School
One of the August prompts for the Safety Harbor Writing Circle was school. Specifically “Did you enjoy or hate school as a child? What was the best part of the day, what was the worst part.” A host of memories was triggered. As is true for many people, I have a very large internal file cabinet labeled school. This file cabinet has very little to do with the process of learning. It contains file folders labeled success, failure, stress, bullying, and shame. There are also folders labeled with names of teachers such as Mrs. Williams (Married someone and did not wait for me. Imagine!), Mrs. Shepherd (just read, read, read no matter what you read), Mr. Holcomb (wealthy because he drove a relatively new Chevrolet) Mrs. Cordiss (treated me with kindness but did not suggest college) and a few classmates such as Anthony, Fran, Charlene and Beverly. Other classmates are labeled by size (8-foot-tall bullies). There are also files labeled racism again Native American and Negros. Later I would relabel some folders with newly learned terms such as sexism, homophobia, and redacted history. For the most part school was a place where I learned that what I thought and felt was not important. I was happy to learn some basic concepts but, for the most part, learning and school seems unrelated. I do not recall many discussions; just memorizing facts that I later often learned were mere opinions or outright lies. There was also church school to tell us how sinful we were and to warn us of going to hell if we persisted in sinful behavior and sinful thoughts. There was a disconnect between God’s purpose for us and the skills or information we were given in school. Later courses in philosophy and psychology would help me begin to connect the two. It was only then I heard a relationship between school and education. In undergraduate school and later in graduate school there were opportunities to talk with peers and professors who challenged each other to explore how to use specific skills to create a more just and loving world.
When I now talk to children some say school is an exciting place of learning and exploring new ideas, skills, and how concepts can play with each other. For others it is a pace of not fitting in, not feeling important, and not being one of the athletic or academic stars. All too often the trip to and from school is consumed with fear of being bullied. Once in the classroom, many feel bullied by the teacher. There are wonderful exceptions, even in the poorest schools where teachers and students often feel, on a scale of 1 to 10, stressed to a level of 12.
There are many factors which affect the ability of the school to become a fun place of learning. How schools are financed, the average stress children bring to the school experience, the stress of teachers who work two or three jobs, the time and energy of parents to create a home where learning is fun, special needs of students and a host of other factors affect the school experience; affect whether school is about education or memorizing facts. My friend is head of a local school for lower grades where teachers and students are encouraged to explore, ask questions and think about how the skills they learn will help them make a difference in the community and the larger world. We adults need to continue to make this experience of school possible for all children and adults.
Written August 6, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
One of the August prompts for the Safety Harbor Writing Circle was school. Specifically “Did you enjoy or hate school as a child? What was the best part of the day, what was the worst part.” A host of memories was triggered. As is true for many people, I have a very large internal file cabinet labeled school. This file cabinet has very little to do with the process of learning. It contains file folders labeled success, failure, stress, bullying, and shame. There are also folders labeled with names of teachers such as Mrs. Williams (Married someone and did not wait for me. Imagine!), Mrs. Shepherd (just read, read, read no matter what you read), Mr. Holcomb (wealthy because he drove a relatively new Chevrolet) Mrs. Cordiss (treated me with kindness but did not suggest college) and a few classmates such as Anthony, Fran, Charlene and Beverly. Other classmates are labeled by size (8-foot-tall bullies). There are also files labeled racism again Native American and Negros. Later I would relabel some folders with newly learned terms such as sexism, homophobia, and redacted history. For the most part school was a place where I learned that what I thought and felt was not important. I was happy to learn some basic concepts but, for the most part, learning and school seems unrelated. I do not recall many discussions; just memorizing facts that I later often learned were mere opinions or outright lies. There was also church school to tell us how sinful we were and to warn us of going to hell if we persisted in sinful behavior and sinful thoughts. There was a disconnect between God’s purpose for us and the skills or information we were given in school. Later courses in philosophy and psychology would help me begin to connect the two. It was only then I heard a relationship between school and education. In undergraduate school and later in graduate school there were opportunities to talk with peers and professors who challenged each other to explore how to use specific skills to create a more just and loving world.
When I now talk to children some say school is an exciting place of learning and exploring new ideas, skills, and how concepts can play with each other. For others it is a pace of not fitting in, not feeling important, and not being one of the athletic or academic stars. All too often the trip to and from school is consumed with fear of being bullied. Once in the classroom, many feel bullied by the teacher. There are wonderful exceptions, even in the poorest schools where teachers and students often feel, on a scale of 1 to 10, stressed to a level of 12.
There are many factors which affect the ability of the school to become a fun place of learning. How schools are financed, the average stress children bring to the school experience, the stress of teachers who work two or three jobs, the time and energy of parents to create a home where learning is fun, special needs of students and a host of other factors affect the school experience; affect whether school is about education or memorizing facts. My friend is head of a local school for lower grades where teachers and students are encouraged to explore, ask questions and think about how the skills they learn will help them make a difference in the community and the larger world. We adults need to continue to make this experience of school possible for all children and adults.
Written August 6, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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