Do the messages schools convey through high standards and strict policies really prepare students for the “Real World”?

A fifteen-year-old boy with a head of thick blonde hair bent over his work in my resource room, his body filled with the tension of this struggle. “Can I help?” I offered softly. “No, I can do it myself!” was his fierce response. Only after months of building our relationship was Bryan able to accept some limited support. Why? Because, he explained, “When I get out into THE REAL WORLD I’ll be on my own.” And there it was – that phrase frequently used to intimidate students of all ages, learning styles and skill levels – the phrase that portrays life after school as a hostile Darwinian world of isolation and competition. I’ve been in this REAL WORLD for 20 years and from what I can see, that phrase is a ruse used by teachers, school officials, and other adults who don’t know how to offer students anything more.

A recent article (Valley Advocate, July 12-18, 2001) exploring the personalities of kids who kill, blames this competitive attitude for the Klebolds and Harrises of our society. Ira Leonard, a professor studying violence, is quoted in this article. He concludes that the individual pursuit of success “has isolated individuals from one another, transforming neighbors into competitors” and has created a sense of “isolation, frustration and alienation.”It is the same attitude that pressures schools to teach academics earlier and to reduce oreliminate playtime. Since the rise of the academic standards movement, hundreds of American elementary schools have eliminated recess. (TIME April 30, 2001). The logic behind this decision is a version of “They’re going to have to go without it eventually, so you might as well get them used to it now.” When I hear declarations such as this at school board and town meetings and in teachers’ rooms, sarcastic retorts spring to my lips with the force of a geyser. I want to shout “Hey, that baby is 2 months old already- why bother with formula? Just pulverize a hamburger and fries; they might as well get used to them now.”The April 30, 2001 issue of TIME magazine entitled “So You Want to Raise a Superkid” explores the transformation of “the institution of childhood” into “little more than apprentice adulthood.” In the article “What Ever Happened to Play?”, scholars assert that “play doesn’t just make kids happy, healthy, and human. It may also make them
smarter.” Conversely, they suggest that “play deprivation can lead to depression, hostility, and the loss of things that make us human beings.” They cite a study of Texas prison inmates in which a common element of their childhood was that they didn’t engage in rough and tumble play.

While the pressure on younger children to achieve is getting intense, at least there is debate regarding acceptable expectations. In high school, applying such pressure is rarely challenged, perhaps because students are close to entering THE REAL WORLD. Here, rigid deadlines, penalties for tardiness to class, and high standards are all touted as vital preparation. But in The Real World how many people actually get fired for being late to work? What happens if you fail to pay your electric bill? What is the consequence of a missed project deadline, of an actual budget that exceeds the estimate, or of taxes filed late? Often there are opportunities to correct errors or difficulties. For instance, if you fail to pay your electric or gas bill you get notices in the mail. Then you call the company or they call you. You explain how you’re a little short this month and they extend you a grace period, set up a payment plan, or sign you up for their home heating financial assistance. In short, you work it out. Even that quintessential big bad wolf of The Real World, the IRS, accepts thousands of extensions allowing up to four extra months to file.
The hypocrisy of our schools is that while using THE REAL WORLD message when convenient, we also have tools, methods, and institutions that contradict it. The classic example is sports where, at its best, team members work together for a common goal using individual strengths and compensating for individual weaknesses. Inside classrooms, cooperative learning methods allow kids to complete tasks through collaboration. They practice different roles and learn to support each other as is done with increasing success in corporate environments. Our best mainstreaming programs also prepare students for a future life where individuals are integrated and differences are appreciated and supported. This is the kind of education where students are not intimidated victims of a fantasy future, but human beings who share strengths, admit their weaknesses, and ask for and offer help. Schools can create a better Real World by nurturing the individuals who will inhabit it.

What about Bryan and other individuals with special needs? I have tried to convey to them that the world is a caring place and that they have gifts and skills as well as needs. We discuss how they might create a website for a friend and ask for his help in editing their writing. Or possibly they might share their snowblower and get help with bookkeeping in return. This is how human beings connect. Asking for and offering help is a powerful way to make friends and build community. The informal networks are alive and well and a quiet part of the fabric of our human society. Each of us is an essential thread in a tapestry and with our gifts and our participation, it gains richness and depth and offers fulfillment and satisfaction.