The YCISL concept positions personal development education in tandem with traditional memorization-based mass youth education. The article “Inspired mother pioneers freestyle education” written by Deng Zhangyu and published October 7, 2014 in the China Daily (http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2014-10/07/content_18702170.htm) shares perspectives in the development of the Ririxin School in Beijing.
This school was spotlighted in 2011 in various articles (e.g., http://english.sina.com/china/p/2011/0922/399232.html) as a growing home school phenomenon offering priorities that align with personal development and growth as opposed to test-based gated streaming schooling.
I have known families who have chosen to home school as well as schools that support home school families. There are also schools that position themselves away from a rat race mentality and emphasize personal well-being and life purpose. It is fortunate to have these options to the mainstream number-based (your identification number, zip code, test scores, GPA, fiscally-dependent and extrinsically motivated) factories.
I hope to establish contact and exchange ideas with the leaders at Ririxin School.
Key Lessons (quotes from the news article and my comments):
– “Playing is the way children get to know the world.” (Quote of Zhang Dongqing). Play is a great way to promote learning (even memorization) – perhaps as a supplement. As an example, . In YCISL, we see play as a great way to explore creativity and fast thinking. When we think of play, we usually think of freestyle play (e.g., at a playground), but we can also benefit from formalized play such as that in the Gamestorming model or sports or games.
– “…staff at Ririxin are friends with their pupils.” The relationship between teacher and student is complex, especially in Asian culture. Even in mainstream schools today in several Asian countries, teachers are almost like (understanding) parents to their students. In YCISL, I portray myself as a parent and coach. Friendship is something that potentially develops as a result but I feel is not a necessary starting ingredient.
– “Kids are like seeds.” This idea sets the stage for organic growth where students discover their individual potential and ability to rise to challenges and occasions.
– “Zhang’s mission is to help make children become what they want to be instead of modeling them into a same person.” For anyone who tends a garden, you would understand that you can focus your good intentions to help shape good outcomes but there is little hope in planning every detail in growth.
– “…they imposed ideas on them and killed their creativity.” This is consistent with the messages we are hearing about US and European as well as Asian schools. And how this continues today as common practice shows we need to actively intervene in this loss. Our YCISL program therefore emphasizes simple exercises that can be practiced routinely to build strength for personal development…and ultimate retain facile creativity.
– “…her second daughter knows who she is and what she wants, is more confident and has a passion for art.” In our YCISL framework, knowing yourself should be coupled with composing and maintaining your personal story.
– “A better education enables a person to be a more complete one, rich in emotion and creativity.” (Quote of Zhang Dongqing). I think a better education is a more complete one. Education today satisfies its mission of identifying the best memorizers. It is due time to re-scope the meaning and goals of education and implement the means.
– “…but today it’s easy to get knowledge.” Unfortunately, institutional knowledge isn’t pure (even textbooks) and has a tendency to be misunderstood and misinterpreted. And with many forms of the same knowledge, it’s not easy to efficiently gain knowledge. The challenge is to invest time to gain experiential knowledge, and cultivate a love for lifelong learning. Knowledge will have the most value under these circumstances.
http://www.ririxinschool.com/#
Ririxin School, 日日新学堂
Woquyuan, Xiaoshahecun, Shahezhen, Changping District, Beijing, China, 102206
地址：北京市昌平区沙河镇小沙河村渥丘园
Email: ririxin@126.com