Parent Led and Student Centered Education

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

I went to school in rural Denmark during the 60s and 70s. For me, it was a mostly good experience and I think most others felt the same way. If there was talk about serious trouble, I missed it.

I have since had the opportunity to visit my own kids' US schools as we entered the new millennium and I could not help noticing the difference and it has only gotten worse. Sometimes I wonder how so many students actually make it. It turns out that they make it, but only barely. 

According to a recent (Sept. 26, 2023) EducationWeek.com article based on a Gallup survey of 3,000 12-26 year olds, one in three describe their mental state as “poor” or “only fair.” Another survey shows that the number of students who rate their mental state as “excellent” has dropped dramatically from 55% in 2004 to only 20% in 2023. That means that a full four in five students are not thriving. They are just getting by or worse. That is alarming.

The good news is that mental health is much more prominent in daily discourse today than it was in 1960s Denmark. Conditions that passed under the radar back then are now diagnosed as such and can be treated. The trouble is that the treatment only addresses the symptoms, not the root causes and they are many. Everybody knows what they are, but turn a blind eye. 

The solution, to me, is obvious: Equip parents by giving them the resources they need to be parents and educate their children themselves to the extent they are able. For vocational and higher academic education, abandon the mega schools and encourage small cooperative schools run by parents and students together. 

Seven out of ten students say they wonder if they will be able to earn enough money to live comfortably. In the Kingdom of God that should not be a concern for anyone. If we were to work together instead of against each other, that should be entirely possible. Freed from the pressure of financial concerns, more of them will make it through to advanced learning for the benefit of everyone and reduce the need for mental health treatment at the same time. Investing in the well being and education of our most precious resource is a no-brainer. The future, not only theirs and ours, but the future of the planet, depends on it.