THIS WEEK AT THE LIFE FORCE CANADA
EDUCATION THINK TANK MEETING
March 3, 2022
We are always happy to have lots of voices to add to our conversation. It is only through coming together that we can make positive change happen! Thank you to both the new and familiar faces that joined us this week.
How and where did the public school system originate? Who started it and why? What was it meant to do and how has it changed? And most importantly, where is it headed? Penny Kelly educated us on the origins and history of the public school system and shared her thoughts on how Covid has impacted and changed it forever.
In the colonies, both in the United States and in Europe, a lot of people died young leaving their children to fend for themselves. Many had no home and lived and survived on the streets. Theft from stores, farms and orchards was rampant and children who were caught were often severely punished. Eventually an educator in Europe named, Comenius realized that the best way to combat this problem was to find a way to educate and care for these kids and he started the first public school for orphans. He hypothesized that if they provided these children with an education, taught them skills and manners that they would be more productive members of society. And he was right! The children left their schooling brighter, more creative, and inventive, and more personally responsible. Eventually this became the public school system and laws were passed that said that every child had to attend.
Unfortunately, around the turn of the century they realized that there were benefits in only preparing the children for work in the factories. All the children needed were the basics of reading, writing and math. That way, they were not educated enough to excel and go on to higher learning but were sufficiently equipped to do basic clerical work and calculations necessary to work within the factories. Thus, the one size fits all, cookie cutter education system that produced people who had the identical and minimal education, was born.
Going forward, Penny believes that this system will slowly crumble and fade away with more and more parents choosing or being forced to homeschool their children. She predicts that there will be more learning pods and communities of parents coming together to share in the responsibility of education and that there will be quite a lot of resources accessible online. We won’t send our children away but rather make learning a family affair – this education model of the future will expand to include the parents as well as the children. It will be a “cradle to the grave” system and it will utilize all levels of consciousness.
She sees children taking a more active role in the design and direction of their learning and by doing so, kids will be able to focus on the things that they are most passionate about. From this holistic, child-centered learning, all subjects can be covered from those points of passionate interests. For instance, if a child loves trains, or farming, or astrology… all subjects can be taught with that interest in mind; reading, writing, math, science, socials, etc. Penny believes that the “common core subjects” aren’t so common and that kids shouldn’t be subjected to being taught in what is currently the latest, greatest method but allowed to explore, ignite curiosity, and discover their genius.
Penny Kelly assures us that the children of our future will grow up to be creative, insightful and integrated in their thinking and that humanity is moving towards something that is phenomenal. If you’d like to learn more from Penny Kelly’s video and hear more of the conversation that it inspired, listen in to this week’s video recording.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqYEM41Iq6s&t=1682s
Be sure to check out more of our informative Education Think Tank zoom meeting here on our YouTube Channel – and please subscribe while you’re there!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFQITHanLYIh65c9KiokUUg
If you or someone you know would like to become involved in our Think Tank, as a guest, member, or presenter, please feel free to connect with me anytime at normajeanmaxwell@gmail.com
Certainly, it is through working together – each of us contributing – that we will accomplish great things in the evolution of our education model. Thank you to all those that made the time to join us at our Education Think Tank this week. You are all truly blessings to me.
Til’ we meet again,
Norma Jean Maxwell
Life Force Canada
Education Think Tank Facilitator