Thank you, everyone, for your work this cycle! I think the readings this cycle are challenging and I appreciate how everyone dug deep to reflect upon their commitments, assumptions and life experiences.
I’ve left comments on everyone’s posts. You should all be able to see them; the same is true for cycle one. If for any reason you can’t see my comments, please let me know, and I can resend them to you.
(Word of advice: save in a word document all work on blogs, as it can sometimes mysteriously “disappear!”)
There are several points I want to touch upon here in this blog post. I’ll address them in order. First, I want to talk about the downside of tracking for motivated and intelligent students; second, I want to talk about metaphors of community; and third, I want to end by reflecting on definitions of learning within a democratic society.
For those of you familiar with my way of thinking about these issues, you’ll know that I worry a lot about the sense of entitlement that schools can breed in otherwise smart and motivated kids. As I’ve said again and again, the worst thing that can happen to a kid in school is that she leave thinking she is dumb—the worst at everything. The second worst thing that can happen to a child at school is that she can leave thinking she is smart—the best at everything.
While we want our kids to be confident in their abilities, I think it’s important we realize that confidence and a sense of worth does not come from always being the best.
In life, no one escapes unharmed. The mighty fall. The proud are brought low. Life has a way of teaching us the lessons we need to learn.
I do worry that kids in honors, gifted and advanced tracks leave school with the wrong messages. For there is no "track" that guarantees success. In fact, true learning always follows a path previously untrod.
There are hills and valleys. And there is the long trek upon the endless plain. Being present and being aware, along every step of the journey, is the key to success.
Put more simply: Our lives do not depend upon getting into Harvard, despite what some kids and parents might think.
Being around those who see the world differently, who experience the world differently, and who approach the world differently, has some inherent value. It teaches us to value our own way of seeing, experiencing and approaching—while at the same time having the humility to respect the rights of others to their own ways.
Do I sound like Ralph Waldo Emerson?
I sure hope so!
As I read the different posts this cycle, I was really led to reflect on the different metaphors of community that we each embody and practice. For some of us, community takes the form of a team; for others, a market place; for some others, a machine or a living organism.
Now all of these metaphors imply a level of interconnectedness. But there are also real differences. The way in which the parts of a machine are linked is obviously quite different than the way the organs of the body are linked. The impersonal relations of a laissez-faire market are different than those Izzo creates among his players.
Mechanical metaphors lead us to think about efficiency; market metaphors about maximization of personal goods; sports metaphors lead us to think about winning and losing; organic metaphors lead us to think about the indivisible nature of life itself.
Each metaphor has its affordances and limitations. I wouldn’t want to push any of them too far, nor would I want to do away with any of the goods they help us see.
Ultimately, such metaphors ask us to reflect on the very aims of public education. Sporting metaphors excite me because they remind us that growth comes through discipline, practice, and training—and that losing is part of life. Market metaphors excite me because they remind me that people are often the best judges of their own good. Organic metaphors excite me because they speak to the unity of mind, body and spirit. Even mechanical metaphors have their place—they remind us that efficiency can be achieved through proper organization.
What do we expect of our public schools?
For me, despite their limitations, organic metaphors will always probably resonate most deeply. They remind me that public life is about the maximization of everyone’s good, not just my own; that a positive interdependence is the surest way towards a healthy body politic; that a true education helps to integrate head, heart and hand; that everything has a role and that every role is important.
In this way, I am guided towards the communities I want my classrooms to become.
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