Downstairs: Pause & Reflect

We started with a thought exercise: if we were to define "Randolph" as an adjective what would it describe? What would it mean to describe a school as "Randolph-ian?"

As we looked back at the school over the years as well as in our current capacity, the words that stood out to us were "links" and "nature-based." We also discussed the meaning of "child-centered" learning, coming to a shared understanding that it went beyond observing children's needs, wants, and developmental levels in order to co-construct curriculum. For us, this type of learning involves a rejection of the educational model of teacher as instructor and student as vessel, to be filled with knowledge. Child-centered education views the child (of any age) as a competent and motivated protagonist in their own learning. We, as educators, are not preparing children for a time in the future, but rather meeting them where they are now, as current citizens of our local and global communities. We value children for what they are now, not only what they will become. 

What does child-centered learning look like in practice? It means that we don't claim that every child will learn to do "x" skill by "y" time, because we respect the individual learning journey of each child. Math, reading and writing, and all the traditional academics come in time and the path to competency looks different for every child. Rather than a focus on what to learn (discrete facts, memorization), we focus on how to learn. While not knowing the kinds of jobs and lives our students will lead as adults in an unknown future, we work on the skills that will enable them to move through any challenge or problem they face: problem solving, perseverance, grit, collaboration, teamwork, critical and analytical thinking, clear communication, curiosity, a love of learning, etc. You may have seen these skills or similar ones listed as "21st century skills" or "what every student needs to succeed."

Starting in the early 1980s, various organizations including government, schools, non-profits, and corporations, began to research what skills would be needed for future generations to adapt to a changing world; the answers they came to, including the skills above, expanded schools' field of vision from simply having students accumulate content or knowledge in order to develop a new way of thinking about learning. Unfortunately, systems are slow to change and many schools are bogged down with mandates and testing that make it difficult, if not impossible, to be at the forefront of this research. Here at Randolph, we have historically forged our own path and we strive to be leaders in the field of education. Having opportunities for the faculty to gather and recommit ourselves to our mission, reminding ourselves why we continue to live and learn "the Randolph way."