Why These Students Perform So Well - The Michaela School | Katharine Birbalsingh
Summary
TLDRIn this insightful transcript, the speaker emphasizes the importance of strict yet loving education at Michaela School, which achieves high academic performance without selective student admission. The speaker criticizes the modern approach of teaching 'how to think' instead of 'what to think,' advocating for knowledge-based education that instills moral values and factual understanding. They argue for a return to traditional teaching methods, including communal meals and limited choices for children, to foster a sense of community and prepare them for adulthood. The speaker also addresses the role of parents and educators in guiding children's moral development and the pitfalls of ideologically driven education.
Takeaways
- 🏫 The Michaela school is non-selective, allowing any student to attend, which challenges the notion that only highly selected students perform well academically.
- 📚 High academic performance at Michaela is attributed to strict teaching methods, which are rooted in love and high standards for students.
- 👨🏫 The speaker emphasizes the importance of strictness in teaching, equating it with love and care for students, as opposed to seeking to be their friend.
- 🌱 The concept of teaching 'what to think' versus 'how to think' is discussed, with the speaker advocating for the former, meaning providing students with substantial knowledge to form their own thoughts.
- 👶 The role of parents and teachers is to guide children through examples and non-examples of virtuous behavior, rather than expecting them to understand abstract concepts like kindness without context.
- 🧠 The speaker criticizes the current education system for not focusing on the importance of schools and the formative years of K-12, instead of focusing on issues in higher education.
- 🚫 The speaker suggests that certain freedoms should be restricted for children to ensure they develop into responsible adults, such as not allowing them to choose what to eat at every meal.
- 👥 The idea of 'family lunch' at Michaela, where all students eat the same meal, is presented as a way to teach communal values and reduce unnecessary choices.
- 🛑 The speaker argues against the libertarian approach to children's education, stating that children need guidance and restrictions, not the same freedoms as adults.
- 🏛 The importance of teaching historical knowledge and a sense of national identity is highlighted, as opposed to teaching history through an ideological lens.
- 🤔 The speaker calls for a reevaluation of teacher certification processes, suggesting that faculties of Education have failed in their duty to prepare teachers adequately.
Q & A
What is the main argument against selective schools presented in the script?
-The script argues that selective schools, which only admit students who meet certain criteria such as high IQ or conscientiousness, may perform well because it's easier to teach a pre-screened group. However, the Michaela school, which does not select its students, still achieves high performance in examinations, challenging the notion that selection is necessary for academic success.
What is the speaker's view on strictness in education?
-The speaker believes that being strict in education is an expression of love and care for children. It means maintaining high standards and teaching them virtuous behavior through examples and non-examples, which is essential for their moral and intellectual development.
Why does the speaker criticize the modern approach of teachers and parents wanting to be friends with children?
-The speaker criticizes this approach because they believe it neglects the duty of adults to guide children towards virtuous behavior and knowledge. Instead of being friends, teachers and parents should help children rise up to meet high standards and demonstrate what virtuous behavior is.
What is the role of parents and teachers according to the speaker?
-According to the speaker, the role of parents and teachers is to repeatedly show children examples of virtuous behavior, such as kindness and duty, so that they can eventually understand these concepts abstractly and apply them in their lives.
What does the speaker suggest about the importance of schools in society?
-The speaker suggests that schools are the most important institutions in any country because they shape the future through children. They express concern that influential figures often focus on universities and overlook the crucial role of K-12 education.
What is the speaker's opinion on the current state of teacher training institutions?
-The speaker believes that teacher training institutions are a disaster and have done an abysmal job, suggesting that the right to teacher certification should be taken away from faculties of Education due to their failure to adequately prepare teachers.
Why does the speaker disagree with the idea of teaching students 'how to think'?
-The speaker disagrees because they believe that 'how to think' is a skill that can only be developed within a specific domain of knowledge. Without giving students a solid foundation of knowledge about various subjects, the concept of teaching them to think critically is meaningless.
What does the speaker suggest is the problem with teaching history with an ideological lens?
-The speaker suggests that teaching history with an ideological lens can lead to a skewed understanding of the past. For example, focusing on Britain's racism or the mistreatment of Indian soldiers may be true, but it might overshadow other important historical facts that students should know to understand their country's history fully.
What is the speaker's stance on children's freedom and choices?
-The speaker believes that children's freedoms should be restricted to some extent, not to make them unhappy, but to prepare them to be truly free adults. They argue that too many choices can lead to confusion and poor decisions, and that children need guidance, not unlimited freedom.
What is the concept of 'family lunch' at the Michaela school?
-The 'family lunch' at the Michaela school is a practice where all students eat the same meal without any choice, emphasizing communal eating and learning to enjoy different foods. It is meant to teach children about sharing, community, and adapting to circumstances.
Why does the speaker believe that children should not be given too many choices?
-The speaker believes that too many choices can overwhelm children and lead to dissatisfaction, as they may feel they made the wrong choice. By limiting choices, children can focus on what is presented to them without the stress of complexity, which is more suitable for their cognitive abilities.
Outlines
🏫 The Success of Non-Selective Schools
The speaker emphasizes the success of the Michaela school, which is non-selective and achieves high academic performance without the need for student screening based on IQ or conscientiousness. The speaker argues that strictness, when rooted in love, is beneficial for children, as it sets high standards and teaches them virtuous behavior through examples and non-examples. The role of parents and teachers is to guide children towards understanding kindness, gratitude, and duty through repeated demonstrations of these virtues. The speaker criticizes the lack of focus on schools and education systems by influential figures, and suggests that the right to teacher certification should be reconsidered due to the poor state of teacher training institutions.
🤔 The Debate on Teaching 'How' vs. 'What' to Think
This paragraph delves into the debate on whether education should focus on teaching students 'how to think' or 'what to think'. The speaker argues against the notion of teaching only critical thinking skills, asserting that students need substantial knowledge about history, society, and various global issues to form well-informed judgments. The speaker believes that children's freedoms should be restricted to guide them towards becoming virtuous adults, and that the current approach to education is flawed because it does not provide enough foundational knowledge. The speaker also discusses the importance of moral formation and knowledge acquisition in schools and criticizes the libertarian approach to children's freedoms.
🍽️ The Importance of Routine and Limited Choices in Education
The speaker discusses the importance of routine and limited choices in children's lives, using the example of a four-year-old choosing clothes and the concept of 'family lunch' at Michaela school, where all students eat the same meal. The speaker argues that providing too many choices can lead to decision paralysis and dissatisfaction, and that children should be taught to adapt to circumstances and learn from a communal experience. The speaker also addresses the broader issue of how giving children too much freedom can lead to problems in their adult relationships with parents, advocating for a balance between guidance and freedom to ensure children grow into well-rounded adults.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Selective School
💡Hyper Performance
💡Strictness
💡Virtuous Behavior
💡Evolutionary Psychology
💡Moral Formation
💡Freedom of Choice
💡Communal Living
💡Critical Thinking
💡Ideological Education
💡Knowledge vs. Skills
Highlights
Michaela school's non-selective admission policy challenges the notion that only highly selected students can excel academically.
The importance of strictness in education, rooted in love and high standards for children's growth and development.
The role of teachers and parents in demonstrating virtuous behavior to children through everyday examples.
The necessity of teaching children about kindness and unkindness through observable examples in their environment.
The human developmental process, taking years for children to become independent, unlike other animals.
The critique of modern educators and parents wanting to be friends with children instead of guiding them towards virtuous behavior.
Transcripts
I want to tell everybody watching and
listening the Michaela school is not a
selective school and that means anybody
can go there and see usually schools
perform well if they hyper select their
students because it's easier to teach
let's say kids that have been screened
for IQ and conscientiousness but you
take everybody and yet your students
hyper perform on their examinations and
so so explain that in a little more
detail because that's that that really
pulls the rug out from underneath your
detractors except the ones who don't
believe in objective Merit yeah I mean
it's interesting because you hear strict
and of course lies with lots of people
people think tyrannical and unhappiness
and so on I always say that strict is
immersed in love and when you're strict
with with children it means you love
them enough to keep your standards high
for them and I would say that most right
teachers and parents nowadays want to be
friends with children and uh they don't
know that their duty is to have children
rise up and meet them where they are and
to demonstrate to them over and over
again what virtuous behavior is so that
they too can learn to be virtuous and
that when grandma's looking a bit sad
you say to the boy go and get her bring
her a cup of tea you explain that that
is what kindness is and every little
moment of kindness in the particular the
child is able to do over and over again
again there's no point in telling
children be kind I mean you can tell
them but they won't understand what that
means they need to see examples and
non-examples so the cup of tea is an
example but then their brother hits them
because he wants to take the toy and
that's an example of unkindness and you
would say well that was unkind and this
is kind over and over and over again and
over years I know you're interested in
evolutionary psychology this is what we
are as humans you know other animals
within a few weeks or a few months in
the in the jungle they get sorted and
off they go whereas human beings take
many many years uh to be able to survive
on their own without their parents and
the role of the parents and the role of
the teacher should be to show them the
particular over and over again whether
that's about gratitude or about Duty or
about kindness and so on and then
eventually they can move that to the
abstract and they'll understand what
kindness is having seen the particular
of examples and non-examples so many
times but sadly I think that people
generally don't understand that about
children and so for instance I know I've
often said to you when you came to the
school uh you know I said to you you
never talk about schools and um and you
said oh it's true I don't really talk
about schools and I said yeah well you
should talk about schools because
they're the most important institutions
in any country because children are the
future and so when all of you guys and
when I say guys I mean they're women too
like Barry Weiss or Megan Kelly or John
McWater or Glenn Lowry and all these
people who I have huge admiration for
huge admir generation for all of you
nobody ever talks about schools nobody
ever talks about the importance of our
education system and then what you all
do is you talk about what's going on in
the universities and you say oh my
goodness how come these young people
think as they do and how come we've got
all of these marches and so on and so
for things that are happening and we
think how come they're not thinking
about stuff in the way you know why
don't they why haven't they developed
critical thinking and this is where I
sort of have a bit of a bug bear with
you and I want to say to you you know I
want to explain why I think not just you
uh all these people I have huge
admiration for Jonathan height Abigail
shrier I read all of your stuff and I
love it but when it comes to children I
think you're all wrong Elon Musk the
other day I saw him you know on some
video he was talking about how to teach
children and he's wrong you're all wrong
and let me explain why the fact is
you're all wondering why it is these
students at University don't think in a
critical Manner and then what you all
say is what we need to do is teach them
how to think think not what to think but
you're wrong we need to teach them what
to think okay if as because what's
currently happening is we are teaching
them how to think and what does that
mean in fact I should ask you when when
you all say things like that teach them
how to think what do you mean well we
mean with this Peterson Academy that I'm
putting forward is that we don't want a
university and I'm speaking specifically
of universities to be an ideological
iCal propaganda Factory and so really
it's a dig at the radical left okay and
so and then I and and I would also say
I'll I'll say two things in response to
the other things you said um I have
talked privately with any number of
government officials especially on the
Republican side about the absolute
catastrophe that's unfolding in the K
through2 system and one of my dreams and
you can tell me what you think about
this is that I think that the right to
teacher certification should be taken
away from the faculties of Education
okay because I think they have done a
job that's so abysmal that it it's
almost Indescribable and I've talked to
plenty of Republican Governors about
this and it's one of my lifelong
Ambitions yes no I agree we'll 100%
agree on that teacher training
institutions are a disaster but okay and
it's really interesting what you said
you don't want this ideology just pumped
through kids and I 100% not at
universities that's not the same as K
through 12
you know I also agree with your approach
from the particular upward with regards
to children so that's crucial I know
it's just that when you all talk about
this business of teaching them how to
think what that looks like in a
classroom in a high school is that okay
so what that is is is the standard
discussion between Knowledge and Skills
should we teach them knowledge or should
we teach them skills how to think is a
skill and it can only be done within a c
a particular domain so uh I don't know
how to think about cars okay you told me
you put a car in front of me and said
create a different kind of car Katherine
be creative think outside the box I
wouldn't know what to do because I don't
know anything about cars but if you tell
me to turn education on its head I've
done exactly that I've been very radical
I've thought outside the box and I've
done things very differently why because
I know education inside out the only way
you can think in a creative manner or
think outside the box and have
independent thoughts about anything is
to know it really well and so that means
children at school level need to be
taught loads of knowledge so when you
all say things like we need to teach
them how to think I disagree with you
when I say we need to teach them what to
think what I mean by that is we need to
give them knowledge uh about the world
wars about slavery about colonialism
about all of these ideas that if they
don't have historical knowledge they're
unable to make a a a judgment that is
well informed and that isn't just going
to go down an ideological route you know
all children are communists okay they're
all Communists when you talk talk to
them they're all Communists because when
they hear about communism they go you
mean everybody's going to have equality
you mean everybody's we're going to
share and then you know everybody poor
and Rich doesn't happen anymore
everybody's just the same that's lovely
and the reason why children are
Communists is because they're naive
they're vulnerable and they it sounds
nice to them and so that's what they go
for they don't have enough knowledge or
enough wisdom to be able to make correct
decisions that's why for instance we ban
alcohol we ban
cigarettes I believe we should ban
smartphones we ban sex we ban marriage
we ban driving there are all kinds of
things that we Bann from children and
the thing about the libertarian right uh
while I myself believe in Freedom and I
believe in freedom of speech and all of
that when it comes to children I don't
believe in any of it I believe that
children need their freedoms restricted
so that later in life they can be truly
free and when I say their freedoms need
to be restricted that doesn't mean that
they're unhappy you saw at my school
just how happy they were so so let me
let me ask you a clarifying question
yeah do you mean that their freedoms
should be restricted or do you mean that
the domain within which they have
Freedom should be restricted well no I I
would say both because those are
different right because the one tilts
more to in some sense conceptually
towards control see let let me give you
an example you tell me what you think
about this this is a very concrete
example so it brings it down to earth so
imagine you have a four-year-old child
and he has a closet full of clothes like
40 outfits to wear and they're all
hanging on uh um on hangers and maybe
he's a little hungry and a little tired
and you open up the closet and you say
what of which of those outfits do you
want to wear and he has a meltdown okay
and so imagine that instead you take
three of those items of clothing off the
hangers and you put them on the bed and
you say which of those three pieces of
clothing would you like to wear and then
he can point to one with no problem it's
like a so there's a consumer Choice
literature for example that shows PE you
that if you have four shampoos to choose
from on the shelf and you pick one
you're happier with your purchase than
you are if you have 200 on the Shelf to
pick from because you drown in
complexity and you've probably made the
wrong choice so with children my sense
is that you know they need that play
that enables them to decide but adults
are supposed to be wise enough so that
the domain of choice that's presented to
them is commensurate with their actual
emotional and cognitive ability so well
I'm wondering what you think of that
formulation yeah I don't think the CH
the four-year-old should be choosing a
tool I don't I think you're in a rush
you need to get him to school get him in
his clothes yes there's that and
sometimes that's the case I'm in the
supermarket and I'm watching parents say
darling what would you like from the
freezer to eat and I'm looking at them
thinking why are you asking them just
take what you want put it in the basket
and go you've got a life you know like
these children who are the center of the
world we need need to ask them what they
think about everything we have to ask
them what would you like to eat put the
spinach and broccoli in front of them
and tell them to eat it and that's what
we do at Michaela they have one Cho they
don't have any choice at lunch they all
eat the same thing and we call it family
lunch and you had lunch with the
children why we why do we call it family
lunch because it's like family dinner
and why is what what used to happen at
family dinner I have to say I don't
think this happens anymore in many
households because everybody's on their
phone or their iPad and they take their
plate of food and they go and sit in
their bedroom but what should be
happening is that you sit around a table
and that you're being Ser you all serve
out the food and you're all eating from
one pot of food and if you don't like it
very much well you suck it up because
that's what it is to be a child okay and
you learn how to eat different foods
because your parents don't let you to
get away with this idea of I'm a free
human being and it's against my human
rights and I should be able to eat what
I want no you shouldn't be able to eat
what you want you're a child now look
that's why people call me strict but
it's because I love them that I think we
should be doing this because by doing
that we teach them how to become adults
be communal and you talk about exactly
you say how you don't want children you
shouldn't bring up children who you're
going to dislike well the more choices
and the more freedom you give them in
that sense the more you're going to
dislike them as adults I mean the fact
is you cannot be friends with your
children when they're children and be
friends with them when they're adults
you have to choose and you should not be
friends with them when they're children
cuz otherwise you're not going to be
you're not going to like them when
they're adults
you are in a position of authority and
you should be molding your child and
helping him with his moral formation and
giving him knowledge and the school
should be doing both as well both moral
formation and giving him knowledge and
where I worry about the libertarian
right is the the the freedoms that they
enjoy amongst adults they then impose
that on children or they don't realize
that that's what they're doing and then
they think oh my goodness but why is it
all these students University are
behaving the way that they do it's
because the schools have not taught them
what to think when I say what to think
giving them the facts about the various
world the world wars giving them the
facts about the history of their country
making them feel as if they belong in
their country and that their history
belongs to them that the geography of
their country is taught to them if on
the otherand the school is convinced
that actually what they need to do is um
teach them how to think and then nobody
can agree on what that looks like
because it's a skill and outside of its
domain of knowledge it cannot be taught
independently it's impossible all you
can do is give children knowledge you
see what those skills are is actually
bits of knowledge and when you give them
lots of bits of knowledge about say the
second world war they are then be able
to piece together what they think of it
now the problem we've got nowadays is
that the schools are teaching them with
a particular ideology in mind so in
Britain for instance I I I see very much
that history lessons in schools they
will be teaching about how the British
were really racist and how the Indian
soldiers who were fighting for Britain
were treated very badly and you know
what I'm not even saying that isn't true
but when it comes to secondary school
children who might have one or two
lessons a week in history and they're
only going to have it for a few years
wouldn't it be it shouldn't the Focus be
uh them knowing 1914 and 1918 shouldn't
the focus be them knowing about Hitler
in the Second World War I mean like like
there there there are certain facts that
the children they've never heard of the
battle of the S they've never heard of
um uh the the details of of the various
key battles in the first world war and
the second world war and they've never
heard of them because they're too busy
being taught stories that are
ideological which will convince them
that the British for instance are racist
or convince them that there were various
important female characters in our
historical history and that that's what
that's what matters and of course
Elizabeth the first absolutely but there
are there are other people that are
brought forward as being very important
when they're not so important but
because they're taught through an
ideological lens uh which is 2024 as
opposed to uh teaching them the basics
of their own history so that they can
feel that they are British
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