Stranding small children on desert islands

My very good friend, a fellow educator, sent me this quote yesterday, saying that when he read it, he thought of me and my teaching style:

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood,

and don’t assign them tasks and work.

But rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.

– Antoine De Saint-Exupery

It was an incredible thoughtful and humbling gesture, and there is certainly is true that this quote closely matches my my belief system, but because I’m me, I decided to re-write the quote a bit to more closely reflect my educational philosophy:

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood,

and don’t assign them tasks and work.

But rather strand them on a desert island with limited resources and wish them luck.

People are far more capable than we think.

– Matthew Dicks

The thing about my version of the quote is that it allows me to exert far less time and energy. It’s essentially education through delegation and desperation, and while I would never think of stranding my ten year-old students on a desert island, I am not opposed to assigning them incredibly challenging tasks with strict timelines and then attempting to offer them as little support as possible.

You’d be surprised when kids can do when given the opportunity and impetus.

Children are far more capable than we – and more importantly – they think.