Alternative education has been in the news a lot lately. First with Besty DeVos heading up the Department of Education, then with Frank Edelblut, a businessman who homeschooled his kids leading New Hampshire’s schools. Just from browsing the news and social media sites, I’ve heard thoughts ranging from fear (of slipping standards and less money) — which will drive people to homeschool their kids — to celebration that alternative schools will finally get recognised. When I open my ears to those around me, the sentiment isn’t nearly as panicked.
In fact, there is only one concern: Will my child’s education be good enough to ensure they can live the life they want?
It’s a good, fair question to ask. As far as I’ve asked, this is something that parents, if not both parents and students, want to be assured of. They want to know that their time, money, resources, and life are not being wasted away doing something that won’t benefit them in the end.
Can you blame them? Be honest.
I love knowledge for knowledge’s sake, but even I can understand not wanting to “waste your time learning something you’ll never use”. <– Exact words I hear people whining when forced to learn something or take a workshop they aren’t interested in. Hell, they are exact words I mutter when I am forced to take a class or workshop for the community college.
Childrens Museum – Media Event 2006 1.Child playing at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan 2.O’Crowley 3.O’Crowley New York NJ 973-392-5810 pocrowley@starledger.com
Immature as it seems, it’s an honest sentiment.
So, what makes an education “good enough”?
That is a lot harder to answer. I’m not a professional educator. I’m a chemist with a passion for spreading knowledge. I’m a compassionate person that understands when you want to do something in life, you don’t want to have to jump through six thousand loops, another 18 pounds of red tape, and twice the amount of money in your account to learn it. (And if you don’t get the sarcasm and hyperbole here, you’ve never tried to get licensed for something.)
Honestly, times change the needs. What made our grandparents generation “good enough” is not necessarily “good enough” for our times. Conversely, what we think is “good enough” might be “too much”. As advancement in any industry happen, the people going into the job market need to be on top of it so they can make a good living and carry the torch of advancement forward.
It takes a balance of a good amount of knowledge that is useful for life and a focus on the future. I believe in bespoke education after middle school that helps kids follow their passions, develop skills in things they are interested in, while also adding more knowledge in supporting and tangential areas.
This is most definitely not realistic for mass education.
I taught in the public school system for a year at middle school level. There are a lot of kids that have no idea what they want to do. Those kids belong in the public school system where they are taught a broad spectrum of knowledge without regard to a future career and education. After all, they might figure it out by the time they turn 18 and are officially adults. Then, higher education steps in to train in specific topics.
But, there was a surprising amount of students that had an idea what they wanted to do. They wanted to work in art, help kids, work in the gaming industry, be a scientist, etc. It is these kids that should have a different option that moves them slowly into their profession.
Stay with me here, because I know a lot of people are going to start screaming that “they are kids, they couldn’t possibly know.”
Turn threats into opportunity. Image found @ Kari Joys
Most of us have some sort of inkling what we want to do when we are in middle school. It’s what we are passionate about. We are also told that’s not a decent career choice and it will never pay the bills. That might be true in some cases, which is why the first year of transitioning to a more career focused school/apprenticeship should be more general so the student doesn’t slip behind.
Insanitek example: When a student first comes to work with us, they have a single extra science class that starts to show them the ropes while making sure the rest of their “general” education is still complete. That includes history, civics, English, social studies, a foreign language, shop class, art, and P.E. If, after this year, they decide they still love science and want to continue despite learning that it’s not a shiny sci-fi scene, their education changes up a little by putting more science based things in their other classes.
That may seem confusing, but it basically means that instead of just “random” things in say, shop class, they might learn how the machines work and the skills to fix or tweak them. As they explore history, there is a heavier emphasis on engineers and tech advances, as well as the societal pushes that made them necessary as well as any and all fallback that came afterwards.
This is not a perfect solution.
We have found a few problems with this. In order to keep standards high and make sure they are career ready when they leave here, we have to work with business leaders and the state standards to make sure they kids are at the forefront and ready for anything when they leave. There are lots of things that go into this:
- Meet the Indiana Core40 and state standards — then surpass them. (We are based in Indiana, so this is non-negotiable.)
- Use the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills to flush things out. A lot of textbooks use this as a standard, so it’s only appropriate to make sure we do as well to make sure that all bases are covered.
- Work with a variety of businesses to make sure students get hands on experience and internships/after school experiences in their area of choice. This may include as applicable:
- Shop class for working on computers and machines.
- Programming classes.
- Lab time in a variety of scenarios (chemistry, biology, physics, etc.)
- And more as needed
- Team up with after school programmes such as Stem Scouts, The Everett Light Career Center, and other such places that can help provide skills, training, and networks where we cannot.
Thankfully, as we grow and keep things in mind, the better off Insanitek is as a platform to provide kids with an alternative education that streamlines the process to getting into science — without compromising the standards or fullness of life and knowledge. Until then, we’ll embrace the chaos that comes with meeting demands of the modern world.
