A few weeks ago I brought in a "This American Life" episode about the Brooklyn Free School (which sounds very like the program at the New Marlborough School) and listened to it with a class of college-level seniors. I looked forward to a rousing discussion about the whole philosophy of giving kids more responsibility for their own education. I thought my students would be receptive to the concept, would find it exciting, and maybe wish they'd had a little taste of that kind of intellectual freedom in their own school careers. Instead they all thought it was a profoundly stupid idea that would never work because no one would do any work unless it was all spelled out and packaged for them. I can't remember when I've felt sadder about a discussion. These kids had no interest at all in self-directed education, and I felt bad for being part of a culture that "built" these guys to be this alienated from learning.
A few weeks ago I brought in a "This American Life" episode about the Brooklyn Free School (which sounds very like the program at the New Marlborough School) and listened to it with a class of college-level seniors. I looked forward to a rousing discussion about the whole philosophy of giving kids more responsibility for their own education. I thought my students would be receptive to the concept, would find it exciting, and maybe wish they'd had a little taste of that kind of intellectual freedom in their own school careers. Instead they all thought it was a profoundly stupid idea that would never work because no one would do any work unless it was all spelled out and packaged for them.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember when I've felt sadder about a discussion. These kids had no interest at all in self-directed education, and I felt bad for being part of a culture that "built" these guys to be this alienated from learning.
Depressing.