The educational checklist for “schooled” children

Aug. 30, 2012 - PRLog -- Dear Dr. Fournier:

I have read your articles for some time now, and have very much appreciated the advice you have given.  There is one thing that I wanted to get a bit more clarity on if you could:  You talk about the difference between schooling and education, and that the goals for each may be different.  I would like to ask if you would share what is on your educational checklist that you would consider to overlay the school and classroom requirements.  Is there a short list?

Lucy S.
St. Louis, MO

Dear Lucy:


THE ASSESSMENT

Yes, I believe it is of the utmost importance to draw a clear distinction between education and schooling.

Schooling revolves around a curricu¬lum timetable and focuses on what it gives rather than on what students actually receive.  If your goal is to “get him through school,” there are things you can do.  The ultimate is called “social promotion,” and continues to move your child through the school timetable regardless of level of education.  That’s when we settle for a C on a report card with the advice to do better in the future.

On the other hand, if you want to “get him educated,” you must determine what your son has learned and what he has yet to learn, without regard to his age or school grade.  At first, this may mean more change in you than in your son.  As you translate words into action, you may find more pain, but this will become pain mixed with hope for accomplishment.

WHAT TO DO

Ask yourself: “What must my child know how to do to be educated?”  Sit with him or her and find out for yourself.  Here is a beginning list:

•   For content area subjects (such as social studies and science), (s)he must know how to read, comprehend one sentence at a time and pick out impor¬tant information, and recall that infor¬mation in such a way that (s)he can apply the knowledge to more than one type of question.
•   For math, (s)he must know the basics, such as addition, subtraction, multipli¬cation and signed numbers, which teachers no longer teach if they are not part of their grade’s curriculum.  (S)he must also understand the language of math, such as “solving” and “factor¬ing.”
•   For success in school and in life, (s)he must know how to take control of long¬-term assignments.  (S)he must know when (s)he is doing well and when (s)he needs to change strategies to accomplish success.  This includes the development of both the capacity to break larger assignments into manageable chunks, and the responsibility and self-reliance to see those promises carried out.

As you throw out your assumptions and preconceptions, you can identify the education that your son has left behind because of the logistics of schooling.  Instead of your son saying, “I’m no good in math,” help him iden¬tify areas of strength and weakness.

For example, your child may have mastered addition, subtraction and multiplication tables 2 through 5, but needs help with multiplying 7 through 12.  Then you can help him or her learn specifically what (s)he does not know rather than try¬ing to re-teach what (s)he has mastered.

If your child doesn’t understand deci¬mals, arrange to have someone teach them and you’ll know (s)he has been “edu¬cated” when (s)he can teach it to you.  If (s)he doesn’t know how to concentrate on homework, have him or her write a plan each day for when (s)he will do his home¬work.  Start with 15 minutes; if it’s too long, reduce the time.  When (s)he can do 15 minutes, move it up one minute at a time until his or her attention span is long enough to accomplish the task.

School imposes time-lines of pressure on our children in the form of “grades.”  It runs on the false assumption that all learners run in a line, but there is no marathon in history where this has ever been the case.  The race and pace are different for each participant at different times throughout the course of the event.

Rid yourselves of the pressure of time and get on with the task of identifying precisely where your child’s education is.  Work together to develop your own time-line for education.  School will just have to catch up.



CONTACT DR. FOURNIER

Have a question about education, education-related issues or your child’s schoolwork or homework? Ask Dr. Fournier and look for her answer in this column. E-mail your question or comment to Dr. Yvonne Fournier at drfournier@hfhw.net.