We Teach Reading, But Are We Teaching Learning?
Sunday Morning Coffee
I've spent nearly four decades in education, much of it inside correctional facilities, and I've noticed something that has become harder and harder to ignore. We spend an incredible amount of time teaching people to pass tests. We spend far less time teaching them how to learn.
At first glance, those two things might seem like the same goal. They're not. Passing a GED® exam is important. Earning a vocational certification is important. Completing a college course is important. But none of those credentials matter as much if a person leaves prison believing that learning only happens when someone hands them a workbook, tells them exactly what to study, and gives them the answers to memorize.
The world they're returning to doesn't work that way.
The Half-Life of Knowledge
Think about how much has changed in the past ten years:
Artificial intelligence
Online banking
Telehealth
Digital job applications
New trades
New software
New industries
Many of the jobs our students will hold five years from now don't even exist today. The information we teach has a shelf life. The ability to keep learning does not.
That's why I believe one of the most important skills correctional educators can develop isn't reading comprehension or algebra. It's helping students become confident, independent learners.
The Question We Should Be Asking
When I visit correctional classrooms, I often hear educators ask, "Will this be on the test?" It's a fair question. Accountability matters. But I wonder if we should ask another one just as often: "Will this help someone learn something on their own later?"
That question changes everything.
Instead of simply explaining an answer, we might teach students how to find reliable information. Instead of correcting every mistake immediately, we might encourage them to figure out why it happened. Instead of providing every step, we might ask, "Where could you look for that answer?"
Those moments feel slower. hey're actually building something much bigger. They're building self-direction.
Curiosity Is a Muscle
Many incarcerated learners have spent years, sometimes decades, in educational environments where success meant compliance:
Sit quietly
Finish the worksheet
Memorize the material
Pass the test
Then move on
Curiosity wasn't always rewarded
Sometimes it wasn't even safe. So when we ask adults to suddenly become independent learners, we're asking them to use a muscle they may never have had the opportunity to strengthen. That's not a deficit. It's an opportunity!
Every time we encourage someone to ask a question, solve a problem, or explore an idea independently, we're strengthening that muscle. Little by little, they begin to see themselves differently. Not just as students, but as learners.
Learning Doesn't End at the Gate
One of the greatest challenges of reentry is that life becomes a constant classroom.
How do I use this new phone?
How do I navigate a government website?
How do I complete an online job application?
How do I compare health insurance plans?
How do I learn a new software program at work?
How do I budget using an app?
The people who thrive aren't necessarily the ones who remember every lesson from prison. They're the ones who know how to learn the next lesson. That's a completely different kind of education.
Teaching for Independence
As educators, it's tempting to feel successful when students become dependent on us.
They know we'll explain it.
They know we'll solve the problem.
They know we'll have the answer.
But real success looks different. Real success is when a student says, "I figured it out."
Or...
"I looked it up."
Or...
"I didn't know how, but I learned."
Those may be the most powerful words we ever hear, because they signal something bigger than academic achievement. They signal ownership, confidence, and agency.
The Goal Was Never the Test
Of course we want our students to earn credentials. Those credentials open doors that have too often been closed, but if passing the test is where learning ends, we've missed an extraordinary opportunity. Education isn't just about helping someone pass an exam. It's about helping them become the kind of person who believes they can learn whatever comes next. That belief may be the most valuable credential we ever help them earn, and unlike a test score, no one can ever take it away.
Cheers to a wonderful start of the week for you! Enjoy these “lazy days of summer,” and drink more coffee!!! :)
