"Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity." The concept proposed by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology.)
Children come to us ready and eager to learn. Our job is not to interrupt their learning.
Most of the time, this is not what schools do though. Most of the time, the schools stop the natural learning process, stop the flow and impose something else, which JT Gatto describes so well.
My son learnt how to read at two and a half years old. It was as simple as we walk, we talk, we read. He had natural creativity, critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills. Most of the children do, if the environment is supportive. They pose questions, are curious, inquisitive, critical and creative. They take joy in learning. They are in the flow. They explore the world around them. They are intrinsically motivated and interested. Then the school interrupts this process, tells the children what they should be interested in and bribes them with marks and external rewards. It is now about unlearning of creativity. If we continue to school children into mediocrity, the system will not change, it will not improve. It will continue to demoralize us and to destroy the only home we have.
If you believe that school is not an optimal learning environment for your child, then contact me. I can help.
I am also available for talks on creative living, creativity and learning.
Suggested reading: Janusz Korczak, John Dewey, Alexander Sutherland Neill, John Holt, Ivan Illich, Everett Reimer, Paul Goodman, Carl Rogers, John Taylor Gatto, Ken Robinson.
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