I was thinking about what I was like as a student in school recently. If I had to sum it up, I'd sadly use the word compliant. I did what I was told and drew satisfaction from being the good girl in school.
I generally liked school. I enjoyed learning and found it accessible. I followed the order of the day without too much angst or struggle. Yet, what if I had approached school with less compliance and more curiosity--what if I saw learning as the super power I've come to know it to be? How could my abilities to lead my education rather than to respond to it have been lifted or increased when I was young?
Turning points
Kindergarten was a tremendous turning point as it introduced me to worlds I never knew about--I loved all the learning I did that year. I looked forward to everyday of school. Throughout elementary school and beyond the programs in placed worked for me when it came to building a strong foundation of skill, concept, and knowledge. Yet, I'd say that the programs would have been stronger if I had been given more authority, choice, and input to what I was learning and how I was learning it. It would have been great if the connection were made between my efforts and my future potential. Sadly that never occurred to me in those early years, and I wonder if that connection can be easily made when you consider children's developmental paths. I think that it's possible and has a lot to do with introducing children to what exists outside of their local environment, influences, and world of ideas/experiences.
Compliance versus capacity
I believe it is important to foster greater capacity rather than compliance. Compliance teaches people to stay stuck and live with it rather than to outthink and change situations for the better. Had I had a better foundation of capacity, I probably would not have withstood trying circumstances as long as I did at times in my life. Instead, I would have probably sought a better way or new avenues of pursuit as I came to understand later in life. So as we think of nuturing those we love young and old, it's important to nurture capacity over compliance.
These are just some random thoughts I'll return to in the days ahead when it comes to my reflections about school in general.