Responding to Anthony's "Free Will?" (November 15, 2011)

Would ya look at that: I actually agree with you on something, Anthony. Never thought this day would come.

If schools work, as you say, as "an antithesis to free will," students do not have choice. So, if students are doing only what schools require of them, are they exploring their own passions, interests, and questions? Are they becoming independent and critical thinkers? If not, how are we preparing students for life beyond the classroom? What are we equipping students with when they leave school?

So, what concepts do we teach about? Do we teach about concepts that are going to make our students think...I mean really think. Do we ask questions that make students think about their existence, purpose, or the world they live in? Why don't we ask questions like the one you brought up? What is free will? Whose will do we act by, if not our own? I can't imagine the discussions that would stem from questions like these. And, if we don't ask questions like these, really, what do we teach about? I'm nervous to answer this.

I've had high school observation experiences where, I felt, teachers babied their students, not really letting them act on free will. I wonder why so many of us baby our students? Is it a control thing? Is it because we care so much, we want to make sure they follow the correct path? But, if we care so much, wouldn't we want to make sure our students walked away as independent beings? Wouldn't we want to ensure that students walked away knowing how to exercise their free will in ways that would change the world?

I'm taking a class this semester, and I've never, in my entire school career, taken a class like it before, but I think every class should be taught like it. The professor who teaches the class gives us full independence, and he simply guides us along the way. For example, in the beginning of class, he tells us we are going to learn a new program; then he says, "Go for it." He expects us to teach ourselves with the tutorials he's left us with or having him there to ask questions. We share our struggles, findings, and personal products with one another at the end of the class. Students take control in the classroom, and it teaches us to do the same outside of the classroom. Can't we apply strategies like these to our classes?

Your post made me think, Anthony. Sorry for going on a tangent though.