If I had the power, I would dissolve these institutions.
No Schools- When I left school I remember walking away from the building. It was a quiet summers day. I wondered what I had done wrong. An image from a film of a person being released from gaol came to mind. A small door within a large door opens. A bag is handed out and placed on the ground. A dazed and confused man (usually man, as men go to prison) steps out into the daylight with blinking eyes, all alone.
What would I do instead? The qualities I admire about schools are:-
1) Introducing children to different cultures, challenges and opportunities, that they might not otherwise experience.
2) The idea of having to work out how to live in a community.
3) Providing a safe environment free from exploitation.
For me the challenge is how to reduce the need for society to define, classify, control and regulate.
How would I do it differently?
Andre Gorz discussed in Paths to Paradise (1985) the paradox of a modern age when half the population works too hard for too much money, and the other half does not have enough work, or money. He suggest sharing. I would like to see learning of young children primarily facilitated by parents and carers, not nursery's or educational establishment. However I do not see this as a private function. I feel it should be a collective spirit based on shared experiences. The learning style I opt for in parenting is called Action Learning. This is an experiential, dialogical model of learning which is sensitive to the vulnerabilities and inequality of parents as adults. The main vulnerabilities as I see them are not to do with class discrimination, but to do with generational poverty due to insecurity in the emotional strengths in relationships (bonding.) We can see this in the broad sense dating back to the destruction of family life through slavery, or the culture of 'parental remoteness' in upper class, Western European families. At a local level, emotional insecurity leads to a lack of awareness of risk, due to poor early childhood experiences. This is a catch 22 scenario, as 'not seeing', heightens the sense of parental vulnerability, increasing hostile and protective reactions.
So I would have universal surestart. National Child Birth trust for everyone, and lots of maternity leave, and paternity leave until the age of 7. The best model for me would be 'shared parental care'. The system would need to support parents whose ability to parent is compromised by health, and other factors such as criminality, loss of a parent due to death, incompetence (risky behaviours) or geography (a parent might move overseas.) I agree with the Finnish model of education where formal education begins at 7.
I would like the rearing of young children to be fun for all, a celebration of life, a shared learning experience, and for children to be surrounded by all manner of people, not just their own families. The key rules for protecting children are ensuring many people see the child and carers on a daily basis in fun informal settings. This is in the context of a social contract, where healthy parameters are discussed frequently.
Children's Centres should be part of integrated hubs in the community where, health, fitness, libraries, life long learning, cinema's, gyms, care of the elderly (shared meals), life long learning, celebrations, all take place naturally.
I would like parents to understand this as a vital and necessary role, which is to be shared with a wider community including grandparents and people with no children.
From 7 years I would like to see a range of opportunities open to children. As education is necessarily conservative in nature, (by this I mean that we have ideas of education that echo across the generations), much of this will be familiar to today's experiences.
The categories would be:-
1) Classical education - based on small group 'Oxbridge style' tutoring.
2) Languages based on 'immersion' and experience.
3) Physical exercise and sports. This will be based around clubs and personal interests groups.
4) Community Service, including caring, gardening, cleaning and neighbourhood renewal.
5) Individual pursuits. This is based on personal interests. These subjects are designed to help every young person believe that they are skilled and talented in some area of education.
6) Religious or faith based learning, to be conducted by faith groups, but not not exclusively.
7) Creative Studies - Find your creative genius, work with others to create it.
I would like to see most education delivered in small venues including domestic homes. I think that it would be a step forward for exams and tests to be given less status in our society.
I would like to see the responsibility for education to be seen as a partnership between parents, educators, and the state. Teachers can be part-time, offering their personal expertees to education hubs, part of community services that include all age learning. There would be many teachers, each with their part to play.
I would like to see young people monitor their own development through university style 'credits'.
Some of these categories will be streamed, with age not being a factor. Other will be universal and bring all people together.
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