What if We Left Children Alone?

When children first come into the world, they are curious about the world. They want to learn.

We don't have to ask them to be interested in things. We don't need to grade them. We don't need to have consequences for not following through on activities. The world is a learning experience.

When kids get older, they go to school. Learning turns into graded assignments and assessments. If students don't follow through on what's expected, something bad happens.

Curiosity and experimentation aren't encouraged so much as the correct answers.

Many books speculate that school stifles our natural love of learning. But we haven't found a better way yet.

School is based on a fear-based approach to learning, but it's one we all grew up with. School, the government, the people, whoever...they all worry that if there isn't a consequence, then we won't be motivated to learn.

And we're too afraid to try a new approach.

But, what if we left children alone?

Ditched the grades and assignments and instead nurtured the curiosity they were born with?

Would society collapse? Would they really have no interest in reading, writing, or math without grades and transcripts to hold them accountable?

Or would we find new answers to questions we never thought to ask? 

Would people grow up to follow the boss's orders, no matter how unreasonable or absurd?

Or would they grow up to create the organizations that change the world?

We'll probably never know the answers to these questions without radical education reform.

But, we can still remind our kids of their natural born learning ability every day. 

Then, just sit back, and see what happens.