Forsaking What We Know To Be True

My son called me the other day to talk about an issue that had come up at work.  It is not the first time that he has confronted unethical matters in a breach of someone’s conduct that has concerned him in his work life.  It turned out to be someone in a position of authority which raised delicate issues of how to respond, address and seek constructive accountability.  Inevitably, our exchange led me to remind him of how important it is that he be in the world but not of the world in his work and life.  He reconciled himself to his problem solving approach and left our conversation aware of his choices and supported emotionally in moving forward.

As I mulled our conversation, I of course considered the many times I have seen people forsake what they know to achieve a given end or avoid a conflict in my own work as an educator.  There is something off putting about encountering this behavioral choice in educational settings as schools have such high minded aspirations for themselves and their students.   I wondered about the ways we rationalize such moments – it is best to just leave it alone; my security would be threatened in addressing it; I would lose approval; I might be rejected or maybe if I ignore it, the problem will go away.

Interestingly, the truth about good schools is that they provide learning spaces which are ‘inviting as well as open, safe and trustworthy as well as free’.  In order to explore we need places that hold us and offer us sustenance.  On the other hand, if we feel too sheltered or secure, then we may stay on the surface of things. Learning environments need to be lively and stimulating so that we may know the risks involved in looking at the deeper things of life - where the voice of the individual and the voice of the group are equally invited to speak the truth as they know it. People need to be able to articulate their thoughts and feelings. This involves fostering environments so that individuals can speak and the larger group can gather and express their concerns and share their passions.

We endeavor to honor the “little” stories of those involved and the “big” stories of the disciplines and learning tradition and provide room to share those experiences. At the same time, we need to connect our stories with the bigger picture – the collective whole. We must explore how our personal experiences connect  with those of others; and how they may relate to more general ‘stories’ and understandings about life.  It is in this regard that it is imperative that we not forsake what we know so that we may be known and so that we may hold our own integrity and the integrity of others and thereby both affirm one another and hold each other accountable.

Begin with the End

Finis origina pendet - the end depends on the beginning.  This adage is both a provocative and generative notion. As a head of school accredited through the Association of Independent Schools of New England (AISNE), I receive emails about current trends. Most recently, I opened an email that asked me as a school head to reflect on the current work of David Brooks as it relates to the important outcomes of an education and the requisite skills for students moving deeper into the 21^st century.

In a NYT column David Brooks discussed recent research that high-lighted a range of deeper talents, which span traditional notions of reason and emotion and which invite us to weigh more profoundly both what we want for our students and what the best process for achieving that end might be.  Here are the key skills that David Brooks lays out in the article:

·       Attunement:  the ability to enter other minds and learn what they have to offer. 

·       Equipoise:  the ability to serenely monitor the movements of one’s own mind and correct for biases and shortcomings.

·       Metis:  the ability to see patterns in the world and derive a gist from complex situations.

·       Sympathy:  the ability to fall into a rhythm with those around you and thrive in groups.

·       Limerence:  This isn’t a skill as much as a motivation.  The conscious mind hungers for money and success, but the unconscious mind hungers for those moments of transcendence when the skull line falls away and we are lost in love for another, the challenge of a task or the love of God.   Some people seem to experience this drive more powerfully than others.

The questions that flowed out of the article for some consideration by independent school folks were as follows:

·       What would a school look like that deliberately seeks to nurture and develop these talents in students?

·       To what extent is your school already doing this? How?

·       Are independent schools well suited to pursuing such goals?

These are provocative, thought-provoking questions that defy easy answers.  It strikes me that Montessori schools are well underway with engendering these capacities in learners through the thoughtful, child centered, empowering self-education that lies at the heart of our rich approach.

Finis origina pendet.  Begin with the end in mind. To educate in this vein requires knowing deeply the values that are essential to developing a life-long love of learning

Note to Self

Historically, educational thinking has flowed out of what we need to know; what structure that knowledge requires; and what facts and ideas that knowledge depends on. The result is a logical, organized, incremental schemata for instructing a student in a given culture’s idea of what you need to know – i.e., a curriculum.

The genius of Montessori – ‘the difference that makes all the difference’ – is starting education from the child, not from questions about knowledge.  The premise being: “What sort of being is this who learns?; How does this person naturally exercise her or his capacities of learning?; How may we best attend his or her work?”

In this regard, Montessori is not aimed at fast-tracked learning, superior rankings, or prodigies but rather, the development of the whole child, the whole human being.  This approach opts away from segregating cognitive capabilities as the basis of an educational system. In this learning environment, the construct of knowledge is concrete and experiential, children are led by lessons and materials; skills develop genuinely and profoundly, according to the child’s specific potential and in recognition of the cognitive and psychological characteristics of children in their developmental phases. The outcome of such unencumbered learning is a whole person with the skills, knowledge, self-awareness and self-possession requisite to fulfilling their potential as they grow.

As a result, some children progress farther faster in Montessori than in a school with a fixed curriculum, and some do not. However, regardless of the inherent differences in children, they all emerge with well nurtured psyches, spirits, and values. They also possess a positive attitude about learning and a sense of ownership over their own learning that only evolves from being empowered to self-educate.  Such learners do not expect to be extrinsically rewarded by a teacher for academic gain that they accomplish on their own for themselves; potential learning is the reward.

If we can trust in a process of beginning with the child and not with an external base of knowledge; if we can worry less about benchmarking the Montessori approach to traditional education; if we can begin by asking if the child has all that s/he requires to develop to his or her full potential in school and beyond, then we can alter the face of education for the 21^st century.  As we stimulate the child’s natural drive to learn, that drive will lead the child well beyond the rigors of any classroom and into his or her rightful place in and exploration of the world.  And we will see firsthand how far beyond our “expert” expectations our children’s intrinsic rigor will take them.