So What? And Why the Way We Teach Matters

At High Meadows, progressive education isn't just a buzzword; it's the cornerstone of everything we do. It's about fostering a learning environment where children are active participants in their own educational journey.

 

I’ve been thinking a lot about the “so what” in all this. Why does “how you teach” matter anyway? Isn’t education just a thing you have to do to get to the next stop on the train?  A box to check? Is it less about what you learn and more about a series of things you do so that you can be done and move on to the next task? You go to 6th grade to be prepared for 8th to be ready for 12th to go to college so you can graduate and start being an adult….  

Progressive Education challenges this assumption. It says that every step along the way–every process, interaction, relationship, and skill–is nurtured, taught, tested, and practiced in service of now AND in service of what is to come. Work satisfaction, growth, curiosity, problem-solving, self-confidence, presenting ideas, listening for feedback (and tolerating it when people disagree so that you can get better) are all the “skills” of adulthood.  As adults, we need to adapt and adjust, think on our feet, create brand new things, face adversity, learn to cook our own meals, grow and make things… yet most schools limit “student learning” to a set of skills that are imagined as necessary for now and expected to be less useful later. As a result, people never have much chance to practice being their best selves because they are constantly living in service of what is perceived to be the next “thing on the list.”   

So, at High Meadows, we challenge these assumptions. We embrace childhood as a distinct stage of life that cannot be squandered. It is a time when children begin to understand themselves in relationship to the world around them. We honor their questions and perspectives. We challenge their thinking and assumptions. We create an environment in which they are honored and feel safe to take the risks necessary to reach their potential—which is much more vast than we can ever imagine.

I’d love to hear what you think!