Example: Art Oriented Schooling

Illustrating the variety of possible schools under a single core mission & curriculum, would take more than one example. So, in addition to the technological school, we can consider an art school.

For parents who have faith in the human spirit as it presents itself through culture, and for parents who just noticed their child's artistic tendencies, it would make sense to consider a school that will give the child training in that direction.

Reading 19^th century novels, one gets the sense that many upper class girls were "cultured" by being taught various forms of art. This can be a good starting point for getting ideas of what and how to teach. Of course the attitude should be reexamined in light of modern thinking and needs: The aim is no longer only to groom pleasantly entertaining young women, but to give those people with a talent, a great framework to develop their talent to its fullest. We are also more likely to be more specialized in the choice of artistic specialty for the students.

There are many different forms of art, and with them there can be different emphases in an art-school: Music, literature, painting, sculpting, dance, and many new forms of art, such as Animation, Cinema, etc. For simplicity's sake, let's focus on literature as an example.

In a literature-oriented course of study in an art school, it may be a good idea to give children the chance to learn several languages. I am often frustrated that I need to read a translation of a book, and therefore to be limited to what someone understood of the writing, rather than what the writer had to say. It would be great to read Goethe in the original German, Shakespeare in the original English, Sartre in French, Sophocles in ancient Greek, Murasaki Shikibu in Japanese, etc. Being able to speak and read several languages may sound very strange to a modern English speaker, but it is quite doable - many people I know speak 3-4-5 languages. We can start at an early age - maybe 3-4 - and exposing the children to different languages through play.

Having the basic faculty for reading - the language - such pupils should have the time to read. This brings up a conversation I had with someone who went through a different education system than mine - a stricter one: I said that at school we once had to read a story by O. Henry. It took the other person a moment to ask "What do you mean 'a' story? We read every word the guy ever wrote." Maybe this was too much for general education, but it seems like a very good idea for someone making literature their main subject of study. Reading, going through paintings, listening to music, etc. All these can be done thoroughly and profoundly, almost at any age.

Those kids who are learning mainly literature can benefit from an expanded sense of history, to put the literature in context. Maybe also issues of politics, psychology and marketing. Ah! Marketing and Sales! Wouldn't it be nice if the students learn what it takes to become financially successful in the arts? They don't have to take that route when they grow up, but just having the option would be nice - we don't need this school to create only starving artists.

Public speaking is a useful skill. Not just for giving lectures, but for getting into a mindset of conveying ideas and emotions to others. Maybe also group discussions with an emphasis on philosophy, which seems to be useful when discussing art.

Another general skill is that of artistic criticism: Dishing it out, as well as dealing with it when it is thrown your way.

Beyond 'rithmetic: Most artists don't need any calculus, but they often deal with complex symmetries. There is some connection between music and mathematical patterns. Also, for the visual artists, geometry may help exercise relevant parts of the brain. This would need much more attention from people who have a great understanding in art and how the brain functions. I personally don't really know anything about the arts - I don't even always know what I likes.

... And lots of relevant practice in their own chosen domain: Writing different types of essays, stories, novels, haiku - anything - and getting the opinion of peers and of experts the children accept as such.