A new page, Educational Resource Center/Startup Issues, has been added to my Educational Rights notebook for My Idea Outlet. The contents can be found below.
A lot of the ideas I am presenting are based off long-term ideas. I also feel that there are some short-term considerations that need to be made. If I could create an educational resource center, there could be some unique concerns at startup.
Imagine going into an environment where everybody is learning. Now imagine going into an environment where nobody is learning. Which environment do you think you would be more likely to learn in?
The environment is an important part of an educational resource center. It needs to be an environment of learning. While kids do want to learn, the wrong environment can discourage them. If someone comes directly from schools that train children to view learning as a chore, that person is unlikely to revert back to their prior interest for weeks, months, or even years. If we flood a facility with these kinds of discouraged learners, it could lead to a problematic environment. This could self-correct, but it could take years.
Starting with the right environment could be difficult. I wouldn't want any student to go directly from a traditional school to an open learning environment. There needs to be some recovery time. I would also suggest starting with low membership levels. This would make it easier to make and evaluate adjustments since you have fewer children that will be impacted.
One possibility to help establish the right environment could be viewed as an employee perk. We could ensure that staff are permitted to use educational resources. This would encourage staff to promote the right environment, strengthen a valuable sense of mixed-age learning, provide a benefit for people who are interested in employment, and skew the desirability of employment to those who want to embrace lifelong learning.
One of my goals would be to make the facilities as open as possible. If a child wants to join, he or she should have that option. In the earlier year, I would be open to evaluating prospective members before allowing them to join. There could be observations involved. There would likely be a requirement for children to take some time off first.
As time progresses, expectations can be diminished. Evaluations should be phased out. Membership should become as open as possible.
Lessons learned from the first facility could be applied to additional facilities that could be open. This can influence expectations for the first set of members and the rate at which additional children can join. I would expect the second facility to progress more smoothly than the first.
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