the learning place
March 4, 2014 § 2 Comments
The space of learning is a constant source of my distraction. My thoughts on my children’s identity and accomplishment, confidence and curiosity are entangled in the environment of their education. My husband and I map the physical space of our children’s academics with the same attention we note the emotional and psychological space of their days as independent learners navigating unique needs in a traditional environment.
Most days I am as tempted to reject the boundaries of familiar classroom settings as I am to embrace its potential. Between rows of identical chairs there is a community of diversity that gifts difficult lessons in sharing space with children and adults whose expectations and values compliment and challenge our assumptions. Simultaneously there is a homogenization that too often undermines the individuality of the child who does not move so easily within the current of curriculum.
Over the past couple years I have watched my children slowly assimilate into a blind acceptance of the unspoken rules of classroom performance. With less curiosity for their world and a greater awareness of each error, I have begun to worry that the current they once resisted has worn away the sharp edges of their perseverance making them more passive students.
In my greatest moments of doubt I am reminded of one certainty: Uncertainties are the elixir to complacency. Resignation fosters stagnancy that decays the spirit of learning. With this in mind I am more consciously questioning my children’s days, looking for indications of acquiescence. I am mapping my worries with question marks, reminding my children (and myself) that learning begins within the intangible space of unanswered questions in search of information that challenges our comfort and sparks awareness for our environment; extending the classroom to every corner of our day and transforming our measurement of success to one of independent accountability in the pursuit of knowledge without fear of failure.
scribblechic 
The thing to look for in the young ones is the distinction between (1) simple self-discipline; knowing when to react and when to accept and (2) dis-engegement. If only it would be easy to know which is which!
For what it’s worth, having parents and friends who value knowing when to accept and when to question is the most powerful thing of all. Knowing that distinction–when to accept and when to act–is something that only comes slowly…and there’s always room for missteps.
Thoughtfully stated, Maurice. Thank you.