Thank you for this. It feels like a very apt metaphor for the condition of my state of CA…essentially chaos brought on by permissive government parents. Just devastating. This school is an inspiration that instills hope. Every city should have one.
I have a new heroine after taking the well spent time listening to Peterson's interview of Birbalsingh.
Would that the Micaela School model could take root here and elsewhere, displacing the current atrocities of our K-12.
The discussion prompted two thoughts of comparison. Baden Powell described Scouting as "a game with a purpose." The merit badges of the Micaela School of course rhyme with the merit badges of Scouting. Scouting at its best has been about the formation of character that enables the freedom, responsibility, confidence, and kindness of the child grown to adulthood.
Secondly, I was reminded of the movie "To Sir with Love," in which a Caribbean-born teacher in an anarchic inner city school sets high expectations and gains success in one classroom. It was fiction, yes, but we used to understand this fifty years ago.
By having such strict rules and high expectations, the teachers are implicitly telling the kids “you can reach outstanding standards.” Kids will never discipline themselves, but when they’re given the framework it lets them see live up to their potential. I think this is particularly important for boys, who are generally less prone to self-organization and control. Great post, I’ll definitely watch the documentary.
Reminds me of the parochial school I went to. Yes, the nuns were very strict but I can always tell when someone had a parochial or private school education vs public school based on their demeanor.
In the US at least, I believe that all grade school children should have free lunch and free breakfast that is healthy whole food. We have the excess produce to provide for this at low cost if only the logistics can be put in place. The children should be assigned tasks in the cafeteria, and when in high school in the kitchen too if they show and interest in that type of work, to help "pay" for the cost.
When I attend corporate training or conferences, generally breakfast and lunch are always provided. The reason is that the acquisition of sustenance becomes a distraction to learning. Why we don't consider this a similar or worse impact to learning for children has always baffled me.
Another benefit to this would be increased attendance from students because the student AND the parent(s) know that at least two free meals are provided.
I have advocated to national politicians that the EDU take on an approved program to subsidize state's "breakfast and lunch provided" programs for all public schools. This can also help the agriculture industry in getting some income for sorted imperfect produce that often is just discarded.
I’ll take this as an answer to my AMA question- what would you recommend to policy makers. I asked the question because I like your position that family is important, but I am not sure how government can affect it. This structure at school - and the family lunches- is a great example. If parents don’t know what family is (and I think they may not have a childhood experience to model) maybe they can learn from the school and their kids.
I know my 17 year old son drinks beer with his friends in occasion. He knows i absolutely frown upon this and he hides this fact from me. He knows i know. Yet knows it’s not looked upon fondly. A little tiny bit of shame is good. ( he knows no drinking and driving and there is no questions asked if he Ubers home)
The soft skills are indeed the most important skills a school will teach, but they are tougher to measure, and so get neglected when schools are evaluated.
You can make a school bad enough so that even the smart kids won't learn much, but absent violence and direct punishment for succeeding, it's pretty hard to do that. Bright minds just suck up whatever is around them, and that includes vocabulary, problem-solving, and abstract thinking. Most school systems have very little value-added or value subtracted in academic performance between K and 12. Both liberals and conservatives refuse to believe this, but the numbers are there, year after year. g-factor is enormous, and we increasingly find that resilience and hard work are also highly heritable.
Schools and good teachers are more necessary for the worse students. And it is those soft skills - "notice the effects of your behavior on others," "express gratitude," "treat other people as decently as you can," "make yourself do the right thing even when you don't feel up to it," - these are the skills schools could instill but tend not to.
Rules and disciple don’t have to be a bad thing. If don’t correctly for the right reasons, it should be for the benefit of the child to make them fit in as a better and more productive part of society. Discipline doesn’t have to be considered abuse when it’s corrective and necessary, and not just out of anger. Thanks, Rob!
Frank Wright, who has a Substack and is absolutely fantastic has a saying that I think is very clever:
“The mire of delimited desire “.
Yes, indeed, anarcho-totalitarianism is the endpoint of liberalism morphed into progressivism. No boundaries; You see - ism, ism, ism - it’s all dogmas or if you’re prepared to go a bit further religion; It is bad religion, christs love replaced by the mire of delimited desire.
Oh my how deeply insightful children need structure (sarcasm).
Thank you for this. It feels like a very apt metaphor for the condition of my state of CA…essentially chaos brought on by permissive government parents. Just devastating. This school is an inspiration that instills hope. Every city should have one.
I have a new heroine after taking the well spent time listening to Peterson's interview of Birbalsingh.
Would that the Micaela School model could take root here and elsewhere, displacing the current atrocities of our K-12.
The discussion prompted two thoughts of comparison. Baden Powell described Scouting as "a game with a purpose." The merit badges of the Micaela School of course rhyme with the merit badges of Scouting. Scouting at its best has been about the formation of character that enables the freedom, responsibility, confidence, and kindness of the child grown to adulthood.
Secondly, I was reminded of the movie "To Sir with Love," in which a Caribbean-born teacher in an anarchic inner city school sets high expectations and gains success in one classroom. It was fiction, yes, but we used to understand this fifty years ago.
You described k-12 as an “atrocity”, hard but accurate.
*Michaela School. Couldn't find an edit button.
By having such strict rules and high expectations, the teachers are implicitly telling the kids “you can reach outstanding standards.” Kids will never discipline themselves, but when they’re given the framework it lets them see live up to their potential. I think this is particularly important for boys, who are generally less prone to self-organization and control. Great post, I’ll definitely watch the documentary.
Reminds me of the parochial school I went to. Yes, the nuns were very strict but I can always tell when someone had a parochial or private school education vs public school based on their demeanor.
In the US at least, I believe that all grade school children should have free lunch and free breakfast that is healthy whole food. We have the excess produce to provide for this at low cost if only the logistics can be put in place. The children should be assigned tasks in the cafeteria, and when in high school in the kitchen too if they show and interest in that type of work, to help "pay" for the cost.
When I attend corporate training or conferences, generally breakfast and lunch are always provided. The reason is that the acquisition of sustenance becomes a distraction to learning. Why we don't consider this a similar or worse impact to learning for children has always baffled me.
Another benefit to this would be increased attendance from students because the student AND the parent(s) know that at least two free meals are provided.
I have advocated to national politicians that the EDU take on an approved program to subsidize state's "breakfast and lunch provided" programs for all public schools. This can also help the agriculture industry in getting some income for sorted imperfect produce that often is just discarded.
I’ll take this as an answer to my AMA question- what would you recommend to policy makers. I asked the question because I like your position that family is important, but I am not sure how government can affect it. This structure at school - and the family lunches- is a great example. If parents don’t know what family is (and I think they may not have a childhood experience to model) maybe they can learn from the school and their kids.
Why do elites on the left oppose this type of approach to education? You will find a similar model in many private Christian schools.
I know my 17 year old son drinks beer with his friends in occasion. He knows i absolutely frown upon this and he hides this fact from me. He knows i know. Yet knows it’s not looked upon fondly. A little tiny bit of shame is good. ( he knows no drinking and driving and there is no questions asked if he Ubers home)
The soft skills are indeed the most important skills a school will teach, but they are tougher to measure, and so get neglected when schools are evaluated.
You can make a school bad enough so that even the smart kids won't learn much, but absent violence and direct punishment for succeeding, it's pretty hard to do that. Bright minds just suck up whatever is around them, and that includes vocabulary, problem-solving, and abstract thinking. Most school systems have very little value-added or value subtracted in academic performance between K and 12. Both liberals and conservatives refuse to believe this, but the numbers are there, year after year. g-factor is enormous, and we increasingly find that resilience and hard work are also highly heritable.
Schools and good teachers are more necessary for the worse students. And it is those soft skills - "notice the effects of your behavior on others," "express gratitude," "treat other people as decently as you can," "make yourself do the right thing even when you don't feel up to it," - these are the skills schools could instill but tend not to.
Thank you for sharing Mr. Henderson.
Thank you, Mr. Henderson. If there is institutional racism it is the lack of a disciplined environment in our traditional public schools.
Rules and disciple don’t have to be a bad thing. If don’t correctly for the right reasons, it should be for the benefit of the child to make them fit in as a better and more productive part of society. Discipline doesn’t have to be considered abuse when it’s corrective and necessary, and not just out of anger. Thanks, Rob!
Wow. Those kids are beyond remarkable and I love every one of them.
Frank Wright, who has a Substack and is absolutely fantastic has a saying that I think is very clever:
“The mire of delimited desire “.
Yes, indeed, anarcho-totalitarianism is the endpoint of liberalism morphed into progressivism. No boundaries; You see - ism, ism, ism - it’s all dogmas or if you’re prepared to go a bit further religion; It is bad religion, christs love replaced by the mire of delimited desire.
Oh my how deeply insightful children need structure (sarcasm).
This is a very valuable piece because it shows the proven benefit of putting these kids in an environment where sonething is expected of them.