The 844 System. A Case For “Unschooling”?
Last night, I got into a very spirited argument discussion with a close friend on education systems. He was of the opinion that education systems are part of a larger societal dynamic, and one person cannot change systems within which society operates; for that reason he didn’t see the need to take children through a different system, which would turn them into societal rejects (paraphrased). I was of a different opinion: If something doesn’t work, tweak it to make it work for you.
I have very strong negative feelings for the 844 system, most of which are because of my experience going through the system, and I’d not enroll my children in this system, unless there was really no alternative. While I appreciate that the parent has the primary responsibility for shaping a child’s perceptions and character, it’s difficult to ignore the role an education system plays in child development. The typical 7 year old will spend 8 hours in school, 2 hours doing homework, and maybe another 2 or 3 hours with her/his parent, it’s rather obvious who has a greater influence on this child (7 year olds have a short memory). The following are flaws in 844 (and many other education systems), that I think are worth considering and discussing:
1. Using age as an equalizer: Our system classifies children according to their ages. We all join standard 1 at 6 years, and graduate high school at 17 years. One thing it fails to recognize is that as much as children could be age mates, their intellectual ability could be very different. Age works well if all children are of average intellectual gifting, and it works against the above average and below average children.
For example,I was an above average child intellectually. My parents (both teachers) recognized this very early, and they took me to a local primary school, where we hardly did any learning, and would supplement my learning after school. Actually, all learning took place at home, school was for play and fun. It was challenging, and I was learning a lot. By 10 years, I would teach high school students (my dad’s students) herbivore digestive systems, parts of the eye etc, and I had a mini-lab at home, all because they realized I had an interest for biology, and schoolwork wasn’t challenging enough. At some point, I had to go to boarding school, and there I realized I could get away by studying less than most students. Class was very boring, in high school I was known to “go to the bathroom” 10 minutes into a lesson and not come back. My teachers punished this routinely, and since there was no guidance on where to channel the extra energy, I ended up just being a naughty but bright student. I feel this was wasted potential, and it happens all the time in our schools.
2. Teaching Style: The The 844 system teaches our children how to pass exams, and regurgitate material very well, but little about how to learn all through life. That sort of explains our obsession with school education even at higher levels, and the obsession with examinations. Even at tertiary level, we still have to sit in a class room and take notes, while one would expect that by this age we actually can do self study better. I was talking to a friend who teaches Standard 6 at a Nairobi school, and she shared that her students cover the curriculum in one school term, then sit an examination every week for the remaining 2 terms. Because they have to familiarize with as many exam questions as possible before the final exam, and they perform extremely well. How is this learning?
3. Grading Style: Though I lost track on my early start in biology, I still wanted to be a doctor, and I performed extremely well in my sciences, I had straight As in Chemistry, Biology and Physics. How did I end up as a financial analyst yet I had no interest whatsoever in business subjects in high school? That’s the tragedy of how we grade and determine what courses children pursue, and career allocation. I can’t even explain how the university admissions process works, and how this should translate in students actually pursuing careers they’re passionate about.
4. Academics Vs Creatives: In Kenya today, you’re classified as either an academic, a sports person or a creative, again a failing in the structure of the system. The demands of the education system don’t leave much room to pursue other interests, and for that reason children choose at a very early age whether to seriously pursue academics, or their other gifts and talents. While extremely intelligent children could actually juggle and succeed, it’s not realistic. For example, most people hit their prime in sports at between 16 and 25 years. Under the 844 system, this is right before they sit their high school finals, the most intense educational period. I don’t see how Michael Phelps, the Olympic gold medalist swimmer could have managed 5 hours training in the pool, plus KCSE revision if he was in Kenya. He’d have been forced to choose, sport over education. Most of us had to make that choice, and that’s why today we haven’t significantly developed our other talents. On the other hand, if a child is artsy and not gifted academically, the system should be flexible enough to allow them to study at a comfortable pace, while pursuing his other interests. Why can’t my child graduate college at 30, if it means they’ll have become an accomplished violinist? Again, back to the age classification thing.
I could go on and analyse the effect of starting formal education too early on a child’s brain development, and the effect of a highly competitive education system on a child’s socialization, but I’ll let the scientists handle that. I was unable to objectively argue discuss this issue with my friend which is shameful for me, but I intend to revisit it.
Would you take your child through 844? If so, what are the merits? If not, what don’t you like about it?
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