that she enjoys figuring things out. What those things are seem to be largely irrelevant, just that it's a puzzle that needs to be figured out. She's also fairly dominant in her peer group, despite the fact that she's smaller than everyone around her. She's hugely social and always seems to draw other kids to following her around and do her thing. It will be interesting to see if she inherits my wife's business acuity and my approach to problem solving - if she does, she'll make an unstoppable entrepreneur.

At 20 months though, it's really too early to tell what she's going to be interested in. I worry that the limitations of the school system artificially limit the education that kids get and I'd like to see something happen to change that.

Interesting article. The only thing I can think t...

2010-06-29T09:37:07.859-07:00

Interesting article. The only thing I can think to throw into the mix is the obvious question:

"How do we know we are interested (or not) in a subject if we don't have some exposure to it?" So to provide a devil's advocate point of view, we need at the very least an introduction to a topic before we can really make a decision about it.

Children have a great deal of energy, but very limited life experience. Part of the job of the education system is to expose the children in a meaningful way to different topics. The key problem, which you also hit on very well was "in a meaningful way". Honestly, the way history is taught in grade schools is appalling. It's less important to know exactly when Columbus sailed the ocean view as it is to know what the impact of that voyage was. Focusing on the stories in history and how that relates to us now makes history much more interesting. That's something that Discovery channel and History channel do fairly well (although some historians might take issue with some of their facts).

The bottom line is that there are some foundational bits of information we all need--and you listed those. I don't think I can add anything to the list. Beyond that, perhaps we just need a few survey style classes that devote a few weeks at a time to a subject. From then on, letting the students have an active choice in their education is very helpful.

I'm not sure about other school systems, but in America students are allowed to elect classes much like you would in College starting in middle school. I tried a number of different things, and found I really enjoyed wood working. I don't use it today, but that's because I found other things I'm more interested in.

@Jennifer I haven't heard of Magnet schools b...

2010-05-15T10:05:06.835-07:00

@Jennifer

I haven't heard of Magnet schools before, but that's not to say they don't exist here or back home in England. We do have Montessori which from what you say sounds similar I *think*. I did a quick Google and it seems that there are some magnet schools up here - there's Canterbury High School in Ottawa that was ranked by Macleans magazine as being one of the top ranked schools for the arts in the country... I'm sure there are others.

You nailed it! As a kid I remember vividly the tim...

2010-05-15T05:47:13.661-07:00

You nailed it! As a kid I remember vividly the times my English, Art, and CS teachers told me I was good and even showed my work to other teachers. I chose I.T because I was good it, it was fun to build things then watch them "go", and I knew I could make a decent living doing it. I was exposed and encouraged at an early age. There are many things however that I find interesting, and I sometimes wonder what the result would've been had I had the same encouragement and exposure.

I loved school, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process of getting my liberal arts degree because I was able to learn about many different things. One of the things I love most about being in I.T is the opportunity to work in many industries.

Back to passion... A colleague recently pointed out that your passion can be your Achilles heel meaning that if you are unable to pursue or grow that which you are passionate about, it can become your greatest frustration.

Thinking about my very bright little girls.... I want them to find something they are passionate about that *also* pays enough to pursue the other things they are passionate about. As adults, we have to be honest and careful with our praise and deliberate in what we encourage. We have to be mindful and respectful to our children when their passions and interests do not match our own.

Does the UK or Canada have magnet schools? We have schools from elementary and up that focus or attract students with specific interests like art, computers, and science. They include the core curriculum but incorporate that which they specialize in throughout their teaching.