Schooling Isn't a Game to be Won

       Americans love competition.

       We follow sports teams.  We compare our Olympic medal count with those from other countries.  We brag about having faster cars and the newest cell phone, and the whitest teeth.  At times (it seems) everything is a competition; that we are always trying to surpass what our neighbors have or can do.

       This sense of competition (unfortunately) extends into our schools as well.  Our students want to know who got the highest test grade, who takes the most Advanced Placement courses; who got the best report card grades.  We are constantly comparing ourselves to each other.

       When it comes to schooling, I have a statement for our students (and their parents):

       School isn't a soccer game, it isn't the Olympics, and it isn't a Reality Show to be won.  School is about learning.  Some students will excel in some areas, some might excel in all areas (or appear to excel on all areas), and most will probably be average.  The goal for all of these students is to learn.

       The danger of the "competition" aspect of schooling is when students strive for high grades or correct answers by means that don't require a lot of learning.  Some students are good at "playing school"; they do what they need to do to get good grades (such as turning in homework and classwork on time and participating in class), but avoid actual studying and real learning.  They do this because of a misguided notion that the goal of school is getting good grades.  When student compete for "grades", they can miss the most important purpose of schooling which is learning.  In a classroom, this means that they are afraid to try new things or to offer suggestions or ideas for fear of being wrong (and perhaps labeled as "less smart").  This isn't what we want in our schools.

       Learning is a lifelong skill.  School cannot be a place where students merely learn how to do what they are told to do.  School has to be a place where the skill of learning is learned and understood.  A place where students learn how to problem solve and how to ask the right questions and how to access resources that they need.  Students shouldn't have to worry about doing better than other students.  They should only be concerned about learning.

       Let's make our schools a competition-free zone.  After all, there are plenty of other areas in a student's life where they can compete.  School should be one of them.

A Passion to Make Education Better

       I often say to my children, "It takes less time to do the thing I'm asking you to do than it takes to argue about it."  Am I allowed to say this to adults who are critical of public education?

       Of course, I don't mind if people disagree with decisions made about their child's school or school district.  But mere negative comments don't usually help to make our schools better.  If everyone who disagreed with a school-level decision, instead, were to offer a possible solution, or make an effort to understand the reasons behind the decision, or step up to make things better we could accomplish a lot.  We can help to improve attitudes about public schools AND we can help to improve our schools.

       We want people to be passionate about their local schools and we want people to be partners with their schools.  Education is important.  It's more important than sports; it's more important than grades; it's more important than social status.  Education helps everyone: students, businesses, society.  The effort to improve schools has to be a group effort.

       Be passionate about education.  We need you.

Clubs, Plays, and Sports

       The purpose of school is to educate.  The old saying of "Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic" still holds today.  Textbooks and grades and homework and studying and writing reports; school is about academics and learning and growing intellectually.

       Still, every teacher and every researcher will tell you that students who are involved in extracurricular activities at their school will tend to do better on the academic side of schooling than students who are not involved.

       From elementary to middle (and certainly in high school), schools offer a wide array of groups for students to join from sports to clubs to music groups and even academic teams (!).  Joining a group in school gives students a chance to see and play with different students who share a common interest.  Sometimes students who struggle with the academics and who would otherwise avoid coming to school will have great attendance because they want to be involved in their club or team--and they like to see their friends from these groups during the day in school.

       Many teachers enjoy leading such groups for the same reason that students enjoy being a part of these groups.  It gives teachers a chance to see different students and their own students in a different light.  And it gives students a chance to see their teachers differently.  In the classroom there are strict rules of behavior.  In a group that meets before or after school, there are still rules of behavior, but it's different without the desks and the front board and the pens and pencils.

       Students who become involved in groups outside of the school day are still learning.  They are learning the soft-skills that are very necessary in the world of work as well as in the social world.  Here is a short list of some of the benefits for children:
- Time management and prioritization
- Getting involved in diverse interests
- Learning about long-term commitments
- Making a contribution
- Raising self-esteem

       School is a place of learning and we know that students (and adults) learn inside and outside of the classroom.  We want our children to have many experiences when they are young to help them to decide what they like, what they don't like, and what they may be interested in doing later in life.  Extracurricular activities teaches students that life isn't all about reading, writing, and arithmetic.  All activities are linked to all other activities in some way.

       So encourage your children to be part of clubs and groups--including groups outside of the school arena, such as scouting.  Some of their fondest memories will be about the times they spent in these groups.