Education After the Collapse: School When There Is No Classroom

by Mac Slavo
SHTF Plan

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For those of us paying attention to what’s happening in the world around us, the coming collapse is a foregone conclusion. All signs point to the inevitable: that an event, or series of events, will soon lead the world into what can be described as a modern period of the Dark Ages. Food will become scarce, violence will thrive, disease will spread, governments will turn on their people, and the fragile social fabric that has maintained relative peace throughout the Western world will unravel.

As Todd Sepulveda writes in his latest e-book, Education After the Collapse:

It’s only in the movies, apocalypse. I hope so. But what if?

It’s not too hard to make the jump from our nice manicured lawns, suburban neighborhoods, Starbucks, 401K lives. On any given day TEOTWAWKI (The end of the world as we know it) can happen. Yes, this happens frequently on an individual or family level: losing a loved one, major medical situation, loss of a job, etc. However, it is not in the scope of this book to talk about those specific situations, or on a small level. The focus of this book is on “the big one.”

The big one could be a great number of things. A quick search on the internet will bring you a wide variety of scenarios. Or, just take a look at Matthew Stein’s article “Six Trends Converging on Collapse.” (Stein)

Even if we don’t ever have the “big one,” we are living unsustainable lives in which at some point, it will all come to a head.

Many of us prepare for ‘the big one.’ It really can come at anytime. And when it does those of us who saw it coming will have ample supplies of food, off-grid tools, homesteading skills and contingencies to deal with the inevitable hordes that will come looking to take what they failed to prepare.

One oft overlooked aspect of the aftermath of collapse, however, is the development of skills and education for the next generation – our kids and grandchildren. If the existing paradigm were to collapse, how will we raise those who will take over when we’re gone? What will we teach them?

Todd Sepulveda tackles this subject with his latest project, Education that Matters (www.EDthatmatters.com), and discusses some key strategies for addressing the issue in his primer on Education After the Collapse (free e-book download).

As an educator, administrator, preacher and prepper, Todd sets the stage for a preparedness aspect that simply cannot be ignored. If it all does come crashing down, will we let all of our knowledge die with us? Will the math, the science, the history, the novels, the art, the study of human nature, religion and our spirituality go the way of the Library of Alexandria, to be forever lost in a pile of ash and rubble? Or will we pass on the centuries of acquired human knowledge to our children, so that they can help to rebuild a once great civilization?

After the collapse we’ll have the opportunity to create a new system of education – one that doesn’t put 30 children in a classroom for hours at a time and forces them to digest materials that boar them to sleep or that they will never use. We’ll have the chance to integrate their education into their lifestyles. It’ll be a chance to start over with novel methods of teaching, something Education After the Collapse takes note of:

One size doesn’t fit all – They say that schools and churches are the slowest industries to reform. I have experience in both, and the statement is true. Our current form of education is based on the industrial revolution, when factories needed workers for the assembly lines.

Students start their “shifts” at the same time, sit in straight lines, go to lunch, recess, sit in straight lines again and go home. The same is repeated 5 days a week!

What worked for you in your day, might not be the best learning environment for your child. Yes, there needs to be structure: a place to work, a time frame to do it in, work that should be accomplished. But that place doesn’t need to look like a traditional school house or desk. Your child might work better outside in the fresh air. Sitting in a chair for 7 hours might not be the best thing for your child either. Could you do that? They need frequent breaks and time to process what has been learned before jumping to the next thing. There should be work, but working through a workbook might not be the answer.

Whatever the structure looks like, it should be established and revisited to find the optimal learning environment for your child.

With all of the time and effort you’ve spent on traditional preparedness-minded supplies, how much thought have you given to the educational aspects of post-collapse survival?

Our children will certainly learn how to grow or hunt for their own food, raise livestock, how to defend themselves, and how to utilize tools at homesteads and retreats. But what about the other skills? We’ve all gone to school and likely have a moderate to high level of education in mathematics and reading, but will we remember it all so that we can pass on this critical information?

Having age-appropriate educational materials on hand is certainly a plus. Considering alternatives, such as returning to tutor and apprentice style educational formats will perhaps be even more important. Most of us are not trained educators, but each of us has skills, ideas and belief systems we can share and pass on to others.

Basic education is a must, as the world will recover in time.

At ED That Matters, Todd shares his insights, as well the insights of other educators to help prepare all of us for when there are no classrooms.

We strongly suggest you read his e-book to gather some initial ideas on where to start, and follow his web site for a continuing education…on education.

Surviving won’t be enough. We must also learn to thrive in a new world that will need to be built from the ground up. It’s our children that will be doing the heavy lifting. We should, thus, give them every opportunity to succeed.

Resources:

Todd Sepulveda is the web master of the popular daily destination for all things preparedness at Prepper Website.

In addition to his work on post-collapse education (www.EDthatMatters.com), Todd is also involved in the permanent archiving of essential preparedness and survival resources via the The Preparedness Review web site (a proverbial Library of Alexandria for Preppers).

Education After the Collapse – E-book Download

Reprinted from SHTF Plan.

September 27, 2012

Mac Slavo [send him mail] is a small business owner and independent investor.

Copyright © 2012 Mac Slavo

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