Okay, so here we go. This list is not exhaustive, but these are the ways that quickly come to my mind in which school is crippling our children. I’m not going to explain in any detail today, but will dive into each listed item over the next few weeks. Many of these topics overlap, but they each deserve to be explored through the described lens.
School:
- teaches children that learning is work, work is not fun, and play is frivolous.
- suppresses, even punishes individuality.
- suppresses, even punishes intuition.
- suppresses, even punishes creativity and imagination.
- suppresses, even punishes innovation and resourcefulness.
- Note that creativity, imagination, innovation, and resourcefulness are among the often promoted “21st Century Skills” that educators claim are the most important for our time. I would argue that children come wired with these “skills” and we systematically deprogram them.
- creates risk aversion.
- teaches helplessness.
- teaches authoritarianism, also known as bullying or violent communication.
- robs children of natural movement and the real work of children—play.
- robs children of time in nature and all its health benefits.
- robs children of more natural relationships with humans of various age-groups and the resulting healthy mentor/mentee dynamic and authentic learning that results.
- reprograms children from their internal locus of control to external behavior drivers.
- indoctrinates dangerous values.
- damages the family dynamic.
Don’t expect the supporting detailed posts in order! For me to stay on top of this challenge, I’ll need to do the one that I feel most inspired to write that day. By the end of this blog challenge, I hope to persuade you that children are naturally wired to acquire the necessary skills and hone their talents to be healthy, contributing members of their communities and that with the right modeling and support (NOT what they are getting in our coercive schools,) the vast majority would reach adulthood well prepared to live satisfying and meaningful lives.
Restoring Justis 