“What’s a thing you wish schools actually taught?”

I have loads of ideas about what schools should be teaching – or rather educating students. But first I want to review what is being “taught”. The word “taught” itself – is a word under pressure; its homophone is taut. So schools focused on what is “taught” are already implying there’s pressure.

The word “teaching” has it’s own resonance that combines ideas of ‘teething’-  a painful inflammatory process of tooth eruption; ‘tea ching’ – energy in a cup of tea subject to growth and harvest; and others.

Students under pressure are in a space of confinement –they sit for hours in a chair – which technically looks like “awkward pose” in yoga.

 Because they are listening to an authority or weighing ideas about someone else’s written words, they aren’t developing their own ideas internally; they’re stifled. They memorize from a teacher’s (limited and vague) ideas focused by some sort of reading material, then quizzed on it. Ideas and opinions must be argued based on other’s words and sources they’ve considered. Nothing about school today brings out their creative self.

Each student has their own preconditioned set of experiences and language based on their home world and lived life; the latter is minimal compared to the rest ahead of them.

The way a teacher resonates (or doesn’t) with words or ideas they’ve already encountered predicts how easily ideas, thoughts, and sentences are understood and exchanged.

Vocabulary words are memorized and have no real-life application or context.

They get marks and grades depending on their performance which are set with the child’s name on a piece of paper called a “report card”. They should get badges instead for competency.

WIth report cards, children are judged from an early age about strentghs and weaknesses – when by and large they’ve navigated few outside worlds they’ve witnessed few applications of stuff they’re learning – especially if it’s abstract and intangible, like chemistry.

Within a family, how these report cards compare with one another – or even with what the parent themselves had “studying the same subjects”, often lead to schisms and hierarchies withing families and amongst neighbors.

With earned badges worn on sash or dangled off a key chain, children come to gradually understand what they like and resonate with from there explore worlds and gain vocabularty.

They already understand the rhythms of home – work and expand from their knowledge base with further classes about “domestic arts”.

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I wish they would seat and sort children by birth sign or element – so each would have their own ‘pod’. The class will come into to modal harmony. Let movement time be incorporated but not the ‘goal’ per se. Schools should be giving students support, useful practical information, and hope.

Adjust the Fengshui colors and soften the halls.

Schools will calm and neighborhoods will brighten.

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History is fascinating but so depends on the point of view its taut, I mean taught, because America is a land for free peoples – however they got there, as it’s taught today it’s not at all helpful.

There’s always one indigenous or minority individual in the class whose family lore will (completely) disagree with the white man’s version of history books. Know how just pissed them of and inspired them.

Those of the victor demographic are inculcated the other was a hapless (aka stoop-ed) victim when the actual story is much more nuanced with roots. Let buildings that lived the tales become museums. And land dedicated to the cause become parks.

So I’d say first of all, we should change schools – a place where families send their progeny to learn initially about the big wide world, and how they might fit into it- usefully in their future lives which they can’t see, from “teaching”, to modeling and practicing.

I want kids to go to a place where they’re stimulated to express inner sovereignty and inner strengths which until now are a big black box.

They should drop the classroom model – and embrace ‘work stations’ instead – where kids gain competence on things that matter and will make them more useful – especially around the house – the place they will spend at least a third of their life.

Incorporate ideas of science, tech, math, and history in this context. These changes are (very) detailed in my essays about the “Souk Kingdom” and “Souk Schools and Adult Community Collective” model. https://drjenwyman-clemons.com/2025/04/25/summary-of-souk-school-and-collective-its-value-and-blessings/

Furthermore, schools today teach newbie hu(e)-mans who basically know almost nothing, to compete against each other both mentally and physically – instead of those who actually have lived outside of their (necessarily biased) home environments. This practice increases biases rather than fostering wisdom and understanding.

Many (like me) are humiliated by the undressing-in-public experience – or at least very uncomfortable.

With such emphasis on physicality – and where one fits in the hierarchy of competitors, AKA “teams”, those less competitive (like me with braces and glasses who hates bodily contact), are left feeling displaced.

If we want a healthier, happier being – which is the foundation of a future healthy happy society, we need to realize that everything carries resonance of how it’s been touched and handled. Every item has its own energetic “lineage”.

For this reason, they shouldn’t be serving meat – unless they lead a blessing first thanking it for its death to feed us. And don’t forget you are what you eat as well- how many cafeterias sing while they prep – or is the atmosphere loud and jangly.

Schools should also teach that 1) our microbiomes are not our enemy, and 2) inflammatory, autoimmune and cancer illnesses are fueled by and large by sugar, iron, and excess nucleic acids. The latter especially is ‘available’ when a substance is highly processed – as in all its components are split apart and now readily available to the digestive tract. Normal chewing a whole food doesn’t release nearly the same quantities easily – and passes undigested out as poop.

I leave sex ed to my “temple of motherhood” and “church of fatherhood” venues in the Souk kingdom. I don’t think it’s helpful to fill kids – who we’re hoping will get an education that will help them contribute to the society at large, with all kinds of opposite sex details. Let there be some mystery. But I wouldn’t hide them either.

Lastly, I agree that practical matters like reading a contract and understanding basic finance are very helpful – especially when applied to a tangible and practical setting. The souk school model with its emphasis on home and garage skills does provide those opportunities.