I've always been fascinated with the approaches that schools take to educating their students. For a time long ago, I was responsible for curriculum evaluation at the graduate school level. It was a real joy not only to teach but also to think about teaching. Good schools provide excellent material, but they also consider how it is that people learn and the best ways to help that happen.
With that background in mind, I've spent the past year trying to get my mind around the unique approach that Sarah Lawrence College takes to education. I've been told that the school is modeled on the British system, but it's actually not an exact copy of that either. I'm sure that other schools are unique in other ways, but I have never seen anything quite like the program that Sarah Lawrence offers.
With the help of an assigned don (kind of a cross between a mentor, an adviser, and a tutor), each student essentially designs his or her own curriculum. There are, of course, some general guidelines, but the flexibility is remarkable. Students must balance seminars and lecture courses. And they must take a certain number of courses in several different broad fields. Beyond that, though, they are free to piece together a plan that they create (pending the approval of their don).
Perhaps most unique is the registration process itself. Starting on the first day, students sign up for interviews with professors. Even as students are attempting to select their classes, professors are busy selecting their students. After a few days, the students submit their choices - and the professors submit theirs! And that process might move through several stages until each student has an academic plan for the semester.
That's what Molly has been doing all week.
I remember how stressful the process was last year. In fact, a few days ago we watched the new first-year students scurrying around campus trying to make sense of the whole thing. Simply figuring out what to do is generally overwhelming. The school provides guidance, of course, but the philosophy is pretty much a "figure it out on your own" approach. And that's intentional, not careless or accidental. The school is explicit in arguing that school should be as much like life as possible - and that "figure it out on your own" is often exactly how life is.
Now that we know how it all works, Julie and I talk with Molly all through the first week about her choices, her interviews, and her auditions. Molly says that she wants our advice - but mostly, I think, she just wants to talk it all through with us. This afternoon she turned in her list of desired classes, and what she submitted looks great to me. In fact, it makes me wish I were in college again! Early Saturday morning, lists will be posted and Molly will know then if she needs to go through the process again to fill in some gaps. But we're hopeful that she will get everything she has asked for.
Through this process, I am once again reminded of the gift of modern technology. What a wonder that we can text and talk instantly. And all day, Molly has been talking with her don - who happens to be somewhere in Africa this semester. Even from Africa, her don offered excellent counsel and will sign off on Molly's choices.
When I was in college, I didn't have that kind of personal guidance. And I had lots of options in terms of my academic program, but I had plenty of requirements as well. Molly, on the other hand, is building her own curriculum piece by piece. And for somebody like Molly, that's about as good as it gets.
For my part, I just love the fact that I get to be part of the conversation too. I won't be reading the books, writing the papers, or memorizing the lines - but it's great to have a say in choosing the courses.