Childhood is full of myths. One that still mystifies me as an adult is a daunting place called the “real world.” We often see it referred to in quotation marks, which gives it an undefined, abstract quality. No one seems to know with any certainty what we might find in this “real world,” although I haven’t heard too many great things about it. It seems to be a place fueled by competition and dominated by a monetary and status reward system. And while it isn’t hard to get into, it’s apparently difficult to survive there.
But what is this place, really? Is it a planet in some distant galaxy we shuttle our kids off to after college? Is it an experiment or endurance test that one must pass in order to return to the fake world we currently live in? Or perhaps an alternate universe where everyone is left to fend for themselves with no sense of community. And once we enter this “real world”, intentionally or by accident, what if we don’t like it there or don’t agree with the rules? What if we are ill-prepared to face it? Will we disappear, disintegrate? Or, dare I say, fail?
If Common Core testing is meant to single out and usher the best and brightest through the system and into the “real world”, what happens to the others who get weeded out, the ones who don’t do well in the school environment, are different, don’t conform to what society deems normal, or simply see life in a unique way? Will they be judged and left behind? Weren’t we promised not so long ago that no child would ever be left behind? Doesn’t a race imply a winner out in front?
It seems to me that the “real world” is a self-fulfilling prophecy perpetuated in part by a one-size-fits-all, box-em-up and ship-em-out approach to education. For decades now, we have been planting the “real world” with seeds of consumerism, competition, disillusionment, anxiety, fear and greed– all in the guise of success.
And yet weeds are mighty. Especially the beautiful but scraggly ones that no one thinks will survive. They often put forth bright and intriguing flowers. I like to think of unschooling as the fertilizer for those weeds. Self directed learning is growing and spreading as an alternative to the myth of the “real world” by allowing children to live and learn with freedom and integrity in the only world we have. The “real world” doesn’t exist outside anyone’s doorstep. It doesn’t exist across a vast ocean beyond our control. There is only one world, and we all live in it together. We don’t need to protect our children from or prepare them for it. They are already part of it. They are its future. We need to guide them through it, in all its boundless beauty and deep darkness, with compassion and conviction.
Knowing how to plant and nourish a garden has been and always will be more valuable than passing a standardized test or conforming to someone else’s definition of success. Let them get their hands in the dirt and they’ll figure the world out. Weeds and all.
Thanks so much Idzie! I really appreciate you sharing it. Love your blog too!
I LOVE this post – so true!!
Thanks Lucy! The threat of the real world always loomed heavily over my head growing up which is probably why I went in the opposite direction with my kids! Looking forward to visiting your blog. Have a nice day!