The Child’s Work

Scientists tell us that generally speaking, in our current society by the time our children are 8 years old most of them want to avoid work whenever possible.  They associate what makes them feel bad with work and whatever makes them feel good as play or recreation.  I wonder how many adults share this belief? Work may be defined as:

That which meet the requirements of the craft.

  Is socially useful and valued.

  Is personally rewarding.

I used to figure that 2 out of 3 wasn’t so bad—but I have changed my mind.

Here at Ridgeline we want our students to engage in serious or deep work. This will produce great joy on the part of the worker.  It is the kind of joy I see here daily as maps or times tables are mastered.  The thrill of helping someone else learn a new skill or concept brings deep satisfaction.  Do these students realize that this is work?  Maybe not.  “This is not work, this is fun.”  Yes, yes it is work and yes, work can be fun. We need to assist students in the realization that work can be fulfilling.  Think of a worker (or yourself) who meets the above 3 criteria for work.  Those are the kind of students we wish to produce at Ridgeline.  These will be the future workers in out society who will derive satisfaction out of what they do.  They will not suffer from “burn out” and will not miss many days on the job. 

Our 8 year olds should not have a negative view of work. Whether they are pouring juice, mopping up a spill, dusting, polishing or doing research on a famous person, the staff makes every effort to relate these activities to the definition of good work.

“Flow” was a new vocabulary word I learned at the Portland conference. It is what I experience when I am cleaning out the barn.span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  It is a balance between skill and challenge.  When the skill level of the worker matches the challenge of the task at hand, then one experience “flow”.  What happens when skill is much higher than challenge?—boredom.  And what might occur when the challenge is higher than the skill level?—frustration.  That is why cleaning the barn is in my “flow” range.  The challenge matches my skill level perfectly.  (The big question—is this socially useful and valued?)