To many, the idea of a place like Spark seems radical, it seems too idealistic, but for us, it’s simply reality. But why? Why intentionally decide to be on the outskirts of what’s considered “normal” in general society? That very question has been posed to me and everyone that goes here by a plethora of different people in a plethora of different circumstances. At times I understand why, traditional public schooling has become such an ingrained part of modern American society, so much so that it can seem ridiculous to some for us to deviate so far from the conventional model. Let’s examine these questions, let’s examine exactly why year after year, an increasing number of students are searching for alternatives to public school and the techniques that public schools employ.

Now, something that must be understood about the philosophy here is that the desires and intentions of students are fundamental operating principles. The subjects of the student’s interests and the personal goals that the students have for themselves are core to the ideology of Spark and SDE in general. This doesn’t mean that we aren’t aware of the work that must be done to accomplish certain goals or to go down a particular path, but simply that a path isn’t necessarily set, and nor are the goals. Students can curate their daily routines around their specific life plans, and they have facilitators to aid them in whatever it is they want for themselves.

With that in mind, I’ve decided to take a student-led approach to understand the “why” of it all, by asking the students specifically what they enjoy and find fulfilling about Spark. I acknowledge the role that parents have to play in this decision, and the concerns and considerations of parents shouldn’t be ignored. However, all too often the voices of parents and teachers are the only opinions heard in the conversation regarding developmental life, and part of my goal with this blog is to correct that tendency.

Subsequently, I’ve asked some of the students here why exactly they enjoy Spark, and while the answers may not be new to many of us, I think it’s important to understand where these students are coming from with their intentions to go to Spark. The first person I spoke to, Katie, had only gone to public school for a short amount of time before transitioning to homeschooling, and the gratefulness of that shift was evident.

Me: “What do you like about alternative forms of education?”

Katie: “I like the freedom it gives you to do what you’re actual interests are like if you’re focused on art or chemistry, you have a lot more time to focus on what your interests are”

Me: “That’s a good point, I know I couldn’t study philosophy as much as I wanted until I started homeschooling. Why did you decide to go to Spark, specifically”

Katie: “It has great optional electives and a balance of traditional academics and time for special interests.”

Me: “Ok, I see, so it’s like a good in-between space, for doing your own thing, and doing traditional school stuff”

Katie: “Exactly.”

Me: “Have you ever gone to a traditional public school, if so, why did you leave?”

Katie: “The testing was getting overwhelming, it felt like you were kind of learning just to take a test, with math especially. And there was also a lot of homework, so even when I got home, it still took up a lot of time to finish.”

Me: “Yeah, no, it feels like that a lot of the time, like your whole life becomes school”

Katie: “Yeah, so like I didn’t have enough time to do what I wanted, even after I got home”

Me: “I understand that completely. What would you say the traditional public school could learn from spark?”

Katie: “I think they can learn to balance the freedom of being able to work on your own goals as well as the academic stuff. Also, get rid of competitive stress, here I don’t feel any competitive pressure. Like if you’re at a certain level in a subject, in public school there’s more judgment if you’re not at the same level as other people.”

Me: “I see that, that’s a great observation. I have one more question for you before I wrap everything up. What do you feel like Spark provides that simply homeschooling wouldn’t?”

Katie: “Here you get to interact with your classmates as you work. For me, having peers helps me work. And you get the social aspect, which otherwise you’d have to go out of your way to get if you’re just at home.”

Me: “That’s fair, it wasn’t easy for me to socialize when I was homeschooled. And thank you Katie for your time, you gave great answers.”

Katie: “Yeah, of course, thank you for the interview, I’m sure it will be a good blog.”

There are so many things to be taken from this short conversation. I think that this is an amazing example of the autonomy and understanding that the youth have for which they often aren’t given credit. However, I know how often kids’ attitudes towards schooling are dismissed, so let’s examine some of these answers, and treat these common ideas about the schooling system with the seriousness that they deserve.

I simply began by asking about alternative education in general, anything that’s not a public school, and I feel as though her thoughts on that are reflected in a lot of common gripes that most kids have with public school. We just have to consider them. There must be a time when genuine intrinsic desires regarding where a child wants their life to go are considered.

I then inquired about the purposes of enrolling in Spark specifically, and I find that this conversation, in particular, is great for illustrating what I mean when I speak about motivations and intrinsically set goals. An appreciation for the ability to pursue personal objectives is crucial to the principles here. The idea that traditional academics are an indispensable aspect of advancement as a teenager isn’t what we subscribe to here, we merely allow for that mix of conventional academics, and a free-flowing curriculum when that mix fits the aspirations of the particular person. Katie has that mixture, many students do, but many of the students don’t, and some of the students have a less conventional life path, and just enabling those variations is what’s so valued about the offering.

With this next question, we not only see the ideologies of Spark in effect but also the specific practices that help the kids feel that those ideas are implemented. The lives of Spark attendees are considered in the workload given, so as not to intervene with the mental health of the teenagers here, and to let Spark be a place where personal goal-setting is the biggest contributing factor as to how much traditional academia a student does. In addition to that difference in a practical sense, there is a much more fundamental variation here. Considering that much of public schooling is extrinsically motivated, an association can happen, in which over time kids begin to correlate the idea of learning with an end goal of taking, and passing, a test. Sadly, there is little done in a conventional learning environment to deter that feeling, and it can completely drain kids of their internal curiosity. We can’t criticize students for their lack of a desire to consciously learn when we put them in an environment that teaches them that learning is for a specific time to accomplish a specific goal.

Now, in my view, Katie’s feelings about what public school could learn from Spark cut to the essence of one of the biggest motives for Spark as an alternative. It’s a comfortable space. We are less burdened by the competitive nature of traditional schools, so we’re able to grow and learn at a pace that works best for us. This is a collective effort, not only do the facilitators allow for more flexibility and community-mindedness but also the students, now able to set their objectives as they please, feel less as though there is a race where some are near the finish line and some aren’t. Instead, it’s more so that everyone’s balance of academics and personal goals suits them best to reach wherever it is they want to go.

My final question is one that I truly enjoy the answer to, but perhaps not for traditional reasons. While I did find it difficult to socialize when homeschooled, I don’t believe that it’s impossible, I simply think that it requires something that is often lacking in American culture, community. Any space with mixed-age, like-minded people, where one can enjoy the buzz of relationships, reciprocity, and the ability to socialize as one pleases. I understand what it’s like to feel like leaving public school means leaving behind a social life, but let’s analyze why that feeling occurs, and understand that every desired attribute of socialization within public schooling can be applied to any community-based environment. In doing so, we allow our minds to imagine that a place like Spark can enjoy the social benefits of any other school due to our longing for a community-based atmosphere for kids and teens. And I think that that’s what’s important here.

In conclusion, I wanted to spotlight one of our many bright students here, to encourage their voices in this conversation and shed some light on the purposes of Spark. Both from students directly, and with a little bit of analysis. Hopefully, now, after hearing the perspective of a real-life student that attends Spark, those who didn’t fully understand the significant power that an overall intrinsically motivated and community-minded atmosphere has, can begin to see The “Why'” of it all.

 

Blog post written and interview conducted by Phoenix McQueen, 11th grade learner at Spark ALC