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| Woodstock School |
What is the difference between learning and knowing? This is a question that I think should get asked at every school, business or dinner table in the world. It’s also a question we should ask ourselves. What follows are wise words. I did not write them. but I have learned from them and now I think I know in a much more concrete why both of these skills need to be a part of us.
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I work at this amazing school tucked away in a rustic little mountain town. A school that tries to impact young minds on the importance of mindful intellect and action while tapping into each one of our ‘global souls’. In a rapidly connecting world, through our global network of staff, students, alum and the powerful internet, this is a school where leadership and community strive to impress John Buchan’s admonition, “The task of leadership is not to put greatness in humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.”
As a player in this platform of education, I have had countless conversations with young people on the importance of challenging our thoughts and the difference between ‘Learning’ and ‘Knowing’. In my mind ‘Learning’ is an ongoing journey, that desire to quench a need to expand and develop. ‘Knowing’ on the other hand is established, a culture that embraces the familiar to the point of dangerously not looking any further.
Why do I want to write about ‘Learning and Knowing’? I passionately believe that through conversation and networks, through platforms like Woodstock, we can elicit greatness in young individuals. But, when I read all the trending articles and I see “standardized test scores” and “money” as tickets to International Education, I realize that to a certain extent, we as educators are trapped. The reality of who and what spearheads educational trends is a strong factor that spins the direction of education. The ideals of educators to create an equitable focus for open conversations between multiple cultures and innovative educational practices is secondary.
At the end of the day, how much does our drive to learn count and how much does privilege in “Knowing” dictate where we end up in life? When do we give up a little part of our ideals because our skin color, religion and country of citizenship become sought after because we are the current “trends”? How much of international education relies on one country’s failure and another country’s potential? How do we remain true to each other in the face of competition, the right fit, philosophy of education and business strategy?
At the end of the day, I want to support and motivate students and hope that each one of them experiences kind and loving education. How do we protect our young students and at the same time prepare them for the complex world out there that says we do not discriminate, but we do.
My challenge to educators is that we need to establish networks of people, not funding sources. Ask questions that allow for open conversations. Don’t treat education as a ‘Business’ but as a platform that changes lives and creates a world of global engagement. We have the power to lessen the divide between ‘First World’, ‘Developing World’ and ‘Third World’. Be an educator that does not perpetuate an established cycle but through ‘learning’ works alongside other educators.
Education in Conversation…
Sincerely,
Preeti Rajendran
This post was sparked by:
Parke Muth, Only Connect, who poses great questions (drawing impactful responses from educators) “Should colleges and universities do more to determine "fit" for the students to whom they offer admission? Should more schools be asking students to write an answer to the question "Why us"?”
Sugata Mitra, School in the Clouds: “…’Knowing’ may be obsolete”
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For those of you who are not familiar with the Woodstock School, it is one of the most unique schools in the world. It has a storied 160 year history. It was the fist school in Asia to receive US accreditation. It has trained leaders. Its Himalayan location makes it one of the most stunning settings of any school.
Woodstock is lucky to have Preeti. Her words demonstrate she has wisdom in addition to knowledge and learning. I have read many of her words she posts on linkedin and I have always come away with something I have added to my store of knowledge.
What is also clear about her is that she has received her education in ways that I agree with. By this I mean she has spent countless hours talking with students. At Woodstock there is an incredible sense of community and the faculty and staff share their lives with the students. Preeti’s passion for knowledge comes from more than just books; it comes with experience.
Not everyone has the chance to live among a group of motivated students but many of those who do come away with a set of skills and way of living in the world that prepares them to be a global citizen who wishes to share the joy of learning with others
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| Preeti Rajendran |
I would like to thank Preeti for letting me post her words she first posted on her profile on LinkedIn. She asks important questions about education that are often overlooked or even willingly suppressed. There are some things about what happens to students when are viewed by some places and some colleges as universities as part of a group before they are looked at as individuals. It could be they are looked at Asians, Or Chinese or Indians or females or science nerds or rich or poor students. The list of groups that we put people in is long and often misleading to the individual student. Each of us has a story that is not the same as others. Individual experiences and voices should matter more than the group that fits in nicely with accumulated data on a school profile or in our own heads. Preeti and I agree that this way of categorizing people needs to change. Those who think they can categorize what an individual is like based upon country or religion or ethnicity have not spent the hours with the students to know and feel how wrong this is. We are our stories more than we are are a member of a particular group or groups.
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