1. My goals were not grade-focused nor were they born out of a desire to please my parents and/or teachers. Simply stated, I wanted to create a product that I was proud to say that “Willy Kjellstrom made this.” Something that was beautiful and representative of my best efforts. How often is this the case when students write papers, produce presentations, or take tests? It’s hard to say a really motivating, intrinsic goal is an “A” or the approval of an authority figure.  Rip away the grades or the approval of a loved one and I would bet that most students would perform below their current attainment levels in school situations.
2. Choice played a role in this learning experience. I chose to take a course on woodturning and, with this decision, unconsciously accepted the frustration involved in the process of gaining any new knowledge. Working with wood was something that I have always wanted to do. How often do students have complete autonomy in determining what they learn from soup-to-nuts? Real choice. Sure, teachers might allow some degree of decision-making in terms of focusing on, let’s say, music or tools when studying what life was like during Colonial America. However, assessment and curricular objectives pre-determine that learning must center around Colonial America, and students have little say in this. It’s not the teacher’s fault but it is still stifling.
3. Feelings of frustration were a part of the game from the outset. I had no preconceived notions that what I would be learning would be easy or come naturally. I knew that I would struggle mightily and that was alright. I also quickly realized that I would need to persevere and spend extra time in order to achieve my goals. Whenever I have engaged in schoolish activities, I automatically believed that I would succeed.  When it arose, frustration would send me into a tizzy and begin to call into question my abilities and intelligence. I imagine this is the same for many students; prior success or failure predisposes individuals to react in a certain way when difficulties occur.
4. Authenticity was neither faked nor contrived. All of what I learned built towards making a beautiful, finished product. I wasn’t spending time bolstering my understanding of discrete skills so that I could produce a theoretical object. I was doing something real with tangible, measurable touchstones that were clearly evident. Even the best learning scenarios in schools fall short in this realm of learning; the most progressive teachers have to drum up experiences that mimic the real world (PBL). It’s not their fault but a function of the educational system.

These realizations/insights don’t mean that I have any lasting, permanent answers for bettering schools or education. Perhaps working towards each of the points is a good first step. Maybe encouraging more vocational courses is another. I really don’t know. All I can say is this: The John Campbell Folk School is more like a real school than all of the fancy institutions that I have attended.

Related But Unrelated

The teachers and their students have a school-wide show-and-tell at the end of the week at John Campbell. As best as I can tell, the purpose of this event is to enable students to show-off what have they created as well as encourage people to return to take a different class.

There were many fascinating offerings during this event.  One definitely caught my eye: Woodcarving. When I first sauntered up to the carvers’ display area, I was immediately drawn to the whimsical caricatures of men holding rolling boards and knives. As I circled around to see the sculptures from the side, I noticed a profile attribute that made me chuckle in the most inappropriate way. What do you notice?