Suppose (for the sake of discussion) that there are two populations at Steller, one that is really "into" progressive education and another that mostly just wants a small, friendly, but essentially traditional high school. The problem for the progressive crowd would be that their philosophy is excluded by a traditional, structured environment. They need a culture of experimentation and individualized learning, and that can only happen in an environment that is dedicated to those concepts. On the other hand, if a set of classrooms and teachers within the school were set aside as a progressive laboratory, trying new concepts and flexible scheduling, with individual study the mainstream practice rather than the exception, perhaps the two educational philosophies could coexist in the same building. A school-within-a-school at Steller might seem odd, but it would be one way to give every family what they want.
Bottom line, we can't build a community by fighting. But we can't get where we're going without changing. Where is the win-win solution?
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4 comments:
I think Steller ought to remain an open school. I believe in a humanistic approach to education. I actually think it's good for everyone. I don't think an open approach is good for some kids but not for others. I believe any kid who wants to come and can get to the school should be welcome. It shouldn't depend on how much their parents know, care about or support the concepts of open education.
Steller's message seems to be 'We want independent, movtivated, passionate, mature students'. I think a better message is 'Steller students become more independent, more passionate about learning' etc.
I'd like to see a lot more diversity at the school: Racial, ethnic, cultural, kids of all academic ability, all social classes, all levels of parental support. Instead of building a funnel to get more like minded kids/families into the school we ought to be casting a wider net.
I agree that it is not right to exclude any group of people from Steller's open optional learning environment, but I also think that it is important to remember that that environment is not going to be functional unless everyone involved actually believes it can be. Every parent or student who enters into the school community signs the Steller Philosophy, but that does not necessarily mean that they truly believe in it.
As for racial, ethnic, cultural and social diversity, there are many limiting factors. There is a lack of transportation, for one thing. For another, there are few ways for anyone to know about Steller in many traditional elementary schools. Perhaps we should get out into the community more, to let people know about Steller.
I believe that diversity is important, but I also believe that it is suicidal as an organization to except, with open arms, members who actively oppose the very principals that the organization was founded upon.
I agree with the idea that there are now "two Stellers." As a student at Steller for 5 years now, I've become more and more frustrated with the lack of community involvement, participation in education, and overall interest in being in a school that's different than other schools.
The problem, though, is that too many students now are coming into Steller because they've heard it's "different" or "cool." I heard many new students saying they didn't want to attend Steller, take certain classes, or participate, but their parents force them. I think that's wrong - the student must have the interest in their own education, and take charge. Parental support is awesome, but when it becomes parents forcing kids, it is no longer beneficial.
So what can be done? We need an interview process that is more selective, and make it clearer what exactly Steller is during these interviews. We should not be afraid to tell students and/or parents that Steller is not a good match.
As more parents force their kids to apply to Steller on a basis of class size and test scores, we continue to lose the foundation on which the school was created.
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