Do Schooling Models Need An Overhaul?

School Work Disconnect

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Listening to the radio on the way to work this morning, there was a discussion around young people not wanting to, or being able to, perform labour intensive jobs. One business owner who called, stated that just last week, he had three teenagers quit a car detailing job - one citing that he was too sore to continue after just one day of detailing cars.

You only have to perform a quick Google search to find a plethora of information on the perception of how outdated the current schooling model is. In some instances, it seems the particular model still used by many countries dates back 120 years or so, and is aligned more to a factory setting than that of a productive learning environment. Researchers are including in this factory setting, issues arising from outdated classroom practices such as grouping students by age and not ability, and other traditions such as structured lesson times, and even using bells to indicate when it is time to move from one phase of the day to the next.

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With many schools still using these dated approaches, and with the assumption that these factors do impact on how students are taught, especially in how they are taught to cope with life after school, do we need to turn our attention to the current model of school and start to devise improved methods? Can we better equip our younger generations for the rigours of work life, and if so, how can we do it? It is apparent that basic life-skills such as reliability and resilience are highly desirable attributes that are distinctly lacking from today's graduates. It is also apparent that employers are becoming increasingly frustrated with applicants whom are exceedingly qualified on paper, but are simply not qualified in life.

So my question to you, good reader, is this: How can we solve this problem?

I'm not certain there is a single solution, and I certainly do not profess to hold an adequate answer, however, I would like to float one idea by you. It's one that came to me a few years ago, and I think carries some merit. I am also aware of how scared we, as a society are, of change, especially when we talk about change of, or to, a school, so I'm under no illusion that this might ever happen, so let's just suppose...

What an Alternative Might Look Like

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Suppose school was not structured as we understand it to be. What if schools were run moreso like a place of employment? Students still came to learn the curriculum as they do now, but they just do so in a different manner.

My point being, that if employers cannot find suitable employees from the pool of graduates being offered, why don't we supply them with more suitable ones? Why don't we actually give them an idea of what work is like before they leave school?

Suppose students were paid to attend school, much like they would be paid to attend work. However, this pay bought about the very same responsibilities that a paycheque from an employer would bring. For example, failure to submit an assignment (complete designated work task) would result in loss of pay; failure to attend school (arrive at work) without valid reason would result in a loss of pay; disrespecting a teacher (employer) would result in a warning (written/verbal) and/or loss of pay, and I think you start to get the idea. Further to this, pay could also be used as an incentive - gain the highest GPA during a term and you get a bonus; 'work' the most hours a week and you get a bonus, etcetera.

Suppose that in the later years, students attended an 8 hour school day, rather than the more traditional 6? What if school hours were extended to align with those of the office so that students gained more of a real-world idea of what work is actually like? Students could also have the option of something like flexi-time where they could choose to start and finish on a particular day 1 hour earlier or later. They could choose to work longer hours. Even negotiate time off like in the work force.

Suppose older students were given 4 weeks of annual leave a year instead of 12 weeks. How would they use it? When would they use it? Could they accrue more by 'working' (attending school) longer each day?

Disclaimer

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So by now, you're probably thinking I'm nuts, or at the very least, you have stacks of holes to poke in this idea! Well, that's okay! As stated earlier, I'm simply floating an idea by you. I don't think this would ever get off the ground, and if it was to one day be considered seriously, there are many many implications to consider. As an example, the legalities of a student choosing 'flexi-time' as an option - how can they be on school grounds if there are no teachers present? That's just one problem here, there are potentially thousands of others too.

I guess the reality we face, as educators and as society, is the very real fact that students are not necessarily getting the skills required to work, especially in difficult or undesirable jobs. The knowledge is there - in abundance, but the skills - the resilience, perseverance, accountability, and so on, often are not. What do we do? Is there a solution? Or do we find the workforce gradually thinning out?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on anything here.

Thanks for reading.