I am late! But am currently halfway through this excellent discussion and wanted to share a bit of my experience within vastly different learning cohorts in relation to the discussion; this episode really made me reflect on my schooling.
I went to a super rural k-12 HS, graduated with 12 kids, went from K to 12 with about 6 people. Everyone was poor (except for like, 1 or 2 kids). I was super motivated to learn bc I am both curious and love learning & I knew a full ride was my only chance to go to college (and get out of my small town). I had some excellent teachers in a super intimate setting.
I got a full-ride to Colorado College-- which operates on the block plan. Only 2 colleges do (CC & Cornell College). Students take 1 class for 3.5 weeks, get four days off, then come back and start a whole new class. 8 blocks per year. Workload is extremely intense, blocks were hugely immersive. You got REALLY tight with your classmates and had intimate (capped at 18-20 max) student/ prof experiences. For me, it was amazing.
I was scared to attend CC at first, bc I came from such a small high school without all of the bells and whistles and privileges of private boarding schools that a majority of the incoming student body attended. I thought I would be “behind” or less-than somehow.
Your first class at CC is a double-block made to familiarize students with the heavy workload and style of CC learning. I had an epic first block-- Freedom & Authority-- taught by a brilliant and demanding professor. I worked my ass off but didn’t find the work itself terribly difficult, more stimulating and exciting. However, the rest of the class, save for one other student, could hardly function. When it came time to present our 25-page research papers, one student flat out refused, while the rest (save for myself and the other student) truly gave the most heinous, incomplete, and incompetent “presentations” that made no sense, had no rhyme or reason... I was astounded by the lack of formal skills in all of these wealthy, “well-schooled” peers. Truly, I was blown away.
I would continue to be surprised in this way, in every class I took in undergrad. I had some excellent peers, but I would say 80% of the kids I went to college with were there because of the financial gifts their families could bestow upon CC.
It was weird and disarming, but an interesting mixture of what y’all discussed on the podcasts. These elite “experimental” or hallowed day schools seemed to woefully under-prepare students for college, even when the college itself was that intimate, amazing, almost 1-1 teaching environment.
It definitely made me understand the system was broken and failing when maybe I couldn’t identify the problem as such.
Thanks for sharing. I rushed through college and even high school, so I think I didn't pay as close attention to the problems while I was in it. The irony of rushing through something I loved to be able to do that thing more is not lost on me.
I think what we're seeing is a big reversion to the way education used to be: the rich get something different, less manufactured on an assembly line, less geared for application.
Classical education was never intended to train people for industrialized society. There's a neoclassical type education emerging at expensive k-12 schools where students are being taught entirely different values. It will be something to watch!
I am late! But am currently halfway through this excellent discussion and wanted to share a bit of my experience within vastly different learning cohorts in relation to the discussion; this episode really made me reflect on my schooling.
I went to a super rural k-12 HS, graduated with 12 kids, went from K to 12 with about 6 people. Everyone was poor (except for like, 1 or 2 kids). I was super motivated to learn bc I am both curious and love learning & I knew a full ride was my only chance to go to college (and get out of my small town). I had some excellent teachers in a super intimate setting.
I got a full-ride to Colorado College-- which operates on the block plan. Only 2 colleges do (CC & Cornell College). Students take 1 class for 3.5 weeks, get four days off, then come back and start a whole new class. 8 blocks per year. Workload is extremely intense, blocks were hugely immersive. You got REALLY tight with your classmates and had intimate (capped at 18-20 max) student/ prof experiences. For me, it was amazing.
I was scared to attend CC at first, bc I came from such a small high school without all of the bells and whistles and privileges of private boarding schools that a majority of the incoming student body attended. I thought I would be “behind” or less-than somehow.
Your first class at CC is a double-block made to familiarize students with the heavy workload and style of CC learning. I had an epic first block-- Freedom & Authority-- taught by a brilliant and demanding professor. I worked my ass off but didn’t find the work itself terribly difficult, more stimulating and exciting. However, the rest of the class, save for one other student, could hardly function. When it came time to present our 25-page research papers, one student flat out refused, while the rest (save for myself and the other student) truly gave the most heinous, incomplete, and incompetent “presentations” that made no sense, had no rhyme or reason... I was astounded by the lack of formal skills in all of these wealthy, “well-schooled” peers. Truly, I was blown away.
I would continue to be surprised in this way, in every class I took in undergrad. I had some excellent peers, but I would say 80% of the kids I went to college with were there because of the financial gifts their families could bestow upon CC.
It was weird and disarming, but an interesting mixture of what y’all discussed on the podcasts. These elite “experimental” or hallowed day schools seemed to woefully under-prepare students for college, even when the college itself was that intimate, amazing, almost 1-1 teaching environment.
It definitely made me understand the system was broken and failing when maybe I couldn’t identify the problem as such.
Thanks for sharing. I rushed through college and even high school, so I think I didn't pay as close attention to the problems while I was in it. The irony of rushing through something I loved to be able to do that thing more is not lost on me.
I think what we're seeing is a big reversion to the way education used to be: the rich get something different, less manufactured on an assembly line, less geared for application.
Classical education was never intended to train people for industrialized society. There's a neoclassical type education emerging at expensive k-12 schools where students are being taught entirely different values. It will be something to watch!