Our Pandemic Has Shown That Schools Are Anything But Obsolete — Only Their Ideas.

Today, my kids “officially” start online learning, as communicated by our Provincial government. Which for me and my kids will “officially” start to ignore it. Just having the technology available to participate is a not-so-subtle nod to privilege. What about the thousands of kids — the ones I sometimes see at the public library after schools — who don’t have access to online learning?

The larger, macro problem with this government edict of doing online learning of inert knowledge is that its ideas of what constitutes learning — some horribly outdated Canon of facts, figures, worksheet tasks with worksheet outcomes, etc. — is still being promoted in a time of global crisis.

I think I have referenced Whitehead, and specifically this quote, more than any person in my Medium articles. While it was published in 1929, many of the ideas from his landmark book, Aims of Education, were first conceived over 100 years.

Championing inert ideas and learning through technology is not only a horrible use of technology, but elevates the transmission of these ideas to being just straight out harmful.

The inert, harmful ideas of 20th century education, because of our global pandemic, have been given a catalyst — for their death.

Let’s work backwards. Education and career path was a stifling marriage at the best of times. That union is effectively dead.

The above image is one that I created for how mathematics is traditionally learned(left) an how it should be learned(right). Learning and life should have similar adventurous trajectories.

So, while we are painfully learning that trying to force-feed 20th century anachronisms through the 21st century fibre-optic is a lifeless idea, we are also happily learning that the schools, many fraught with equity issues of physical resources, are critical community hubs of gathering, caring, and sharing. They might not be perfect, but as a physical meeting place of students from various backgrounds, they are usually earnest attempts at mitigating some of the socio-economic differences of their community.

What we have learned and are learning from this pandemic is human connection — which may never go back to what it was — is the foundation of what we should teach. And, having schools, communal hubs of formal and informal connections, are now even more important.

One of my many kindred spirits that I know in the education world, Jennifer Quattrucci, is one of the best ambassadors of getting to the heart of the matter.

Literally.

What is most needed right now? I mean right now. Love, kindness, empathy, mindfulness, and hope — all wrapped up with each other to be actionable virtues for our children to make the world, and what is left of it, better.

That is what needs to be the residue of all of this. And, we can start practicing those ideas online whenever and however we can. Prioritising those things before anything else. So, that when we do go back to our school communities, the needed transformations will already be in motion.

Our empty schools, yearning to be filled with the colors of chatter, laughter, and song, will surely be grateful that we started without them.

I leave you with buoyant wisdom of Arundhati Roy…