The other day, a good friend started a discussion about how this particular school is "mediocre".
And that got me thinking about excellence in schools - whether in the academic context or in sports.
There is a lot of debate about how the current schooling system started - and whether it's goals are relevant in today's context.
Have read articles about how the Industrial Revolution created the need for schools - to take care of the kids while the adults worked in the factory.
Also to ensure that kids stay out of trouble and dont create trouble for others. And yes, also to teach the kids about the alphabet, how the world works etc.
With increasing competition and dependence on academic credentials for jobs and opportunities to move beyond your current socio-economic context, the after-school "tuition" model came in.
The school environment - with 35-45 kids in a class - is designed to ensure that all kids get a good foundation on a wide range of subjects. In today's context, excellence - in say, Maths - currently defined by getting selected for the Maths Olympiad or getting into IIT requires significant after-school efforts by the student. (Not my definition of excellence. Just what I have understood of how parents and schools define excellence) Very rarely have we seen academic excellence come about only due to in-school efforts.
Similarly, in sports. All school teams and performance sports endeavors are done after-school and on weekends. It is just not possible to provide the kind of time and individual attention required for sporting excellence during a class with 35-45 kids in 35-40 minutes, 3 times a week!
If you want "excellence", schools can only provide you the foundation, the flexibility in time table, examinations etc. You have to do the rest yourself.
And therefore, I wonder if we should be using "foundation" instead of "mediocre". Because that's what schools are designed to do. Ensure kids have a good academic and sporting foundation.
And that got me thinking about excellence in schools - whether in the academic context or in sports.
There is a lot of debate about how the current schooling system started - and whether it's goals are relevant in today's context.
Have read articles about how the Industrial Revolution created the need for schools - to take care of the kids while the adults worked in the factory.
Also to ensure that kids stay out of trouble and dont create trouble for others. And yes, also to teach the kids about the alphabet, how the world works etc.
With increasing competition and dependence on academic credentials for jobs and opportunities to move beyond your current socio-economic context, the after-school "tuition" model came in.
The school environment - with 35-45 kids in a class - is designed to ensure that all kids get a good foundation on a wide range of subjects. In today's context, excellence - in say, Maths - currently defined by getting selected for the Maths Olympiad or getting into IIT requires significant after-school efforts by the student. (Not my definition of excellence. Just what I have understood of how parents and schools define excellence) Very rarely have we seen academic excellence come about only due to in-school efforts.
Similarly, in sports. All school teams and performance sports endeavors are done after-school and on weekends. It is just not possible to provide the kind of time and individual attention required for sporting excellence during a class with 35-45 kids in 35-40 minutes, 3 times a week!
If you want "excellence", schools can only provide you the foundation, the flexibility in time table, examinations etc. You have to do the rest yourself.
And therefore, I wonder if we should be using "foundation" instead of "mediocre". Because that's what schools are designed to do. Ensure kids have a good academic and sporting foundation.
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