The Purpose of Education?
What is education? Why do we go to school?
There has been so much chatter on reimagining schools and what schools could be, but I’m a bit unsure of the outcomes we want school to have. When I was teaching - and I imagine this is true for most educators - I never cared much about the test scores. I wanted to know that when my students left our doors after graduation, we had given them the tools they would need to succeed not just in the workplace, but in life. Despite what others may think, teaching is and always will be so much more than academics. It’s about developing people. School is where we help to nurture young minds so that students might one day grow into thriving adults.
As a teacher, there was never much talk beyond the curriculum as to the outcomes we were hoping to achieve through our pedagogy and practice. Phrases were thrown out there like ‘high quality education’ or ‘21st century learning’, but the reality was that I never felt encouraged to think about the big picture - about how I truly might help my students to grow and thrive. In a system that still very much evaluates teaching and learning on test scores and graduation rates - I hope we use this moment in history to change the dialogue. What is the purpose of education? What is school? What should we change? What should we be rid of?
This may sound naive - and certainly sounds overwhelming as I’m ultimately alluding to some massive systems change - but it should be discussed. We need to get back to the root again of what school should be and the outcomes we want an ‘education’ to provide. As a society, we need to redefine success and get a new set of indicators. Good test scores do not necessarily equate to health or happiness. Graduation rates do not signify financial stability. When students leave our doors at graduation when they go through life, how will we know they did well? What should we look for?
While I don’t fully understand the starting point to get this dialogue going - I do know it would be worthwhile for us all to reflect on what school might achieve. Here was my list of outcomes that I had wished for each of my students and how I challenged myself to think about each. The list may be incomplete but I know that as a teacher these were some of my indicators for a successful education:
Good character: Are we modelling and praising good character? Are we showing decency, kindness, and good ethics so that students embed them in all they do? Do they understand their power to contribute to the greater good?
High Quality of Life: How are we ensuring students will be able to stay healthy both mentally and physically? How are we helping them to define their own life and to live a life well lived?
Gainful Employment: How are we ensuring students can find meaningful employment that gives them purpose? How are we ensuring they have the financial stability needed to have a good life?
Purpose: How can help students live with intentionality? How can we help them to solve problems and find purpose in their world and what they do?
Joy: How can we equip young people to stay lifelong learners, to keep their curiosity and zest for life for all their years? How can we help them to impart joy to others?
While I know this list focuses more on the outcomes of each individual student more than the needs of society, I couldn’t help but see the faces of each person that walked through my door. This is what I had wanted for each child - and still want. These were the learning objectives that I thought would give them the best shot at life, and hopefully in turn, the best shot at creating a better society. Although incomplete, this has been my starting point for defining what schools might achieve.
So now I ask you - what might your list look like? How do we get this dialogue going? How do we make the seemingly impossible, possible?
