My Philosophy of Education

I feel so lucky to have been mentored as a teacher by two of the most innovative, path-forging educators I've known in my life--mentors who challenged the status quo and pointed me towards a philosophy of education that is both child-centered & research-based.

My primary professor & mentor we all called by his nickname: "Smokey." He completely turned my vision of education on its head by questioning all the "traditional" thoughts I had about education. He was an accomplished author and even founded his own high school in Chicago based on innovative best practices for secondary ed. In a letter of recommendation he wrote for me, I'll never forget his words, "Betsy will not be content to be a satisfactory teacher; she aims to be a great one." So. True. I put my heart and soul in it.

So what did I learn from him, from my entire education-on-education, from a lifetime of working with kids, ten years in the classroom and beyond, from motherhood, and from my 8 years homeschooling? How did it all shape my current philosophy of education?

Well, honestly, I could fill a book. Like, a really long, very wordy book. Or book series.

For your sanity, I will whittle my thoughts down to a list of my basic principles that would guide the Harmony approach as succinctly as possible. I will try!!!! Here goes...

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1. Education should focus on helping kids develop executive functioning--the ability to set and pursue goals, make choices, problem solve, and think critically and creatively. Education should help kids develop agency as pursuers of knowledge, not spoon-feed them or treat them like worker bees. Generalizing here, but I think this is a big shortcoming of the current education system in America--kids are trained to just "get the work done" with little regard for the learning goal or learning process itself.

2. Kids should be trusted with responsibility and given plenty of "freedom within structure." Structure provides safety and appropriate boundaries for behavior within which kids can thrive. Structure means there are learning goals and systems in place for smooth operation of daily tasks. Freedom (and responsibility) means kids aren't locked into desks, denied access to movement/bathrooms/physical comfort/snacks/water/etc. or forced into a too-demanding schedule for their needs.

Responsibility also means kids are held to high expectations for tasks like caring for the physical space/tidying up, working through disputes and problems respectfully, advocating for themselves, managing their own belongings, assisting their classmates, trying hard, and maintaining an environment where everyone can be successful at pursuing their goals/education without impediment. It also means kids' input and contributions are valued & their voices heard.

3. Education--particularly primary education--should be about exploration, experimentation, and celebrating effort and failure --not tests, worksheets, and all-right-answers.*

(*There is a point when this changes with age. For example, a medical student needs to memorize & retain information with accuracy. Critical thinking skills remain key, nonetheless.)

4. Education should be designed "backwards." That is, a teacher should determine the major learning goals for their students--what do they want them to learn/do/know at the end of the lesson? At the end of the session? Then, the teacher should design the lesson/class to guide students toward meeting those goals.

5. Kids learn, grow, and develop best when their education meets them in their "challenge zone." Healthy, appropriate struggle builds resilience, strength, and grit. Adults can do kids a grave disservice by always smoothing the path totally clear of challenges, always dictating kids' choices, & never allowing kids to experience any unpleasant emotions or frustrations.

That said, when kids are constantly forced beyond their challenge zone, social-emotionally or academically, they experience unhealthy stress and anxiety and will likely disengage. When kids are not adequately challenged at all, they languish or find alternate ways to engage their brains/bodies and are likely to develop a sense of learned helplessness or poor coping skills later in life.

But, if kids can learn to identify their own challenge zone and are allowed to live and work there, both social-emotionally and academically, they experience enhanced self-confidence, pride, self-reliance, and contentment. A lot of this has to do with following a child's lead and lovingly allowing them to struggle a little, while providing support, understanding and encouragement.

6. Education should encourage a "growth mindset." (The belief that persistent effort is more instrumental to learning than innate intelligence. Uses mantras like," You haven't mastered it YET.")

7. Maslow's hierarchy of needs #3, 4, 5: Love/belonging... Esteem...Self-actualization. If kids feel persecuted, unworthy, and unwelcome in their own learning community, they can't reach their own potential. Creating a community of acceptance and kindness is not a luxury or afterthought--it's a necessity for physical & mental well-being, learning, healthy development and happiness.

8. Nurturing. Education should provide an environment of nurture, support, utmost respect for children, understanding, encouragement, and flexibility as opposed to one that is competitive, cold, insensitive, demeaning, or shaming. The best word that I can think of is "gentle." Adults should be gentle with children and treat them with tender care and respect (not to be confused with coddling. :D See #2 & 4)

9. Gardner's "Multiple Intelligences" deserve recognition. Traditional schools tend to focus on recognizing just one or two types of human intelligences; however, humans are gifted in all sorts of different ways that, unfortunately, don't always equate to "success" or positive recognition in school, and some are even punished. An ideal education allows room for kids of all different intelligences to thrive.

10. Balance. Education should be designed in a way that allows for time and freedom to pursue family life, personal passions, mental "downtime" and natural human rhythms. I don't believe in unnecessary pushing and overscheduling. Harmony operational hours will reflect this and allow families to "schedule" to their unique needs.

11. Enjoyable. Research shows people learn best when they are having fun. There's a line to walk here--I do not believe adults should have to constantly "be entertaining" like a circus clown or dog-and-pony show, as that does a disservice to kids' ability to attend/focus in the long-term. But kids who are happily engaged and having fun will naturally learn better and more easily and remember more. Laughter is important! Energy and engagement are important! It shouldn't be painful.

12. Adult mentors are valuable, and skill and experience teaching matter. One way that I differ in philosophy from a pure child-led approach where kids "do it all themselves" is that I think adult mentors who are skilled and experienced at balancing well-designed instruction and guidance are an invaluable learning resource. As the quote goes (and I agree!), "Children are not vessels to be filled, but fires to be kindled." But, I believe that the most skilled teachers know how to "kindle the fire" while freely sharing their skill, knowledge, wisdom, and expertise AND leaving ample room for discovery and creativity.

Some possible Adult-Learner models:

A. Adult as Holder and Conveyor of all Knowledge: Learners sit quietly and listen while Adult fills Learners with all their knowledge which Learners then regurgitate back.

B. Adult as Facilitator: Children explore freely with minimal guidance and with zero direct instruction or input from Adults to find and discover all knowledge themselves without any discernible measurement of learning.

C. Adult as Mentor: Adult guides the learner through the learning experience with specific "mastery goals" in mind, prioritizing self-discovery and practice on the part of the Learner, but never restricting access to their knowledge and expertise wherever it benefits the Learners on their road to mastering a skill.

To clarify, I don't agree with A. Homeschooling is great for B and Harmony free-play time will look like B. But for enrolled programs, the desired approach for Harmony is C: Adult as Mentor.

13. Play is important! Kids need time to play. Decompress. Socialize. Explore nature. This is built into the limited hours of operation of the center and flexible scheduling (and mid-day break). Also, play IS valuable learning on its own. Particularly with regard to early education, I believe play and incidental/experiential learning is the ideal approach. As kids grow, needs change and grow with them. But time for "play" remains important for all ages.

14. Priorities. At the end of the day, I think any educational program needs to sit back and evaluate its most important priorities and make sure they are addressing them. Above all else, what do we want to teach or instill in kids? Is it math facts? Grammar? (Hey, I love grammar...)

My personal answer would be this: I would like to teach children to leave the world a little better than they found it by leading with kindness. I would like to instill in children that they are good and worthy humans. They are bright and capable. They can do hard things and stumble and come out the other side even stronger than before. They are lovable, and they belong.

The rest is just gravy.

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Okay, I didn't really accomplish my goal of being succinct. And I'm sure I will re-visit this more to tweak, add things I've forgotten, change parts that are unclear, etc. etc. There's more I'm already thinking of... Did I talk about individualization? Did I talk about pacing and flexibility? Did I talk about ignoring age and grade standards and just teaching the child?

For now, it's a decent start!