Why These Students Perform So Well - The Michaela School | Katharine Birbalsingh

Summary

In 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

00:00

🏫 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.

05:01

🤔 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.

10:01

🍽️ 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.

Keywords

💡Selective School

A selective school is an educational institution that admits students based on specific criteria, often related to academic performance or other talents. In the video, the speaker emphasizes that the Michaela school is not selective, meaning it does not limit enrollment to high-performing students, yet still achieves high examination results, challenging the notion that only selective schools can excel.

💡Hyper Performance

Hyper performance refers to the exceptional performance of students, exceeding expectations. The script mentions that despite not being selective, Michaela's students 'hyper perform' on their examinations, which is a key point in the argument that strict educational standards can lead to outstanding outcomes for all students.

💡Strictness

In the context of the video, strictness is associated with high standards and expectations for behavior and performance. The speaker argues that being strict is an expression of love and care for children, as it pushes them to meet high standards and learn virtuous behavior, which is a central theme of the video.

💡Virtuous Behavior

Virtuous behavior encompasses moral actions that are considered good and right, such as kindness and conscientiousness. The video script discusses teaching children to be virtuous by providing examples and non-examples, which is a method to instill moral values and is integral to the school's educational approach.

💡Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychology is a field of psychology that examines the evolution of cognitive mechanisms and behavior in humans. The speaker mentions this field to explain the extended period of human development and the importance of parental and educational guidance in teaching children the necessary skills and values for survival and societal integration.

💡Moral Formation

Moral formation refers to the development of a person's moral character and values. The script argues that parents and teachers should guide children's moral formation by providing knowledge and examples of virtuous behavior, which is a fundamental aspect of the educational philosophy discussed in the video.

💡Freedom of Choice

Freedom of choice is the ability to make decisions without constraints. The video discusses the idea that children should not have unlimited freedom of choice, especially in matters of education and nutrition, as too many options can lead to confusion and poor decisions, and that adults should guide these choices for the benefit of the child.

💡Communal Living

Communal living involves sharing resources and responsibilities within a community. The video uses the concept of 'family lunch' at Michaela school as an example of communal living, where all students eat the same meal, fostering a sense of community and teaching them about shared experiences and cooperation.

💡Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the ability to analyze and evaluate information in a reasoned and objective manner. The script criticizes the focus on teaching 'how to think' without providing the necessary knowledge, arguing that students need to be taught 'what to think' by being given factual knowledge that allows them to develop informed opinions.

💡Ideological Education

Ideological education refers to teaching that is influenced by or promotes a specific set of beliefs or values. The video criticizes schools that teach history and other subjects through an ideological lens, arguing that this approach can distort students' understanding of their own history and culture, and should be replaced with a focus on factual knowledge.

💡Knowledge vs. Skills

The debate between teaching knowledge (factual information) versus skills (abilities to do something) is a central theme in the video. The speaker argues against the notion that schools should primarily teach 'how to think' as a skill, instead advocating for the importance of imparting knowledge about history, geography, and other subjects to enable students to form their own well-informed opinions.

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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