Eight Characteristics of a Humane School

Abstract

The greatest plague of a school is boredom—still today. And it cannot be relieved by human communication. Indeed one could say that that would even deprive pupils of a tried and proven domain where they can exercise their day-to-day imagination, their material and social intelligence: namely "annoying teachers," cunning resistance to the "enemy," deft evasion of burdensome demands. If we desire to provide instruction in which learning is not just momentary fun to be had in subjects which require no effort, but rather something which offers continuous thrills in important subjects, something really enjoyable, we would be well advised to fashion for ourselves a broad notion of methodology of instruction, or didactics. Didactics is not a theory of efficient utilization of time, of the rules of correct teaching, or of how prescribed goals can be confidently achieved. I even doubt that this art can, strictly speaking, be taught. On the other hand, "to learn didactics" must mean to acquire an arsenal of subjects defined in such a way that they permit questioning, demonstrations, practice, such as is needed for classroom purposes and not merely for writing an article for an encyclopedia or for continuing with research. Didactics would then be a matter of providing an occupational skill for children. Despite the current clichés, I insist that methods prescribe materials that I personally have refashioned for my teaching purposes to permit improvisation for the students' sake.