Developing a School for Human Fulfillment
To many, it might seem a bit extreme to assume that you could ever even design a school for “human fulfillment.” After all, the definition of the phrase is usually thought to consist of teaching people how to make everything happen in their lives from A to Z. Schools of a conventional, current model often consist of letting students fight for their right to stay in the educational institution, whatever it may be, and if they fail they fail. It keeps the incompetent out of the job market.
And there’s the foundation of where you find the root of your problems in American or even global education. Education consists of left brain functions, for the most part, in which analytical, mathematical skills are highly valued over those of artistic, creative, abstract abilities. The mechanics are more likely to win over the physicists, the technical writers over the novelists. At a very simplistic level, it creates graduates that are geared only toward specific areas and simultaneously weeds out not just the “incompetent” but the exceptionally, creatively brilliant minds as well as those that are simply incompatible with the current system.
Myself, I have always been a huge fan of thinkers like Paul R. Scheele (creator of the PhotoReading Whole Mind System), or Win Wenger who created a method known as Image Streaming which can be used for both problem solving and general creativity. There are literally hundreds or thousands of other educated minds that all would agree there is something wrong with modern education.
So what are some of the ways in which we could go about fixing the entire system? Or, at the very least, since we are powerless to actually completely alter the foundations of education as we know it, develop a school that is better suited to the needs of the creative, the enterprising, the ambitious, the artistic, and the theoretically intellectual? How could we create a school that would do away with the bell curve style model that weeds out some of the most exceptionally brilliant?
Questions like these sound like the system itself sounds when it is first described: simple, yet in all reality entirely daunting. New tests that do not currently exist need to be developed which decipher from the “incompetent” and the “brilliant.” But more importantly: if the incompetent are incompetent then surely there must be some reason why they are the way they are. And on top of it all: surely there must be a way in which their incompetency could be transformed to some level of competency or even autonomy.
Does this mean that all students should be admitted to this school, regardless of their level of commitment? My answer, to be short, is no. I hate to bring up the science fiction world of Star Wars, because I often receive endless flak from my peers for being such a robust nerd, but the concept of the Jedi Knights comes to mind. In the fictional world of Star Wars, the Jedi Knights are a special order of protectors to a galactic Republic. The Jedi are trained with special knowledge of “The Force” which essentially is an energy force that binds all things in the Star Wars galaxy. They are also trained in the form of an apprenticeship with one Master and one Padawan apprentice.
I’m going to go ahead and assume that most readers have at least heard about Star Wars enough to know a bit more of the story, but the idea is the same. Not only do I love the idea of apprenticeship and think it is a great way to create highly specialized citizens who are incredibly valuable to any society, I also think the notion that people can achieve a unique mental state which allows them to help both themselves and others deal with the world in an exceptional way is entirely possible (and you don’t need The Force or any other secret energy binding type thing to do it).
In fact, the whole definition of The Force in Star Wars is an ironic one. It is supposed to be the thing that binds the galaxy together… but all of us are already connected to the entire universe in one way or another as it is. The size and capabilities of the human brain have enabled us to do amazing things. We do not even need computers to do some of the wickedly awesome things we are capable of on our own even though we are so capable of designing computers to do specific things for us. And that is where this school’s development gets its true genius: from the human brain.
A final aspect of the Jedi that I will compare to this school and its admission process would be the issue of age. Jedi in Star Wars are supposed to be born into the Jedi order or otherwise delivered to the Jedi order very quickly after birth to begin their training. Many people today should actually be required to follow this same style of indoctrination. While you can be indoctrinated into maladaptive, negative beliefs I think it is also entirely possible for you to be indoctrinated into positive, uplifting beliefs which allow you to function better in the world.
The school essentially has to function, first and foremost, on sculpting a different model of the world for its students than the students likely have on their own without the school’s influence. While in Westernized society we typically like to think of the period of our lives in which we work and then that work is done with by means of retirement, one of the things this school would teach is the more Eastern idea that retirement simply does not exist. Indeed, much of the research shows that those who do not retire or retire later will have longer lifespans. Another major theme of this school’s change in student thinking will be a sense of purpose.
In my own experience, my older brother was left without a sense of purpose for much of his adult life and the consequences have been highly debilitating. While some would deny the idea, one’s outlook on the world and on life is going to completely determine what sorts of decisions are made for what situations. A higher quality social network also means a higher quality of life. If students could attend a school where each attendee, each teacher, and each member of the faculty were all devoted to a particular outlook on life in which human beings are meant to not just be full of possibilities but actually forming goals and making very real things happen in each one of their own personal lives – the cumulative community effect could be tremendously beneficial.
Friends of mine have often objected to this entire idea claiming that it is going to start some sort of an amateur cult following. I do not believe that it would if enough research, evidence, and scientific principle were there to back up its systems and actual learning content. People have also made remarks to me about the kind of responsibility such an institution would have on its students to which I have responded, “you mean like any institution or university has with its own students as well?” Even major universities have a responsibility for their students and yes, things are far from perfect as it stands.
But a solution such as this one would no doubt be better than what we are currently stuck with. The limitations in this school concept are also seemingly non-existent. Under the general structure and theme of this entire idea you could basically go any direction you desired. Students could explore any area they wished and if we could design the content in a modular sort of fashion any sort of learning could be set up to be explored.
A short list of things modern schools don’t do that a school devoted to human fulfillment SHOULD do…
- Instead of nothing but lectures, notes, and black/white tests students could take alternative routes to obtaining class credits or certifications. For a particular degree type students could choose to become highly specialized in one particular field of study and choose to go straight into researching and contributing something valuable to the field instead of having to go through the excess paperwork. Think PhD without the fluff.
- Physical exercise could be based on lifestyle type, not what research necessarily says about any one particular item in physical fitness. Example: endurance running might be ideal for some but for others the time available in their lives might demand high intensity, short burst workouts instead.
- Nutrition and health would be a huge focus of the school’s goals, based purely on empirical evidence. Nutritional supplements and vitamins and what they do could be part of foundational and basic coursework while mental health literacy could be a major ongoing theme.
- Learning how to learn would be one of the first major things students would go through which would teach various study strategies outside of the norm such as the use of color, visual learning methods, and different ways of processing information.
- The content in the classrooms themselves would be dynamic and more engaging than ever before. Presentations are meant to PRESENT!
- A huge key to any students success would lie in how they chose to employ their own mental technologies to aid in their thinking for decision making and going about their lives. Mental technologies such as introspection techniques of their cognitive-behavioral tendencies, for example, or neuro-linguistic programming to aid in their own self and social communication habits.
- Improved placement of students based on their learning style, thinking style, and strengths of intelligence. If someone’s natural proficiency lies in visual media then why tell them they should be an accounting major?
But of course, the list could go on and on for several, several pages. These are just a small number of ideas that also touch on extremely broad, detailed topic areas. Intelligence testing and placement has always been a controversial, touchy subject. Intelligence itself is constantly being redefined and reassessed in terms of both how it is measured and what intelligence itself is measuring. While I am a huge fan of Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, there are various different schools of thought relating to intelligence.
Over the course of 2010 I will be working on putting together a rough draft of the foundational curriculum for this entire idea and will of course share some of the ideas behind this curriculum here.
Date: January 11, 2010
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