Knives, Planes, and School.
Why purpose must drive.
I have a great knife. It doesn’t cut anything, but it’s a great knife.
No. What I have is not a knife.
I have an awesome airplane. It doesn’t fly, but it’s an awesome plane.
No. What I have is not a plane. Perhaps it’s a model or it used to be a plane. But, if it doesn’t fly, it’s not a plane.
Now, for you parents — or would-be parents — out there, consider this:
Your child goes to a great school. He likes his friends and recess, but he doesn’t like to learn. In fact, he’d prefer to cheese-grate his thighs rather than learn in school. The question is this: Is your child in a school?
No. Your child is not in a school. At best he is in a warehouse.
Purpose always drives definitions.
A knife that doesn’t cut is not a knife.
A plane that doesn’t fly is not a plane.
And, for the sake of your child, stop calling a place that doesn’t inspire a love of learning a “school.”
Survey after survey confirms that the vast majority of kids do not love learning in school. It’s time for us all to question school’s purpose.
New Tools for a New World
In the history of the world, the tools for learning have never been more vast. Pause and consider how brain-bending this truth is!
- 1000 years ago, a person had to go to clergy to understand scripture, science, and, well, everything.
- 100 years ago, a person had to go to a teacher to learn to read or apprentice to learn how to lay brick.
- 10 years ago, a person could go to YouTube or Google.
Today, a person can use all of the above OR they could use LinkedIn to find an expert to interview — like my 17-year-old daughter did here and here. And let’s not forget that they could also ask ChatGPT. (Love it or hate it, it’s an amazing tool).
The Purpose: Love
Although the tools for learning have never been more vast, for most kids, the desire to learn is scarce.
The purpose of education must be a love of learning. Full Stop.
Yet, “love” has been thoroughly choked, stabbed, bludgeoned, and hog-tied by well-meaning curriculum writers (and less-well-meaning testing companies).
But there is a way to grow a desire to learn in any child or adult… but you’ll never see it in school. It’s called “Learning Journeys.”
The best “school” is a series of Learning Journeys that are co-created with the unique needs and interests of the learner, family, and community. Here’s an example of how: Creating a Dream Map with your Child
Questions for Parents:
Q1: What Learning Journey would you or your child most like to go on?
Q2: Would that journey inspire a desire to learn more?
Q3: Could that journey include all of the subjects covered in traditional school (and many more that are not)?
Last Question: Would you like free help making the transition? If so, follow me at EducationExplained or email me directly with your questions at Matt@MattCBarnes.com
All my services are free thanks to Dave Ramsey* and my Patreon followers.
*In 1998, Dave Ramsey taught me how to manage our finances… and now I can do whatever the hell I want with my time. #freedom
