Compliance: From a Canary Kids perspective, it’s not easy to simply comply when you feel generally overwhelmed by the school experience. However, schools continue to expect students to demonstrate compliance. Though, it’s getting more difficult for kids to do so when anxiety, worry, or stress appear to be out of control within their lives. Instead, many of our most sensitive children move through life going from one “flight”, “fight” or “freeze” response to another. Also, we don’t live within a social structure which is based upon a compliance model. “Because I told you so” doesn’t work anymore; this type of parenting and teaching fell by the wayside years ago. As a result, we are able to support the best in others through motivation, inspiration, and purpose; it works in business and it serves our students well in school. However, our curriculum offers very little in light of interest, meaning, or connection. As a result, many kids, especially those who have been identified as disconnected to the learning process, through the disabilities lens, often experience school as a difficult place to be. So instead of aligning instruction to the children’s instructional needs, their learning styles, and interests, often, General Education and Special Education appears to be all about asking our students to spend more time doing the same thing [most often, reading and writing] … and it tends to present the same results; more frustration, more stress, and more disconnect.
“Where did we ever get the crazy idea that in order to make children do better, first we have to make them feel worse? Think of the last time you felt humiliated or treated unfairly. Did you feel like cooperating or doing better?” Jane Nelson, Behavior Specialist
Common Core: Again, our Canary Kids are often guided by hyper-focus and an uncommon sense of connection to interest-based activities. We all have been amazed by the extraordinary abilities and aptitudes of these kids. However, current educational philosophy, guiding today’s schools is founded upon the Common Core which tends to create a polarizing learning environment. We are expecting our students to spend more time on literacy-based activities highlighting writing and reading throughout the instructional day and diminish the meaning-centered activities, which may be more project-based and more interesting. As a result, this often creates a major disconnect for many of our students. For example, our math classes are expecting our kids to communicate understanding through math-journals, essays, and written responses. Also, many elementary science classes have shifted from hands-on lab course work to exclusively reading-based activities featuring science themes. Also, our PE courses often require Activity Journals as a part of the assessment program, where something that was once a wonderful physical release is now adding stress for some of our students; especially those who struggle with writing. As a result, we are expecting our kids to spend hours each day reading and writing; which can be a good thing. However, for students who struggle with literacy-based activities, due to dyslexia, dysgraphia, or reading & writing disabilities, this can add more to the pressure one feels each day at school. Most notably, many of our ADHD identified students as well as kids on the Autism Spectrum experience a need for a meaning-centered instructional program; whereas, if there is a disconnect to learning, this may often lead to frustration, anxiety, and behavior-related symptoms.
Years ago, schools reflected a more “child-centered” approach and presented a wide range of activities and programs creating a connection. Today, it’s all about “preparing our students for college and career” and this is guided by an array of assessments and high stakes tests. In the meantime, many of our most creative students, those who are guided by curiosity and inquiry, are not inspired by the activities presented in today’s classrooms for the text books are not tapping into their natural instincts and inner guidance related to learning. This is especially true for students who present a differentiated-learning profile highlighting more hands-on, visual-spatial, and project-based approaches to learning beyond the classic “read to learn and write to confirm” format.
Within the world-reknown best seller, The New Earth, Eckhart Tolle writes about inner purpose and a deeper connection within by establishing meaning in one’s life. He shares with the reader the “Three modalities” leading us toward creative power: Acceptance, Enjoyment, and Enthusiasm. As I watch the educational system unfold, and continue on it’s evolutionary path, one of the commonalities I observe within the students themselves is the need for the Canary-like kids to experience learning through a similar set of intentions as described by Eckart Tolle. Specifically, to truly engage these students, our educational system needs to present learning which is enjoyable at the core. Also, when our kids discover an internal sense of passion toward their studies and learning, we begin to see unparalleled enthusiasm projected. And finally, when learning and it’s related activities presents a life-skill point of reference, guided by meaning or projects a skill which serves a purpose, our students tend to move toward acceptance of the most fundamental instruction. Teaching does not have to look like a circus, with a continuous dog and pony show, to create connection. However, we would best serve our kids, especially, the Canaries, within our classrooms, through the three modalities highlighted within The New Earth: acceptance, enjoyment, and enthusiasm. In contrast, investing in compliance and the Common Core as our educational frameworks, will lead toward more frustration, undue stress, and failed attempts toward educational reform.
Change is one of the few guarantees life presents. Nevertheless, the prevailing educational format is doing its very best to hold on to an outdated model and project 20th century thinking within an old-school paradigm*. As I see it, the educational system is one of the social institutions struggling with evolutionary change taking place within our society. Most notably, I see the Canary in the Coal Mine Kids as the means guiding us forward with a new way of teaching and ideally, a revitalized way in which we live our lives. Ask any parent who walks the special needs path with ADD/ADHD or Autism, or any other disability as a reference point, every one will say that their lives have significantly changed as a result of their children. And the most successful of these parents will also highlight that these changes have been for the betterment of themselves and their families. We can learn from our children for the Canary in the Coal Mine kids are teaching us everyday: With all their oddities and sensitivities, they are breaking new ground and establishing new frontiers.
* Embracing the Gift Within: Transforming Our Kids, Schools, and Oneself; One Child at a Time! will be released in 2017 as a new book addressing the shift taking place. More information will be coming after the new year.