KJ Eastwick
Slightly crazy writer and passionate educator for those who struggle
Better off Working
Sometimes you come across a kid
Gangly, long haired and somewhat off kilter
We’ve placed this otherwise normal human
In, what for some, resembles antiquation.
This child, by mid teens is in an adult body
With adult wants and adult games.
They want the supposed freedom of working
Of learning skills that schools simply do not teach.
And yet we legislate
“Stay in school”
“You’re too young”
“You’re too unlearned”
But this then belittles all the others,
Our elders, our parents, our friends,
The ones who left school, yet made it out there.
What would happen if there was another way?
Another style of formal education.
What would happen if these unsuited ones
Could work in a job, and learn just the same.
Would this provide better learning for others?
Would this provide better learning for them?
A horse let to water, will not always drink
The same too of our children, led to formal education.
A child, when given the “right” environment
Will always learn, and yearn to learn.
So is school really the “right” environment
For the ones who would rather be elsewhere?
6 Comments on “Better off Working”
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Interventions
That’s a good question, KJ. As a teacher, what would you propose?
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Perhaps less emphasis on completing the last year of school for the sake of it and being able to combine almost full time work with undertaking some subjects such as English and Mathematic at a level directly related to what you’d need in your job. I just can’t imagine the cultural shift and work that would be required to make something like this work.
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I can imagine it, but I know I don’t have the energy for it. Maybe some young, energetic, resourceful, and well-resourced budding activist will take your idea and run with it!
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Works for me. Lots of ideas in this head, I lack the energy too, to put them into practice.
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I think it is a great direction to consider… Considering how many people drop out of school and never get a chance to show what they have.
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I agree. Just because you are not suited to school, does not mean you have low intelligence. Some of the brightest minds were school drop outs.
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