“It's McDaniels, not McDonalds These rhymes are Darryl's, the burgers are Ronald's”
(Run DMC, Hit It Run)
Over the course of the 20th century Americans became less and less connected to the food they ate. As agriculture industrialized, the nutritional quality of food decreased. Simultaneously with this trend in farming, Americans began to emphasize convenience in how they prepared and consumed food (frozen, microwaveable and fast food). As a result of these trends a variety of health issues have increased in prevalence across this country during this same time period.
Recent trends in growing and preparing food have sought to change our relationship with what we eat and how we eat. Trends such as eating local or seasonal, heirloom grains, and school garden programs have worked to reconnect individuals with the food they eat while increasing the nutritional content of that food.
In many ways education has followed similar trends. During the 20th century routine and convenience has made schooling bloated and lacking” nutritional” content. Microschooling represents one trend working to reconnect students with the learning process. Schools such as Do.Think.Learn work to reconnect students with how they learn and what they learn. We emphasize process over outcome measures; engagement over convenience; and discovery over routine. Schools such as ours adapt to the needs of students and build off of their strengths or interests. We dismantle the over-processed nature of school to create more meaningful and engaging learning experiences for our students.
Fast Food Education
Most of us would not choose to eat fast food everyday for every meal. Sure it’s easy and better than nothing but the consequences could be significant. And yet many people don’t think twice about the fast food education students receive all day, almost every day.
Psssst…. Don’t freak out. There’s a good chance your kid goes to the educational equivalent of Burger King.
Fast food education reflects learning experiences so devoid of meaning and oversaturated with routine that little valuable content remains. People choose fast food for a few basic reasons - affordability, convenience, routine, and taste. People often choose schools for the same reasons. Fast food education represents the primary source of learning in this country. Students show up for kindergarten for a kids meal and keep hitting the drive thru until they get their diploma. Education has largely lost enough meaning that even many of this country’s better schools lack “nutritional” content.
This isn’t a rant against fast food. I do enjoy a good 3x3 now and them, but we can say two things about fast food. First, a hierarchy within the fast food world exists. Not all fast food is created equal. For instance many people in CA would say that In N Out is a cut above Mickey D’s. While this is largely subjective, it’s a good way to start a discussion with middle schoolers. Second, fast food is not the healthiest food option out there. This is more objective. Even the better places or the healthiest options are not exactly healthy. Before you start messaging me to tell me how wrong I am, just follow along for a bit.
Fast food from time to time satisfies a craving and helps in a pinch. Regardless of why, millions of people consume fast food daily. The food industry knows this, and uses it to their advantage. The school industry follows the same model.
Bloated Routines
With high stakes testing the primary focus of learning, curricula have grown in scope and decreased in meaning. Learning 300 years of American history is the Big Mac of education. The traditional Pre-Algebra - Algebra I - Algebra II sequence is a meal deal from Taco Hell. And a special shout out to banning books for making reading lists the McDLT of English classrooms (keep the hot side hot and the cool side cool).
Let’s take US history to make a point. It is impossible to teach the history of this country in one year. No textbook can adequately represent all the layers of diverse narratives. As a result history textbooks oversimplify the historical narrative so it fits in a single text. Instead of simplifying and adding depth to history, teachers dish out bland material that skims the surface. Schools rely on oversimplification of subjects and the myth that these subjects are applicable outside of school. As a result students have little interest in their school work. The truth is most of the subjects have little value and the oversimplification of information represents empty intellectual calories.
The business of schooling - of feeding a steady diet of empty calories to students - has replaced the development of skill and knowledge with comfort and convenience. As a result, students go through the motions. They take tests and graduate, but lack basic skills in college or the job market. Getting good grades is the school equivalent of the prize in your kids meal these days.
Education in most schools follows an algorithmic routine. Routine makes school not only mind numbingly boring, but also emphasizes superficial short term learning. The educational algorithm does not provide quality ingredients and therefore it provides little “nutritional “ value.
You are what you eat.
In my after school tutoring sessions I work with some great students who go to a range of highly rated schools around LA County. The majority of their assignments have little value or meaning. Instead of working to improve their skills, they just want to finish the assignment and move on. When they show me their grades a few things stand out. Getting good grades comes down to turning your work in on time and who paints by numbers the best. Rarely do their teachers provide skill based assessment to help them improve. Evidently it is common for a sophomore in high school to, among other things, have no idea how to write a paragraph. One student showed me an essay they got an A on. I read it over and wondered if the teacher actually read the work. In my class it would’ve been a decent first draft, but as a final draft… maybe a C.
Over the last few years I’ve turned down several requests to take on students using someone else's curricula. I used to do this, but it just isn’t worth the time and energy. In fact I lost two of my favorite students ever when their parents signed them up for an online school that was really just filling out online workbooks. Paying me was overkill. Their 19 year old nanny could handle it. I tried one other time having a student in school working on someone else’s curriculum. What a mess. The DTL couldn’t figure out why they had to work so much. The outside student wanted to join us doing meaningful assignments and discussions.
Usually an adult enrolls their student in an online school (or 1:1 program that only meets 45 minutes each week). Too busy to supervise or support the student themself, they ask me to supervise the work. Nope. Can’t.Won’t. Don’t. Here’s why. First, I am not a babysitter. Second, many parents seem to think that a significantly reduced tuition is in order since they already paid this other program an exorbitant tuition. What they don’t get is the time and effort I have to put in to break down that other tuition and reteach their students takes twice the time and energy. Third (and related) the curriculum those schools provide suck so I end up reworking the material in order to find some meaning or connection in the assignments. Meaningless busy work would be putting it nicely. The vacant and tedious assignments suck out my soul. No wonder most kids hate school.
Learning is no longer the primary goal of education.
Technology and convenience often work against us. Over the course of the 20th century America's relationship with food and nutrition changed. We gradually began to prefer something quick and easy. Education was no different. Schools and overburdened teachers began providing quick and easy assignments and as a result students have become less connected to meaningful learning experiences.
The United States is not a healthy country. We often top the charts in terms of obesity, heart disease, etc. In order to get healthy and improve our quality of living, people have two choices - we can do hard work or we can take the easier path of pills, going through the motions, or surgery. The United States also does not do well in quality of education rankings. Again three choices exist - 1) do hard work and change our education system, 2) go through the motions of school, and rely on technology to teach students, or 3) find different types of school experiences for students. This is where microschools come to the rescue.
Garbage in, garbage out
But wait, not everyone can afford more nutritious school options. True. Quality education costs more money just like vegetables cost more than a double double. However, you don’t have to shop at a swanky grocery store to make healthy choices and you don’t have to break the bank to provide youth with better school experiences. In more and more communities options exist for students to attend microschool. And while they might cost slightly more and maybe be a little less convenient, wouldn’t it be worth it when your kid likes going to school and feels good about themself as a result of that experience.
At Do.Think.Learn we do not provide fast food education. We are also not the cheapest. However, like many of our colleagues and thanks to our grant from the VELA Fund, we offer financial aid to local students looking for something more from their school experience.
Just as there are a variety of food options available in many communities, there are also a variety of educational options available. In both cases those options vary in nutritional content. But ask yourself, if you wouldn’t feed your child unhealthy fast food, why are you ok serving them fast food education?
My body isn’t my only temple
If our body is a temple, we don’t want to power it on junk food. So then why would we power our brain on junk learning?
We can provide all students with a school experience rich in academic nutrition. To do this we have to embrace a difficult transition away from routine learning and embrace a more heuristic approach to school (Pink, 2009). If we do this we can accomplish three things. First, we make school more engaging. Second, we provide a richer, deeper, and more effective learning experience. Third, we do a better job or preparing students for the future. Let’s work together to end fast food education.