Kingdom of the Inner Child
From an adult perspective, it is possible to create a world that fully meets every need of the child. And it won't be by becoming the personal slave of the particular child. Suddenly it occurs to me, it would be a good idea to just throw that word away: the child. It is possible to organize a world that fully meets every need of the humans.
Because children have the same needs all humans do, and all humans have the same needs children do. Food, water, hygiene, warmth, yes, all of that, to keep the animal part alive. But to keep the human part alive, all humans, child or adult, need the ongoing option to the things that are conveniently described in our Declaration of Independence and national Bill of Rights. Let's list them, and spell them out.
Rights to Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness, Privacy, Free Assembly, Free speech and expression, free worship and practice of religion, freedom from involuntary servitude, representation in all relevant rule-making, and access to free information. And we must never forget the safeguard framework laid out in Amendment IX, that no matter how free one's speech or assembly, no matter how complete one's liberty or privacy, one must never construe these options to include the obstruction of these rights of another.
These human rights are the things children need to become and remain fully human. When these needs are met, the full humanity of the child lives on in the adult, the Inner Child is set free. These human rights are a system of interpersonal healing and growth. If we, as adults, put our heads and our hands together and set up a system of structures and logistics that give these ongoing options to our children, we are creating it also for ourselves, and we have set up the Kingdom of the Inner Child.
Nonetheless, there is a special opportunity to create a children's school. Let's imagine a day-use system for children, keeping in mind all of the basic human needs. Let's superimpose this day-use system on a standard elementary school building. Referring to basic human rights dictates the floor plan. Toward the need for free assembly with peers, in the school, in addition to interest-based stations, we set up two rooms. Girls are given a social space, and boys a social space. Free assembly outlines that any child be allowed to spend as much time as they wish in those spaces.
Many children are lonely at home, without the comfort and stimulation of their peers. It is only at school that they find any access to peers at all. It is such a grievous injustice that this basic need to bond with peers is cast asunder and treated as bad behavior, when children reach out to each other in the classroom to converse and express their personal love.
Only when this primary fundamental need for fellowship is met, will children be ready to embrace academics with full attention. When children give their full attention, there is no limit to how much they can learn. Access to free information, in no way spells out mandates to impose information on the unwilling or disinterested. Children should never be imprisoned in a classroom dedicated to imparting information. Rights to liberty outline the release of any child who has no interest and who want to be elsewhere. Rights to privacy for the interested students fully engaged in the class, dictate the ejection of any child who disrupts or interrupts the education. Any true teacher will be grateful to be able to give their teaching only to those who really are interested in learning, and release or eject those whose other unmet need is demanding that their attention be elsewhere.
It makes sense to keep the gym and playgrounds open and operating at all times, setting up organized games, learning skills and excellence and teamwork and the meaning of rules. There is a basic right to privacy and worship, met by keeping a chapel in the school, non-denominational, for quiet time and reflection. Any who disturb others, in any way, would be ejected from the space. Perhaps only a few, but a precious few, will lay claim to this privacy of meditation.
The right to free speech is essential in the classroom. Respecting this means not requiring a child to raise hands before speaking. Once one has experienced the Socratic method, true dialogue between teacher and students, there will never be anything that can pretend to replace it.
Free speech requires that all are allowed to speak openly, ejecting only the chronic disrupter, ideally to school counselors making invitation to fully hear all grievances in the appropriate space. This does not mean that whole classrooms of children would never sit in rapt attention, listening to one person speak.
As a rule, we would expect the role of the teacher to be to introduce the child to the method of gaining information or using the tools in the space. The electronic information catalog is a delightful way to go. Readers in the library are essential. There must be a plenty supply of staff ready to read to any child who brings a book to the elder. Children may wish to be readers for other children.
Liberty is so essential it cannot be emphasized enough. Freedom to choose this activity or that is fundamental to creating the opportunity to learn. We will see children excited in the hallways, going from one class to another, eager to see what is available at this time. Creating effective education is like setting up a shopping mall of experiences, an amusement park of information and options. There are teachers with great gifts to captivate children with their demonstrations. Their classrooms will be crowded with children of all ages, who thirst for the education they can give. They may not have college degrees. They may not even need to be paid.
In schools, if we respect human rights for our children, and integrate this into the foundation curriculum, we will find that our children learn not only academics or verbal skills, but how to be complete human beings. What is it to be a Human Being? It is intelligence, in action. What is intelligence? It is the ability to make the best of things. What is the best of the best? It is joy. Ability to experience joy in self and in others is of the highest intelligence.
Enjoyment is the first principle in creating effective education. And who but the child can give us better feedback on that?
Because children have the same needs all humans do, and all humans have the same needs children do. Food, water, hygiene, warmth, yes, all of that, to keep the animal part alive. But to keep the human part alive, all humans, child or adult, need the ongoing option to the things that are conveniently described in our Declaration of Independence and national Bill of Rights. Let's list them, and spell them out.
Rights to Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness, Privacy, Free Assembly, Free speech and expression, free worship and practice of religion, freedom from involuntary servitude, representation in all relevant rule-making, and access to free information. And we must never forget the safeguard framework laid out in Amendment IX, that no matter how free one's speech or assembly, no matter how complete one's liberty or privacy, one must never construe these options to include the obstruction of these rights of another.
These human rights are the things children need to become and remain fully human. When these needs are met, the full humanity of the child lives on in the adult, the Inner Child is set free. These human rights are a system of interpersonal healing and growth. If we, as adults, put our heads and our hands together and set up a system of structures and logistics that give these ongoing options to our children, we are creating it also for ourselves, and we have set up the Kingdom of the Inner Child.
Nonetheless, there is a special opportunity to create a children's school. Let's imagine a day-use system for children, keeping in mind all of the basic human needs. Let's superimpose this day-use system on a standard elementary school building. Referring to basic human rights dictates the floor plan. Toward the need for free assembly with peers, in the school, in addition to interest-based stations, we set up two rooms. Girls are given a social space, and boys a social space. Free assembly outlines that any child be allowed to spend as much time as they wish in those spaces.
Many children are lonely at home, without the comfort and stimulation of their peers. It is only at school that they find any access to peers at all. It is such a grievous injustice that this basic need to bond with peers is cast asunder and treated as bad behavior, when children reach out to each other in the classroom to converse and express their personal love.
Only when this primary fundamental need for fellowship is met, will children be ready to embrace academics with full attention. When children give their full attention, there is no limit to how much they can learn. Access to free information, in no way spells out mandates to impose information on the unwilling or disinterested. Children should never be imprisoned in a classroom dedicated to imparting information. Rights to liberty outline the release of any child who has no interest and who want to be elsewhere. Rights to privacy for the interested students fully engaged in the class, dictate the ejection of any child who disrupts or interrupts the education. Any true teacher will be grateful to be able to give their teaching only to those who really are interested in learning, and release or eject those whose other unmet need is demanding that their attention be elsewhere.
It makes sense to keep the gym and playgrounds open and operating at all times, setting up organized games, learning skills and excellence and teamwork and the meaning of rules. There is a basic right to privacy and worship, met by keeping a chapel in the school, non-denominational, for quiet time and reflection. Any who disturb others, in any way, would be ejected from the space. Perhaps only a few, but a precious few, will lay claim to this privacy of meditation.
The right to free speech is essential in the classroom. Respecting this means not requiring a child to raise hands before speaking. Once one has experienced the Socratic method, true dialogue between teacher and students, there will never be anything that can pretend to replace it.
Free speech requires that all are allowed to speak openly, ejecting only the chronic disrupter, ideally to school counselors making invitation to fully hear all grievances in the appropriate space. This does not mean that whole classrooms of children would never sit in rapt attention, listening to one person speak.
As a rule, we would expect the role of the teacher to be to introduce the child to the method of gaining information or using the tools in the space. The electronic information catalog is a delightful way to go. Readers in the library are essential. There must be a plenty supply of staff ready to read to any child who brings a book to the elder. Children may wish to be readers for other children.
Liberty is so essential it cannot be emphasized enough. Freedom to choose this activity or that is fundamental to creating the opportunity to learn. We will see children excited in the hallways, going from one class to another, eager to see what is available at this time. Creating effective education is like setting up a shopping mall of experiences, an amusement park of information and options. There are teachers with great gifts to captivate children with their demonstrations. Their classrooms will be crowded with children of all ages, who thirst for the education they can give. They may not have college degrees. They may not even need to be paid.
In schools, if we respect human rights for our children, and integrate this into the foundation curriculum, we will find that our children learn not only academics or verbal skills, but how to be complete human beings. What is it to be a Human Being? It is intelligence, in action. What is intelligence? It is the ability to make the best of things. What is the best of the best? It is joy. Ability to experience joy in self and in others is of the highest intelligence.
Enjoyment is the first principle in creating effective education. And who but the child can give us better feedback on that?
NEXT: Intentional Community
