Quests and Quirkiness: The Adventures of Learning Like Never Before
Did you hear about the kid who tried to study fish instead of going fishing? Well, he learned nothing but a whole lot of flipping!
Traditional schooling often has us feeling more like goldfish than eager learners. That’s one of the reasons why we started Freedom Thinkers School. We wanted to transform students from classroom-bound fish into roaring Adventurers!
So what went wrong? Buckle up, you’re in for a wild ride!
We must go back before we can go forward
Before the industrial revolution hit the United States, we had 16 year old girls teaching school. Most had nothing more than some McGuffey Readers, math books, the Bible, and some classic books & autobiographies from the greats.
Most children didn’t even go to school because their parents taught them or hired tutors. Once puberty started hitting, they were working internships so they’d be ready for the real world.
And if you compare that McGuffey 6th reader to what our children are reading today…that reader is now considered graduate level reading. Yep. Kids from 1850 would run circles around many of our children today, just with reading.
Clearly, since school became obligatory starting in 1857 we’ve been on a downward trajectory in our country. Covid seemed to make it worse while simultaneously shining a light on all that was wrong.
Violence, test scores, anxiety, and critical thinking skills have all become worse in dangerous ways. And, frankly, it looks like the parents have finally had enough. Children are being pulled out of school districts in record numbers and parents are searching for something different.
How we’re moving forward
Let’s look back on our founding fathers. Most learned at home and then worked internships where they became experts in their area of concentration. No middle school drama and zero wooden chairs to be handcuffed to. And they did remarkably well for themselves!
That’s why we’re incorporating Project Based Learning, Socratic Discussions, Quests, and Learner Driven Goals into our school. Children and teens who know that their life depends on them working towards their goals, daily, are happier as they tackle the adventure that is life.
This can look like a field trip to Universal Studios to cover labs in high school physics. Learning history by actually digging trenches and learning how to hold your line like they did in world war two (and then having fun with an epic nerf battle after!). Grabbing a team and building your own soap box while challenging others to create their own for a fun competition! And actually going fishing instead of just reading about it!
It’s time to let our children have their dreams, discoveries, and quests that they themselves desire…because that is what makes them excited to discover and create more.