Rigor and joy

In the past I've mentioned that joy can provide a means through which we can observe and measure student and school success. I proposed a Beaufort-like scale to observe and measure joy. But joy is not just a happy thing. It fits in balance with effort and manageable frustration. In the late 1970s I had product cards printed (Thanks Jacquie Froelich) to be given along with the sale of my boxes. In the text I noted that frustration was an inevitable part of the process of growth, and that without the balance it provides the moments of joy we find are without context. How much sweeter is success when it arrives through serious effort than when it's delivered without.

So schooling is not just a process of passing a child from one happy day to another, but one of presenting obstacles and a path forward to build toward transcendence.

You can witness joy in the happy faces of children at play. A parent can see it in the excitement their child expresses for going to school each day. An observer in school will see it clearly through the students' engagement in learning. Students can even witness it in themselves and in others, so clearly, joy would be a better measurement of school success than standardized tests.

And then there's the other side. In order for joy to have value and greater meaning it requires some obstacles having been in the path, some expenditure of effort and resolve.

That's where craftsmanship comes in, and the use of the principles of Educational Sloyd to establish rigor. Educational Sloyd had a model series for the students to complete. Each model was to bring the students from a reasonable starting point, in a direction that challenged their growth and then further growth. If we look at the model series today, and for the wide range of students, so many of whom have no knowledge of craftsmanship, the use of simple tools or the growth of character and intellect required, the models seem incredibly difficult (or impossible). But the quest for joy demands rigor and growth. What satisfied the craftsman's need for growth today will not suffice for tomorrow and will bring less joy.

This all demands further clarification. Join me in thinking of these things.

Make, fix and create...