When you move, you get a remarkable opportunity to see ALL of your 'stuff'. It's a great time to purge and re-organize, to make decisions (some easy, some difficult) about what is really important. Since we have essentially moved Sego Lily School THREE times in the last year (out of the old building into PODS, out of the PODS into the temporary buildings, then out of those buildings into the actual building), we have done a whole lot of purging. Our yard sale, in July, was a smashing success, and we were able to donate what was left over to another non-profit having a yard sale the following weekend. Basically, we are lighter, cleaner, and the 'stuff' we have left is needed, in good condition, and useful.
Maybe I just got into a purging streak, but I decided recently to clean out a ton of computer files as well. Our office computer has been dragging lately, and it felt like deleting files would be a good idea. One of the things I did was to make sure we had a printed copy of all of our old newsletters, and delete the electronic files. 396 files, to be precise, some of which were copies of the articles that went into the articles, six years of monthly newsletters, PDF copies of said newsletters etc. The printed ones are all available to be read on campus at any time, and the computer seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as I emptied the recycle bin.
While it was a ton of fun to see pictures of the Sego kids looking so young and adorable, the thing that struck me the most was how much writing - and generally really GOOD writing - the staff has done over the years. We have addressed issues such as how the Judicial Committee works, the difficulties of transitioning to Sego Lily School, and the lessons learned in a working democracy. We have tackled politics (especially the politics that surrounded the school vouchers issue in Utah), current events, and world social issues. We have also written interesting, witty pieces on the happenings around school.
Flashback Photos: Santa, Fireknight, and Ebag in 2008.
In an effort to honor the work that was done, I plan to re-blog an article a week until I run out of articles. Not the ones that describe how great our Spaghetti Dinner was, but the ones that really get to the heart of who we are, what we do, and why we do it. I hope you will all enjoy this little walk down memory lane, and we would love to hear your comments on these articles! I'm starting with an oldie, from 2004. The four year old who is mentioned is now 15, and while he has pursued many activities at Sego Lily School, I don't think he has yet learned how to taste the clouds.
Interviews
By Jen Schwartz, PhD,
founder, Sego Lily School
Ever
since we decided to start Sego Lily School, and in fact even before we knew
that it would be called Sego Lily School, I have been interviewing children
about the concept. I ask them all the
same basic question: “If you went to a school in which you could decided what
to do all day, what would you choose to do?”
Now
first of all, adults tend to have some pretty definite opinions about how
children will answer this question. They
particularly have opinions about how their own children will answer. Adults seem to think that children will do
“nothing”, or that they will “waste all of their time.” After a lifetime of an education that was
directed for them, they can’t see any possibility of children actually wanting to learn anything. Much more could be said on this point, but I
will save that for a separate article.
Children,
of course, have very different responses.
And while the response of every child has been unique, there are some
common threads. The lines of age seem to divide the responses into general
categories and determine the level of freedom the children are willing to
embrace.
The
oldest children, around high school age, give a very limited and yet
opinionated answer to my question. After
many years of traditional education, there is a box in which their answers must
fall. One teenage girl, for example,
said, “I would stop taking so many math classes, and focus instead on my
writing classes.” Another teenage boy
responded, “I would take shop classes for most of the day, and make all of my
other classes shorter with no homework.”
The paradigm of school, classes, and traditional educational structure
limits what they see as freedom of choice. Many teens have specific likes and
dislikes that they are very willing to express, and yet it is difficult for
them to understand that there may be an entirely different way in which to
obtain an education. Schools like Sego
Lily School can be especially beneficial for older children, however. The time and support to identify and pursue
specific interests allows for these children to begin to listen to and follow
their dreams.
The
middle group of children, which I identify as from about third grade through
junior high school age, also tend to have definite opinions about what they
like and don’t like about school, and their answers reflect this. One 11 year old told me he would spend his
time “reading, working on geometry, swimming, and probably playing games like
baseball and football.” There is a
reflection in this answer of the subjects the child enjoys in school, as well
as the activities he wishes to pursue.
Another student of about the same age asked me if he could learn to fly
airplanes. When I told him yes, he asked
me if it was legal. We discussed this at
some length, looking at what parts of flying an airplane he could learn while
in school (studying flight manuals, learning the necessary math and science),
and what parts would have to be done outside of the regular school structure
(taking flying lessons). His response to
me was brilliant – “For that, I would take math classes all day long!” I found this to be a wonderful expression of
how learning with a purpose motivates people.
His mother had a stunned look on her face. “I thought you hated math?”
she asked. “I do,” he said, “but I never
had any real reason to learn it before.”
“Little
kids” have the best responses to my interview question. With no constrictions of what school is
“supposed” to be like, or even restrictions about what is physically possible
in the universe, they have amazing and creative answers when I ask them what
they would choose to do. Some of the
younger children have said they would play house and paint pictures all day,
others have wanted to participate in games and learn to use the computer. Still others have really let their
imaginations run wild. A five year old
girl responded that she wanted to spend her days, “Drawing pictures, voting on
good rules so that everyone is happy, and going on field trips, like to the
mountains.” My own son, four years old
at the time, told me that he wanted to “Do some homework, learn to read, and
figure out how to taste the clouds.” Sure,
I’m biased, but don’t you think that’s the most creative thing you’ve ever
heard a child say?
Even
though there is a distinct difference in the age groups and how far outside the
paradigm of traditional education they felt free to look, there is one common
thread in every response I have heard.
Not a single child, from age four through eighteen, wanted to do
“nothing.” Human beings are innately
curious creatures. None of us can stand
to be bored for very long – we will search out things that interest us, that
stimulate us, and that connect us to others.
That is one of the beauties of Sego Lily School. We provide a space in which people can be
fully self expressed while following their hearts. THAT is why we decided to start Sego Lily
School for our own children, and it is why we say that our school and others
like it will transform the way children in our culture will relate to the world
and to each other.
