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Doing High School Differently

10/20/2013

3 Comments

 
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At Blue Collar Homeschool, we embrace new ideas, and we love hearing about folks who speak about practical education.  While we may not always agree with everything someone espouses, we try to remain open to new ways of thinking about age old problems.

Somewhere along the line, early in our homeschool journey, I stumbled upon a blog written by Marty Nemko.  If you are not familiar with him, you should be, as he is a very interesting character with opinions that make you say, "Hmmm..."  I don't know about you, but I always like that in a person.  Marty is an author, radio host, speaker and columnist whose work has been featured everywhere you can possibly imagine, from the LA Times to NPR to the Wall Street Journal.  He holds a PhD in Education from UC Berkeley, and has been a consultant to 15 college presidents.  In other words, the man knows his stuff.  He is incredibly innovative in his thinking, and in addition to authoring numerous articles and books on education, he is a highly regarded career coach who also works with men's issues, politics, and much more.  Reading the other posts on his web site would provide you with hours of entertaining, thought provoking reading.  Reading his posts on education will cause you to perhaps let go of old ideas and think seriously about what education ought to look like.  From someone as notable as Marty, these opinions take on a new sheen, rather than appearing to be mere radical fodder designed only to get folks riled up.  

Here...check out Marty's article over at his blog titled "Reinventing the High School Curriculum"...then come on back to share your thoughts. 

So....what do you think?  Is it that hard to imagine a high school curriculum that doesn't include the requisite 4x4...four Math, four English, four Science, and four History?  When I read Marty's blog post, I cheered.  Finally, someone who sees that this "college at all costs" approach is soul killing, unnecessary, and is forcing kids to cram and test, cram and test, cram and test on topics they will likely never use...unless it is solely for another college course, and then promptly forget it. Now, remember, we are NOT against a college education.  On the contrary, we are absolutely FOR a college education for those who desire it, for those whose career goals require it, and for those for whom it is appropriate.  But somewhere along the line, we got off course, and we made the assumption and then force fed the notion that EVERY child ought to have a college education.  Sadly, this focus has left hundreds of thousands of young people directionless, without assistance as they move out into the world.  Worse, it makes them feel worthless, all because one particular path does not suit them.

Marty's ideas are brilliant!  Drop some of the high school Big Four course load and replace it with courses that will serve kids across the spectrum and give them life skills they can use in college, the trades, or any other setting.  While you might disagree with the exact replacement courses he suggests, every day we all see young people who graduate high school and got an A in calculus...but can't do something as simple as make change accurately.  We see graduates who took AP Statistics, yet can't explain how a bank makes money or how to stock market works.  

Our high school students today are different critters than we have ever seen before, and if you think not, let's stroll back along memory lane and see how today's high school seniors were pushed to gain academic skills harder and faster than any previous generation.  If you aren't beginning to read fluently by the end of 1st grade, there is something "wrong" with you. We are introducing math topics at earlier and earlier ages which are developmentally way beyond the ability of young brains to grasp.  Is it really that important to say our kids have algebraic sense in 4th grade?  Why not wait until...oh...let's say...8th grade to introduce and begin working on Algebra, so that other skills are solid and well cemented.  Our desire to "teach across the curriculum" has created a sort of schizophrenic approach that leaves students scratching their heads, and never really focusing strongly on the specific topic they are learning about.  Reading about magnets is NOT the same thing as working and experimenting with them!  

We have yet to recognize that learning concepts is far easier when taught at a time when the brain is developmentally ready to tackle such skills. Are there exceptions?  Always, but that is what they are...exceptions.

What if every high school cleared time in a student's schedule to offer courses in Consumer Math, General Business, and The Psychology of Relationships.  How often would every student use Consumer Math in their daily lives versus...oh...let's say the ability to understand and explain DNA.  How much more valuable would a student be in the working world to any employer if they had a basic understanding of how a business works, what management must be concerned with, profit and loss, etc.  Isn't that going to be used by every single person who will ever be employed versus Trigonometry?  And what sort of societal effects would we see if every high schooler learned key points about relationships, how to read body language, and how to maintain them and how to put appropriate boundaries in place.  Might that not serve just about every learner in almost any situation, whether college bound or not?  

Instead, we subject our kids to learning material that is often inane, obscure, and of little real life value.  While some of this has always happened in our schools, and is necessary to some degree to expose students to a wide array of possibilities so they might find their area of interest, it has never before been at such an intense...and overly tested...degree.  I love Marty's quote here:

"Lest you think I exaggerate, here’s an example of the state of New York’s objectives for all its students: “Students relate processes at the system level to the cellular level in order to explain dynamic equilibrium in multi-celled organisms.” Let’s cross the country. Here’s a sample item from the exam that every high school student in California will be required to pass: “What is the prime factored form for the lowest common denominator of 2/9 + 7/12.” That was an item rated as of average difficulty! Could you answer it? In your entire life have you ever needed to know this? Even if you’re a scientist, you probably will never need to know that."


We must begin to make our academics relevant to all, not just a select few.


3 Comments
Opsimath
10/21/2013 01:55:32 am

I absolutely agree that the unrelenting emphasis on high level academics in high school (homeschool or otherwise) can become limiting intellectually rather than broadening.

I also chafe under the idea that everything must be formally studied rather than experienced, organized into courses rather than pursued through interest and curiosity, as I do in adulthood when I want to learn something new. Not everything lends itself to more fluid, experiential learning; but once I learned to think outside the idea of college prep courses, it became apparent that much can be done very differently.

You might be interested in this book by Nel Noddings, which suggests a similar departure from the narrowly academic:
http://www.amazon.com/Critical-Lessons-Schools-Should-Teach/dp/B007SRZYTA/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1382369983&sr=8-8&keywords=nel+noddings

I have a 2e teen whose high school years have centered around a wide-ranging experience -- rather than a formal study -- of theater. I have been absolutely astounded at how this has become something that pulls in material from all the traditionally academic subjects and then some: history, grammar, literary structure, law, physics, politics, medicine, economics, tech design, art, psychology, philosophy, and so much more. It has also led her away from a desk-bound focus into the community, to learn from directors, designers, choreographers, journalists, actors. Her dad and I have been by her side sharing many of these experiences, which have been mind-blowing for us as well.

I love your baby blog and wish it the very best as it grows and changes. There is truly a need for discussing homeschooling kids who are not uber-competitive high achievers, who aren't scholars or academics, who will not be Ivy-bound, or who simply need and thrive with very different educations.

Reply
Cindy LaJoy link
10/21/2013 06:39:50 am

Thank you SO much for your insight! You really nailed it when you said far more eloquently than I, "I absolutely agree that the unrelenting emphasis on high level academics in high school (homeschool or otherwise) can become limiting intellectually rather than broadening."

I wonder how many gifted craftsman and craftswomen, web masters, designers, musicians, etc. have been lost to us due to our fixation on teaching to a single objective. The world is an awfully large place, and we have offered incredibly narrow options to our young people, much to our own...but more importantly, to their...detriment.

I appreciate the encouragement and hope that over time, this blog and web site will be an informative place for those who need support in educating differently! Keep coming back! I already have about 10 more links to add! :-)

Blue Collar Homeschool Dean
Cindy LaJoy

Reply
Opsimath
10/21/2013 12:02:31 pm

A couple of years ago my daughter and I were touring private high schools in our city. We never found that perfect fit, but a couple of the schools were truly innovative and fascinating.

You can look at one here:
www.hightechhigh.org
The "Projects" section is of great interest.

Another school we looked at drew a lot of dyslexic, ADHD, spectrum, and otherwise "different" kids who found typical school a struggle. They minimized academics and encouraged teens to pursue their interests. They had kids who played in bands (earning money), kids who earned their scuba certificates (one went on to tech school and became an underwater welder/technician), kids who started businesses, kids who were artists and designers. After talking to my daughter, the headmaster said he would assign her, instead of "homework," to go to book signings at a sci-fi bookstore and to join a local Young Playwrights group. The kids who came out of that school had passionate interests they had developed and at which they had become quite skillful. Because of this, ironically, the school had a relatively high rate of sending their grads on to college and tech schools even though these were not typically high achieving kids academically, nor did the school offer AP courses.

There are wonderful examples out there; I think you're doing such a huge service bringing them together and giving people a platform for discussing them all.




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    Blog Author
    Cindy LaJoy

    Eclectic homeschooling mom of five, some of whom may go to college, some who might not.  Meeting her kids where they are at, and trying to move them forward is her life's work at the moment.  Cindy homeschools an incredibly diverse and wonderful bunch, and included in the mix is Dysgraphia, English as a Second Language, Central Auditory Processing Disorder, Gifted and Talented, suspected Dyscalculia, Sensory Professing Disorder, Developmental Delay, Executive Function Disorders, Speech Impairments,  and...whew!  That's enough!

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