Edition 1.0
Table of Contents
1.3.2
Secondary Student Volunteers
1.3.5
Continued Education Volunteers
1.3.6
Long-Term Dependant Volunteers
2.3.1
Secondary Care Facilities
2.3.2
Higher Education Facilities
2.5.2
Quiet Play and Study Space
2.7.1
Conservative Family Structure
2.7.2
Liberal Family Structure
2.7.3
Community Family Structure
2.9
Infrastructure Arrangements
3.1.2
Harm of Regular Uniform Formal Testing.
3.1.3
Student-Teacher Communication
3.1.5
Primary Graduation Examinations
3.1.5.4
Detecting Problems Early
3.6
Children with Special Needs
4.2.4
Supporting Other Schools
4.2.6
Poorly Performing Schools
4.3.1
Conventional Secondary Care
4.3.2
Integrated Secondary Care
4.3.3
Home-Schooled Secondary Education
4.5
Supporting Volunteer Programs
4.5.1
Continued Education Volunteers
4.5.2
Long-Term Dependent Volunteers
Children who are full time members of the Primary Care Institution are those that have not yet passed the Primary Graduation Examinations, or that are not socially or emotionally ready to advance to Secondary Care.
Children who have advanced to Secondary Care are those that have passed the Primary Graduation Examinations and have decided that they are ready to move on to the Secondary Care Institution. Such children are still involved at the Primary Care level though in a different way than Primary Care children. Their involvement in the institution is described later.
An Apprentice will often begin as a student teacher attending a higher education institution. When the Apprentice has adjusted to their environment they should be considered second in authority only to the Head of House and should hold the respect of other volunteers. The apprentice acts as tutor and educational facilitator, helping children with their individual activities and leading small group activities. Apprenticeship will generally last for many years, and often when the Head of House retires the apprentice will take their place. Apprentice should be a paid position.
A Journeyman is essentially a visiting Apprentice. The Journeyman is mainly an observer, occasionally facilitating both the Head of House and the Apprentice in their activities. Journeymen travel to other schools to gain a more diverse perspective on education. Journeyman should be a paid position, or at the very least room and board should be provided for the Journeyman throughout their stay.
The Head of House is the central adult figure for a group of children while they are in the childcare facility. They are responsible for all aspects of managing their portion of the facility. They are responsible for managing both paid and unpaid assistants within their portion of the facility. They are responsible for ensuring the well balanced education and care of the children both belonging to and visiting their portion of the facility. This responsibility does not mean that they do all the work themselves. When things are going well they will simply be participating in the well functioning institution as if they were just another assistant. However, when things go wrong they play the role of disciplinarian or leader, laying down the law and delegating what actions need to be taken to get things back on track. The Head of House will also generally take a lead role in organizing and executing large projects and lectures which may involve most or all of their children. Each Head of House will generally have one specialty, and therefore act as Specialist for that subject. Doing so encouraged students to mingle between Houses. A Head of House is discouraged from having more than one specialty as the extra duties would likely take too much of their time.
The assistants help children with simple problems and questions. They teach smaller groups of children lessons. They provide an extra set of eyes to watch the children, making sure that nothing bad happens. Finally they add to the diversity within the house.
Most Heads of House will have a specialty and will act as the specialist for a given field. Subjects for which no Head of House is Specialist may require a paid Specialist Assistant not belonging to any particular House. Specialists are those with somewhat more advanced and complete knowledge in a given field of study or skill. It is the job of the specialist to answer more advanced questions and provide a more advanced education within their field of specialty. This means that as children develop more advanced skills and knowledge they will spend more time with a more diverse cross-section of the staff. Specialists that are not Head of House may have more than one specialty.
As children age and develop they generally advance to Secondary Education, though their involvement at the Primary Care institution need not end. They should continue to take an active part in the community of their House as long as they have time. They may simply be doing homework there, or hanging out there with their friends. Whether they are actively involved in the care of the younger children or not, their presence adds to the atmosphere and, again, at least provides another set of eyes and an occasional helping hand. This involvement would be great for older children that may want to be teachers later in life, or simply desire the experience for when they will have their own children some day.
Secondary children may get involved in this either through simply continuing to spend time at their old house, or if they never attended the facility through some kind of secondary level club or organization. It may even be worthwhile for such a program to be part of the education for all secondary level children.
Some adults may wish to volunteer in a House. So long as the space is not already too crowded with children and volunteers, they should be accepted. However, the head of house should make certain that the adult volunteers are generally educated enough to be helpful to the students.
Some parents may wish to have a more active roll in the care and education of their children, particularly for very young children and infants. This institution should encourage parents to do so while the children participate in the institution by allowing any parent to volunteer at the facility. This arrangement gives new parents support, help, and advice while they raise their first child. It also can help give parents confidence that the institution will work for their child as they will be able to see it functioning for themselves, making them more comfortable if they choose to transition back to full-time employment. It should be expected that these volunteers play favorites with their own children, but they should also be expected to at least help out with the other children. If the institution relies on tuition, consider giving a discount to the children of parents who volunteer.
It is an unfortunate truth that many adults come from educational backgrounds that are poor to say the least. This can mean a constant challenge throughout life, struggling with what society or their parents failed to give them and what they did not successfully pursue independently. Currently there is little prospect of a “do-over” for people from such backgrounds. However, there doesn’t seem to be any reason why such adults should not get a second chance at their education, if they truly want one.
Schools that follow this plan should be encouraged to accept adults from poor educational backgrounds as volunteers. This gives these people a second chance in a way that respects them as adults and can minimize their embarrassment over their background or past mistakes. These individuals also add to the community of the facility. They can provide diverse perspectives. They give students more opportunity to explain what they know as these volunteers learn it along-side them; increasing the chance the children will understand and retain what they learn. Their presence also reduces discrimination and ignorance by exposing children to the fact that society is not perfect, raising awareness of concerns of poverty and discrimination, and showing the children that these problems are not to be ignored.
Some people with particularly special needs may never become fully independent members of society. As children these people may have a lot of trouble overcoming challenges like Primary Graduation Examinations. For such people there is no reason not to extend their stay at the Primary Care Institution beyond the normal expectations for the age at which one advances to the next level of education. As these children get older and it becomes apparent that they will never be fully independent, their role can shift from that of student to that of assistant. While they might be taken advantage of in adult society, here they can comfortably participate in a kind of community that they are well adjusted to. Having learned basic skills and concepts they can teach other children, and often in creative or unique ways. Many such children are particularly talented in one area. Continuing to stay with their Primary Care Institution gives them the luxury to pursue that interest while the children benefit from their great expertise in that field. Even if such an individual does not have a field of particular expertise, it would not be too costly to keep them with the institution and provide for their needs, and they would add to the atmosphere of the institution furthering the sense of diversity.
The elderly are an important part of child rearing in many societies. Elderly people who are no longer able to contribute economically to society and even those who rely on others to help fill their needs can still play a positive role in child rearing. The elderly have a whole lifetime of experience and for many that experience leads to wisdom which can be shared with the children. Even if they lack wisdom, merely sharing their experiences with the children can be very beneficial. The presence of the elderly also helps children grasp the cycle of life, helping them to understand that their actions have far reaching consequences. Also, helping to fulfill the needs of the elderly can be a significant challenge for the children, and can teach them responsibility.
The involvement of the elderly is beneficial for the elderly as well. It gives them something to live for and provides them with daily mental and social stimulation. The children can also help to fulfill the needs of the elderly, potentially making involvement in such an institution cheaper than a nursing home.
Each institution is divided into several Houses. Each House should have approximately the same number of students, with equal proportions of students of each age. Generally there should be no more than 100 and no less than 50 students per House. Each House has one Head of House who is in charge of the facility. Each House will have at least one Apprentice or Journeyman at all times, occasionally a house may have one of each, but a house should generally not have more than one Apprentice. Children are not separated into grade levels and classes are not distinguished by subject matter. The environment is one of open-ended and continuous education motivated by student interest. The mechanisms used to facilitate the children’s care and education will be described later.
Children will generally spend the duration of their Primary education in the same House. If there are irreconcilable conflicts between a student and any members of the House then it may be fair to consider allowing the child to change houses. In general changing houses is a choice the child makes, though the teachers and assistants should encourage the child to resolve problems rather than run from them.
Each house represents a family for the children while they are at school. Such houses could also provide a more lasting social environment than constantly switching classes and teachers. This means that children must deal with dynamic and persistent personalities. They cannot simply wait out the year and hope they are in a better situation next time. They are forced to deal with their problems, and further they can see and be a part of a continuously changing social atmosphere, rather than a segmented one. Such an arrangement also provides for a source of continuous competition between Houses, which, if well managed by the staff, can be kept healthy and lighthearted. It is important therefore that the different houses be open to each other and not secluded self-interested societies.
It is also important to remember that one of the goals of this child care system is to encourage a sense of independence. In that spirit it makes sense that each child’s education be individualized. Each child will learn new material as they are ready to learn new material. The main reason for separating children into age groups is to unify their lessons, allowing teachers to give lectures to larger groups, saving time and money. But with an emphasis on individual education and independent study, this separation becomes unnecessary. A more individualized child care system benefits from a more diverse community of peers, unlike a uniform child care system which benefits from a uniform community of peers.
Assistants do not belong to any particular house. Generally they should be evenly distributed throughout a given institution, but they will go where they are needed most and where they can provide the most assistance. Each institution may have as many assistants as they can accommodate, afford, or who are willing to volunteer. Most institutions should have at least a few assistants. Each institution should have at least as many assistants as they need to fulfill specialist roles that are not fulfilled by a Head of House.
A secondary care institution should be heavily connected to the primary care institution. Interested children may and should be encouraged to become involved in secondary organizations. These organizations should be willing to accept these children because these children may one day be members of the organization.
Higher education facilities may be available. Generally such facilities would perform community college level functions. This might be a source of higher level reading material and, in some cases, student teachers. Otherwise the higher education facilities have little impact on primary care.
Large facilities, particularly in remote areas or engaging in an overnight program, may desire more expanded healthcare capacities. Such facilities should be able to handle all routine healthcare needs and most emergency needs, and at least be able to stabilize a patient before sending them to a larger hospital.
Having access to expanded healthcare may also provide access to greater expertise regarding human health and anatomy. At the primary level the workers of the healthcare facility should be encouraged to honestly answer questions and share their expertise with the children.
If the elderly work and live at the school it would be beneficial to have geriatric facilities on hand. This is especially the case for larger institutions that incorporate the help of many elderly volunteers.
The House should be structured like a home. Houses could be separate buildings (and should be if possible) or all in the same building but with different groups of rooms representing different Houses.
Houses need not be constructed as fortresses. They can be built out of ordinary home building materials or whatever is cheapest and easiest for initial construction. Children learn from doing, so a facility that requires maintenance allows for more opportunity to learn.
Each House has many different spaces as described below. There may be more than one of each type of space depending on how many children are in the House and how big the rooms are. If there are multiple rooms of a certain type then they may serve slightly different purposes.
The Loud Play space is the equivalent of the recreation room in some houses. This is where conversational and interactive games are kept and where any gaming equipment likes ping-pong tables are stored.
Quiet Spaces are where children can go to quietly read or engage in more serious and quieter conversation. Such spaces should be well organized with supplies and learning materials in specific places so that every child knows where to look for materials they may need.
Each House should have its own kitchen, big enough for several children to be using at the same time. The kitchen should be stocked with all the food children need to eat on a daily basis, as this is where the children produce most of the food they will eat. The kitchen should also be equipped to handle the small stature of the children without inconveniencing the adults.
If possible, each homeroom should have its own bathroom. The children of that homeroom are responsible for its cleanliness.
Every homeroom needs certain tools and supplies for cleaning and repairing the internal and external structure.
If possible dormitories should be available so that the children can stay overnight. Preferably the dormitories should be separated by House and attached to each corresponding House so that the sense of unity can be emphasized.
If dormitories are available for the Primary Care Institution, then Secondary Care students should continue to live in the dormitories and participate in the morning and evening activities of their House even as they attend the Secondary Care Institution.
Dormitories should also be provided for the elderly and other assistants that may need them. This ensures that there are always responsible adults on hand, even at night when the main teaching staff has gone home. Responsible Secondary Care children should also help take care of their younger peers in the evening hours.
Generally Parent Volunteers will have their own local living situations and so should not be offered dormitory space. However, some Parent Volunteers may live far from the institution, and the institution should try to accommodate these parents while they are assisting at the facility.
Assistants or Elderly who take advantage of dormitories directly associated with the institution should be expected to help care for the children and watch the children throughout the day, including during the evenings, mornings, and should anything happen during the night.
Dormitories are perhaps the single most important non-essential aspect of the institution. If the society and community in which the Primary Care Institution resides will not tolerate a residential care philosophy, then it can be disposed of. However an overnight program has many benefits. The consistency in the environment helps reinforce the atmosphere being developed. Children gain a sense of ownership and belonging with regard to the educational institution rather than a sense of obligation. Parents can also be benefited by this as it gives them the freedom to pursue their occupation on whatever schedule their occupation demands without neglecting their children’s needs. Even if the Primary Institution is only a few miles from home it is highly recommended that residential care is implemented. Children can easily go home on weekends or even for dinner or other activities as often as the parents like, but the freedom parents are given by residential care, and the sense of community and ownership the children receive are very important.
Each homeroom may have a little garden or play space if homerooms are separate buildings, but in general outdoor spaces should be common to all the Houses at an institution. In many cases outdoor spaces will be borrowed by the children for certain times of the day or certain occasions, and may belong to a secondary care institution, a higher education institution, or the local community government. If the outdoor spaces are not owned by the community, the primary institution should consider allow the spaces to be used by the local community whenever the primary institution is not using them for a specific purpose.
Natural terrain means a park with local flora and fauna. Such spaces engender respect for nature and a feeling of belonging to nature. Without such spaces children can loose respect for nature or even become repulsed by nature. A society that has no respect for nature and feels no attachment to the natural world is dangerous. A responsible people understand the balance between man and nature.
Natural Terrain can be used both for child directed play and for guided hikes and nature walks. For localities where abundant and immediately accessible natural terrain is impractical or impossible, the children should be taken regularly on field trips to nearby parks for activities involving interaction with the natural world.
Fields in this context are open spaces that can host varied sports or other recreational activities. It is important that children have some open outdoor spaces for physical activities. Large open spaces afford a greater diversity of activities and give the children more space to run and play in. If the locality will not allow for large open grassy spaces, then the children should at least have some sort of open outdoor space on which to play physically.
Paved surfaces can be used for various sports and games. These paved surfaces could simply be basketball courts, but should be multi-purpose. A gymnasium could also fulfill this purpose, but more open outdoor spaces have advantages for undirected physical play.
Other sports venues may include tennis courts, beach volleyball, golf, and so on. In general primary aged children are less likely to engage in such activities unless they find them particularly interesting. Even so, only very wealthy primary schools will have ownership of these sorts of facilities, and it is far more likely that such facilities would be owned by the secondary institution or some other local institution. Secondary level organizations should be encouraged to adopt and teach talented or interested primary children as these children may one day be members of that sports team.
Playgrounds should consist of classic playground obstacle course objects, such as slides, monkey bars, fire poles, balance beams and such which can challenge children physically.
Playground objects that are not obstacle oriented should be abstract rather than themed. A metal frame of a fire truck is a metal frame of a fire truck; creativity is discouraged. An object with no intended theme, or with a simplified or abstracted theme, is more likely to encourage creativity as the children approach it and decide what it is and how it should be interacted with.
Playgrounds should be natural materials like wood and metal, not plastic, and may be constructed and repaired by primary and secondary students. Metal is more durable than plastic, wooden and metal structures require construction and therefore are an opportunity for experience for the children, and wood and metal structures are not pre-fabricated and thus can involve greater creativity, abstraction, and personalization. Sometimes even just a large boulder can be far more interesting to a child than any constructed, and certainly any pre-fabricated, structure.
The arrangement that is generally described and encouraged is one of separate structures for each House. Each House should have its own indoor spaces and dormitories, if used; while all of the houses can share common outdoor spaces other larger or less commonly used facilities like a gymnasium or pool.
The classic school house generally consists of one large space for all of the children. With this arrangement there are no physically separated rooms for the different spaces. Instead the spaces can be separated conceptually, with different regions of the schoolhouse used for different purposes, or different sorts of activities can be planned for different times of day so that loud play does not interfere with quieter activities. Specific timeslots for activities are not encouraged as individuality and independence are lost, however, in this situation there may not be an alternative.
Modern classrooms are separate rooms within one building. Sections of the facility can be separated into clusters of rooms that represent different Houses. The different rooms within the cluster can be used for different purposes. If possible a kitchen should be added to each cluster instead of relying on the single central cafeteria; however this could be expensive and is not entirely necessary.
Evaluation is essential to a successful child care institution. Parents need to know how their children are doing and whether the institution is serving their child’s needs. The staff must have a means of identifying a student’s situation, mentally, emotionally, and physically, in order to care for and teach that child. Administrators need to identify child care institutions that are having problems or that are excelling. A good system of student evaluation should be able to fulfill each of these needs.
In order for children to gain a sense of individuality, responsibility, and personal accomplishment, achievement must be on an individual basis. This is true even for group activities. A sense of belonging and teamwork is not contrary to personal achievement. The individual must focus on fulfilling their own role in the team to the best of their ability, even as they are judged on the success or failure of the team as a whole. Furthermore, each child has unique proficiencies and deficiencies. What is a great accomplishment for one child may be commonplace for another. How well each child performs in each aspect of their life is very much an individual thing. For this reason the evaluation children undergo must also be capable of distinguishing them as individuals.
Regular uniform testing means testing that is performed at regular intervals with uniform content. Such testing follows the philosophy of standards, that there are certain standards at any given point that each child must meet. Such a philosophy fails to take into account the reality of both deficiencies and proficiencies. By emphasizing a standard one fails to encourage advancement beyond the standard, which in turn discourages a personal pursuit of education. Thus individual proficiency is hampered. Meanwhile the deficient are either punished by an emphasis on standards, which does not help them, or the standards are set lower so that they can get pushed through to the next level of education. So both the proficient and the deficient are hampered and an atmosphere of conformity and not individuality is produced. Evaluation that embraces individuality must generally be irregular and non-uniform to mirror the irregular and non-uniform nature of student progress. Each child advances in different disciplines at different rates.
Testing that is too formal can also be problematic. By formalizing the means of evaluation fear of punishment and failure is emphasized over desire for achievement. Children find themselves focusing on not failing instead of doing their best. The motivation for learning the material gets consumed by the need to not fail the formal test. Children then learn the material just so that they can pass their next test, which they only need to pass in order to begin studying for their next test, which they only need to pass in order to begin studying for the next test. Children do not feel like they are achieving goals; they feel like they are dodging obstacles. This gives them a negative view of their education, which further discourages proficiency beyond what is needed to pass, and can lead to defeatism in the face of deficiency or substantial challenges.
Many will find it problematic to remove regular uniform formal testing in light of how frequently it is used and how important it is for judging the progress of children. Without such formality and standardization how can one truly judge a child? There are three sorts of people that use evaluations of the children: The teachers need to evaluate the child to know what they need next, the parents need to evaluate the child to verify for themselves that the institution is not failing to care for and teach the child appropriately, and the administrators need some standard by which to judge the institution so that they can identify problems in the institution that may need to be resolved. All of these three needs can be met by less harmful forms of evaluation, which shall be presented as follows.
In order to fulfill the teachers’ needs for student evaluation the Head of House should, approximately monthly, have a half-hour to two-hour one-on-one chat with each of the students in the House. This chat is an opportunity to ask the child what they have learned, what they have been doing, and to help the child with any questions or problems they have regarding understanding life. These conversations are a great time to figure out if there are any common concerns with the children that can be dealt with in a group setting. These conversations are an opportunity to figure out if the child has been neglecting any aspect of learning or life so that steps can be taken to correct the situation. These conversations are an opportunity to resolve any conflicts between a teacher and a student. While this represents a large portion of the teacher’s time, remember that one of the goals of this proposal is to present a system where children are more responsible for their own education, or for educating each other and that the House should have plenty of assistants as well as an Apprentice. As such the Head of House will have ample time to focus on each student individually at least once a month.
In order to fulfill the parents’ needs for student evaluation there should be institution-wide competitions at the primary and secondary level once or twice a year. These competitions should last for at least a week and should include all manner of physical, intellectual, and creative challenges. There could be group competitions and individual competitions. There will be winners, and there will be losers, though a child’s reaction to winning or losing should be watched and may even be a part of the competition. Such competition also gives teachers a vivid picture of where their students stand in various aspects of life. Such competition encourages students to compete against themselves and each other, encouraging children to strive for the best they can instead of just good enough. Such events are also a great thing for the children to look forward to and strive for. Finally, by allowing parents to attend these events they can observe first-hand the skills and knowledge of their child. The Competitions also provide an opportunity for all the parents of the children to gather, even parents that may not live in the nearby vicinity, to share in the progress and community of the institution.
In order to fulfill the administrators’ needs for student evaluation each institution should have examinations that each child must complete before graduating from the primary level. The examinations may include physical, mental, and creative challenges. The exam results can help administrators determine which schools may be in need of extra attention.
The Primary Graduation Examinations do not merely exist to provide administrators with the objective numbers they desire and perhaps on some occasions need. The main purpose of the exams are to provide the children with a means of proving that they have the skills and knowledge expected of every adult in the society. Children may even be considered adult, if only culturally and not legally, upon completing the exams. The exams act as a rite of passage for the young students, giving them something to strive toward, giving them an objective hurdle to overcome before they can consider themselves an adult in society, motivating their education with the need for the acknowledgement of the culture in which they live. It is important, however, that the children view the exams as a hurdle and not merely as a “bar” that they are expected to reach. The reason the exams exist as a single test and the only major test the children take in their career is to avoid the view that they are striving for one “bar” after the next. Instead children see a single hurdle that the need to overcome. They should view this hurdle as a doorway to adulthood, new opportunities, and new freedoms, rather than seeing it as just another arbitrary requirement which they need to complete.
The content of the Primary Graduation Examinations will be very dependent on the society in which each particular primary care institution resides. The content should represent the knowledge and skills that the society feels every adult should have. As such this system can make no specific statements as to what should or should not be contained in the exams. Rather it is the responsibility of parents, teachers, administrators, and the society in general to carefully consider what the contents of the exams should be. Anything that is placed on the test is fair game to ask of any adult in the society in question, and care should be taken to not leave anything of the test that should be expected of every adult in the society.
It should be up to the children to decide when they are read to take the exams. This readiness is both in terms of their competencies as well as their emotional readiness. If a child is having trouble in a particular field of study there is no point in forcing them to take the test early. If a child is gifted and prepared for the test earlier than most others, there is no reason to force the child to stagnate at the primary level by not allowing them to take the test. If a child is not emotionally or psychologically prepared for the responsibilities of the freedoms that come with higher levels of education, then there is no reason to force the child to take the test when they are not ready. As children age the teachers should pay special attention to both aspects of the child’s readiness and work with the child toward overcoming whatever particular challenges the child may have.
Children should also be able to take the test as many times as they need to pass without consequence. As far as the child’s record is concerned only whether they have passed yet or not should be displayed. Filling the child’s permanent record with failed attempts only increases the stress and dread they may feel toward the test. The children should have a lighthearted and motivated attitude towards the test; they should not feel that their every misstep could be held against them for the rest of their lives. Furthermore there is no utility to keeping specific numbers or past test results on the students records at this stage in their life. The important thing is that the students have passed; it is in secondary education and higher education that children can demonstrate their particular competencies, but at the primary level we only need to know that they have sufficient knowledge to move on. That said, Administrators may track all of the specific values of test results in order to help in evaluating the effectiveness of the institution. They may track information like the age of the student taking the test, the number of times this student has taken the test, and how confident or serious the student was in taking the test, were they just taking it to see what it was all about or did they seriously intend on passing the test. However, all of this information should be tracked anonymously or at least semi-anonymously such that this information will never be associated with or traceable by the student’s permanent record.
Of course it may on occasion be the case that children are too old for the institution to continue to accept that they are participants of the primary level. At this point the teachers and administration may consider whether these students are candidates for either the Continued Education program or the Long-Term Dependent program, if not the child should be highly encouraged and supported towards completing the exams and may receive special help and attention toward that end.
Administrators may be concerned that Primary Graduation Examinations will not be capable of detecting poorly performing institutions early enough to do something about it. However, with data from other sources and good management of exam results, problems should be detectable in a timely fashion.
Administrators should be in regular contact with the teachers of the facility. Administrators may even provide teachers with evaluation forms for self-assessing the state of the school which could help in assessing problems. Furthermore, the competitions also provide a good opportunity for attentive administrators to assess the state of the institution in a semi-objective if not wholly objective way.
Administrators can also anonymously track each test result, and if children are encouraged to take the tests several times throughout their childhood (with no consequence to them for bad results) then administrators should have sufficient data to identify problems early on.
The Primary Graduation Examinations can be most valuable to Administrators as a means of validating the success of schools. They should not be used as an excuse to avoid communication with teachers and attentive observation of the workings of the institution. A system of testing will always result in obsession over test scores and test materials, which is counterproductive at the primary level. So again, administrators should focus on the exams as a means of validation not a replacement for the necessary attentiveness needed for problem detection.
When children encounter something new they should at first be instructed and encouraged to watch attentively as their peers and teachers engage in the new activity. Very young children will spend most of their time watching. When the participants realize that they are being watched they should attempt to make their actions and decisions more obvious and exaggerated so that the observer can keep up with the stimulus. Participants should also try to be a good example when they realize that they are being watched, this is part of any teacher’s job, but the older children may need to be taught and encouraged to be good examples.
All primary children should be encouraged to follow and watch secondary children in their daily activities as well. While the studies of the secondary children may be too advanced for the primary children to understand, observing can still encourage primary children to work harder so that they can be as accomplished as their secondary peers. Of course there may be limitations as to when and where primary children follow secondary children, and it is always up to the secondary child whether or not they want to be followed. This further encourages primary children to be well behaved, as they will be rejected if they are annoying or troublesome.
It is important to remember that virtue is one of the most important things that a child learns from watching. Young children are far more interested in what their respected elders do than what they say should be done. For this reason, following and watching should be a respected and carefully observed aspect of every child’s education. Understand, however, that this does not mean totalitarianism is acceptable. It is important to ensure the beneficial nature of watching, but remember that the children are watching the teachers to, and if they act in an oppressive way, the children will learn that behavior.
While a new observer is watching an activity the participants or some other observer should be encouraged to describe what is going on so that the new observer can understand the activity, why it is being done, and how it is accomplished. These descriptions may even come from someone who does not fully understand the game, and that is acceptable. The two observers can try to figure it out together. Furthermore a wrong description every now and then makes children less dependant on and more questioning of the expertise of others. Descriptions can also help to direct the new observer’s awareness as to which participants are good examples and which are bad examples, which can help to direct them toward performing well when they finally involve themselves in the activity.
As children watch their peers and elders engaging in activities they will likely have questions. As children begin to help more, or engage in activities independently, they will likely still have many questions. They should be encouraged to ask these questions first of their fellow students, then of the assistants, then of the Apprentice or Head of House, and finally of a specialist if there is one for the subject. Of course a simple question can be asked of anyone who happens to be around when it pops into their minds. If a teacher or assistant overhears a bit of false information flying around, they should interrupt it and set it straight. No questions or topics should be controversial, and all should be open for discussion, even if the answer is a seemingly obvious one. The explanation is part of the learning process for an individual. While it is much easier to just say the answer and expect the child to just remember it, doing so is counter productive to the education of the child.
Of course it is sometimes the case that questions are not serious. Sometimes questions are rhetorical or sarcastic, and sometimes children are just playing games with their questions, trying to annoy or stump the person they are asking. If the asker is just playing a game with you, play along if you can, even if they aren’t taking their questions seriously, they can inadvertently learn something. Also, people will sometimes ask serious questions in a joking tone if they are too embarrassed or self-conscious to ask the question in a serious tone, so always give the asker the benefit of the doubt.
Very young children will likely be unable to do much on their own. They’ve already watched their peers and teachers enough to have an idea what to do, and they have already asked questions when they don’t understand what they are seeing. Now they should be encouraged to offer help, and it is often in their nature to do so as long as the person they are watching does not treat the task as a chore. The help should generally be accepted as long as there is no risk of danger, even if there is very little that the child can do to seriously contribute. Children will fail, and they should not be considered a failure if they do, failure merely means they have more to learn. If a child demonstrates an almost complete lack of ability to engage in an activity, then the Head of House should be made aware of the problem, and should attempt to correct it by going back to whatever basic skill the child seems missing. Very often it may be the case that there is some prerequisite skill that the child lacks, and upon gaining proficiency in that skill they will quickly pick up the more advanced skill they had been having trouble with. Teachers should not be afraid to delve back into the very fundamentals, and children should be told that there is no need to be embarrassed if that is what is needed. It should never be assumed that a child “just isn’t good at that”. Of course it may be discovered that the child does truly have a disability, lacking some very basic capacity that most people find normal to have. In many cases disabilities can be worked around, and other skills can be used to compensate for the lack of skill resulting from the disability. Very few disabilities lead to complete inability in more than a small few tasks.
It is the responsibility of the children to maintain the school. Teachers should encourage a well kept environment. The maintenance of the Houses can even be made the subject of competition between Houses. However, up to a certain threshold it is up to the children what state of messiness and disrepair they are willing to tolerate. The teachers should generally not force their own view of how the House should be maintained. Of course there may come a time when the threshold is reached and surpassed, at which point the Head of House should find a way to teach children the importance of a well kept House. The objective of giving the children responsibility for the maintenance of the House is that it teaches them to be responsible and self-sufficient and it gives them a sense of ownership over the facility. These benefits are lost if the children only do it because they are told to, they must be taught to want to do it on their own. Having personal responsibility for the maintenance of the House also teaches children important practical skills that they can use throughout their life.
Play is an important function of human development throughout life. It is important to understand that entertainment is not the same thing as play, and that play is not always entertaining. Entertainment can actually be detrimental to human development, but that discussion is to be had elsewhere.
Children play when they engage in tasks that are active, stimulating, and which they recognize as relatively inconsequential. Of course games, the objects of play, carry an intense illusion of consequentiality, particularly when children are fully invested. Inconsequentiality allows children to experiment with situation and skills in an environment where their lives will not be ruined if they fail. Meanwhile the illusion of consequentiality gives them a similar intensity and motivation as they might have in the real situation, making the simulated experience that much more realistic and beneficial. It is also very important that play is active and stimulating, because without these they child can only learn theory, not skills. As children age their activities will become more consequential and the word play may no longer apply, but for children in primary care play should be the main source of learning and productivity.
Because the objective of play is to learn, to grow, to meet and overcome challenges, it is important that they continue to be challenged by their games. When a game or activity becomes easy, encourage them to play more challenging games or to add challenges to their activities. Encourage creativity in this. It is also important that children understand that there is nothing to be gained from crushing and gloating over a victory over a less skilled opponent in an activity. They have likely learned little and gloating earns them nothing of real value. Likewise there is nothing to be gained from allowing a less skilled opponent to win, they only gain the illusion of confidence, and the skilled player once again has learned nothing.
Physical games teach physical, social, philosophical, and sometimes even intellectual skills. Competition is an important concept that can be learned particularly well from physical play. It is important therefore that physical play be used as a means to teach a healthy view of competition. Physical play includes things like team sports, jumping rope, playing tag, or any other activity that involves prolonged physical exertion.
Creative games teach children art, social, philosophical, and intellectual skills. Creative games include simulations of imaginary situations like pretending to shop, pretending to be mom and dad, or even engaging in organized roleplaying games. One might also consider any number of art projects and activities to be a form of play.
Mental games teach children intellectual, philosophical, social, and sometimes art skills. Children can learn all manner of academic or intellectual skills from play. The foundations of many of these academic skills can be best laid with play. Play can even advance academic skills faster than study or lecture, so long as children have an accomplishment-oriented view of play, as opposed to an entertainment-oriented one. Mental games include board games, puzzles, and riddles.
Many games incorporate physical, creative, and mental forms of play. Many currently existing physical, creative, or mental forms of play could easily be altered to incorporate additional components.
Not all productive educational activities are best suited to group play. Many activities are performed best by an individual. As children get older they should be encouraged to spend more of their time in Independent Learning, though such activities should never replace or overwhelm other important and social daily activities.
Once children have learned to read they should be encouraged to read daily. This encouragement should be in the form of example, that of the teacher, the assistants, and the secondary students. Feel free to advise children on what books are good, and always challenge them, let them decide if something is too difficult to read, just tell them what you enjoy reading, and what stories have inspired, taught, or at least intrigued you.
Very young children should be encouraged to join reading groups where they read aloud to each other until they can read with enough aptitude that it is easier to read silently. Again, this shift should occur naturally, encouraged by an example of older children and teachers engaged in silent reading.
As children age they should form casual and informal but involved discussion groups between children who read similar books. If they do not do this naturally, which they probably will, the suggestion should be brought up, and they should be encouraged to do it. The children may wish to keep a posted list somewhere of what books are being read by whom, maybe including a time that they meet to discuss, though teachers should only suggest this, it is ultimately up to the children as forcing that kind of formality on them could actually discourage them from engaging discussion or even from reading altogether.
Workbooks seem to be an important part of education in schools today. What is brought up in lecture would be forgotten if not for sample problems being worked through. Workbooks should not be graded however, and should be treated more like puzzles, as some people are fond of completing crossword puzzle books. A child does not have to complete every problem in every workbook, and instead moves on when they are ready for a new and more significant challenge.
A teacher may give children specific puzzles or problems to work on that are not part of a workbook. These should not be forced on the children, but should rather be handed out as little intellectual treats for the children to mull over in their minds. Teachers should feel free to be creative and truly challenge the children in the areas where they most need to be challenged.
The children should eat when and where they want to, knowing that they will have to clean up after they eat. Obviously they should not be eating near equipment that they are unable to fix, clean, or replace. Consistency should be encouraged by the caretakers, particularly for big meals, and snacking on junk food should be discouraged, though snacking on fruits and vegetables should be encouraged. By allowing children to eat when and how much they want, they can learn moderation, instead of having moderation forced upon them, which tends to result in an inability to be moderate once independence is achieved years later. Of course this principle has exceptions, as some children may need to be taught moderation, but the objective should always be to teach them self-moderation. Care givers should never satisfy themselves that the children are simply being moderate, the cause and instigator of the moderation is equally if not more important.
Certain meals, depending on cultural conventions, may be group meals that everyone gathers for to eat together in one place.
Children should cook for themselves and for each other. It is not the responsibility or the job of any of the teachers or assistants to cook for the children. The teachers and assistants may cook for the children on special occasions, but in general if the children do not prepare their meals themselves, then they do not eat. Generally the older children should do the cooking while the younger children watch and help out.
Children should rest when they are tired, pre-defined nap times should not be enforced, though consistency should be encouraged. Meditation may be a good alternative to napping, and if the teachers and assistants meditate on a regular basis at consistent times, then the children will be encouraged to join them.
An important daily activity that should not be neglected is seclusion. At least half an hour each day should be spent not interacting with any other person or object. It is not necessary that every child perform this activity at the same time. Nap-time and meditation are not sufficient. The objective of napping and meditating is to quite the mind for resting and de-stressing. The objective of seclusion is exactly the opposite. It is a time for exploring one’s own thoughts, asking questions of oneself, or exploring one’s imagination. This time should be spent not interacting with external objects because those objects will direct the mind, and the objective is to give time for the mind to be truly self-directed. It is likely that children will engage in repetitive subconscious physical activities while in this state of mind. Because this seclusion time is a mentally active time, the body will feel the need to be active as well, pacing, bouncing a ball, or engaging in similar repetitive activities can occupy the body allowing the mind to explore itself actively. It is important to maintain a balance between externally directed activities, internally directed activities, and focused or intentioned rest, all three are important for healthy development.
Lecturing is never necessary. Anything that can be presented as a lecture can be read from a book, watched as a recording, or held as a discussion. Lecturing is, therefore, a waste of the teachers’ precious time.
Discussion can be important, and sometimes gathering children together to engage in Socratic teaching is the best way to teach all of the children a concept that you would otherwise have to teach each of them individually. It may be best to gather the children together at least once a week for a few hours to have this kind of discussion. At other times the children will naturally engage in discussion and it is the responsibility of the teachers to help channel these discussions to be more meaningful. Teachers can do this by asking questions about what the children really mean when they say a word, or asking children to support some claim they have agreed on with serious evidence or reasoning. When children ask questions they should take them seriously, and when something goes wrong they should ask why. Of course this does not mean they should not be light hearted about both their inquiries and their conversations.
Story telling is something that can only really happen as a group. Books can be read alone but they don’t have the same level of human contact, and they don’t help bind the community together. Story telling can include fictional tales or factual tales. Story telling can be an excellent way to teach history in primary care, and is certainly far better than lecturing or memorizing dates.
Group instruction might include presentations by the children, for the children. Older primary children can be encouraged to research things that interest them, and then every now and then there can be something like a research fair where the children present the material they have researched to the rest of the children. Alternatively the House might have a presentation time set aside once or twice a week where all the children gather and observe and discuss a presentation. Children could schedule their presentations in advance or all the children who want to present something could, so long as one child doesn’t take over presentation time.
Every child should be involved in at least one group project at any given moment. Group projects force children to work together to accomplish a common goal. Furthermore they can have a final deadline, which teaches children the importance of not procrastinating. Unlike regular homework, which fails to teach self directed motivation and prioritization because they are enforced by the homework schedule, group projects can have only a single long-term deadline, so the children themselves will have to prioritize and decide for themselves what specific tasks need to be completed and when. Children will learn that they have a duty to their peers to contribute to the success of the group. As a result children will be less likely to become adults that only know how to pursue their own fanciful desires.
Projects should involve children of all ages with younger children having less prominent roles, but still with real responsibilities. This further encourages peers of different ages to help and teach each other. Heads of House at the primary level should try to coordinate with the secondary level to involve secondary students in projects, and even have those projects be part of the secondary curriculum.
Group projects could be creative, artistic, research oriented, craft oriented, or related to the practical needs of the House or the local community. Regardless of the nature of the project, children should have a lot of freedom to decide what projects they want to do as a group, and should be encouraged to come up with creative projects or applications. The children might even be required to pitch their project ideas to the Head of House who could accept or veto them depending on the quality of the pitch and how well the children express the learning or productivity that will result from the project. Of course if a project is rejected, the children should be encouraged to pursue it on their own time, it just won’t count as a group project that they are currently involved in.
On occasion the teachers and students should organize house-wide or even institution-wide projects or events. These events could be field trips, huge projects, or a fair. The semiannual institutional competitions are an example of the magnitude of these sorts of projects. Such events might even include parental involvement and could provide parent’s who do not live in the immediate vicinity another opportunity to come and check up on their child’s education. Often these events will be themed in some way. Historically themed events, like a renaissance fair, are an enjoyable way to learn a lot about historical cultures. Such events could even be used to learn about contemporary foreign cultures. The immersive nature of such events can teach children in a way that mere explanation and description cannot. Many of the large events may be instigated and produced by the children of the institution. The scale of such projects and the level of cooperation required can be very beneficial to the children’s education.
Since in this institution all children are treated as individuals there is no need to separate children with special needs from so-called normal children. However, there should still be experts regarding the child’s condition on-hand, or easily contacted. If there are a number of children with similar disabilities it may be advantageous to place them in the same House, as they are more likely to relate to each other. However, such relation should not be forced, and such children with special needs should not be expected to go off and have their own little clique far away from the normal children. Children with special needs should not have their activities handicapped either. A deaf child should function in the same environment as a child that can hear, and teachers and peers should not expect less from him. Things may be more challenging for a deaf child, but all children have their own challenges, and they should be taught to face them bravely, not have things made easier for them.
Concessions may also need to be made for children with special needs when they take the primary graduation examination. A child with a real disability and not just an inability may be given special circumstances in which to take the primary graduation. The exam may simply need to be printed in brail, taken orally, or without a time-limit. It is up to the administration, teachers, and community, what level of concessions will be provided to students with special needs. It is not appropriate, however, to make any part of the exam easier, just adjusted to make it doable. Some children may be unable to complete the exam. This does not necessarily mean that the exam is too difficult. It could mean that the child just isn’t fit engage in society in a so-called normal capacity. This does not mean they are less than human, it simply means that it must be accepted that they will have special needs and require special living conditions for the rest of their life. For their own sake they should not be thrust into adulthood as if they were ordinary. See Long-Term Dependant Volunteers in the Participants section.
Gifted children can be considered children with special needs since they have the need for greater challenges. However, as with all children, they should not be isolated, they should just be treated as individuals with individual challenges and individual strengths. Whatever level any child is at, there is always room for improvement, and they should always be encouraged to improve.
The Head of House is the administrator for their House. Each of the Heads of House belong to a council that is responsible for administrating all matters which concern all of the Houses, such as hiring assistants, management of mutually owned spaces, or use of funds for institution-wide events. The council does not have power over the activities of individual Houses, that power belongs exclusively to the Head of House for that House.
The Primary Care institution as a whole belongs to a district including the Secondary Care institution. The district administration will generally take the form of a school board, but other forms of administration may be present depending on cultural conventions. Regardless of the form of the district administration, it should have very little power over the Primary Care institution. The district administration should not be able to make demands of the Heads of House, or tell them how they must do their job. They can however fire a Head of House at which point the Apprentice takes over as the new Head of House with the consent of the district administration. If there is ever a House without a Head, they may hire a new Head of House to fill the position. They do not decide who else is hired by the Houses, that power belongs to the council of Heads. It is the district’s duty to administer the creation of new Houses should that become necessary.
The district administration is responsible for funding the Primary Care Institution and paying each Head of House. While they do decide how much money the institution gets they do not decide how that money is to be used. The council of Heads then has the authority to determine how much money goes toward institution-wide programs and events as well as paying assistants. The remaining money should be divided among the Houses based exclusively on the number of students in each House. The Head of House then has the authority to use the House money in any way they see fit.
The main source of income should be from either government programs or other charitable sources. If there are insufficient funds to support the Primary Care facility then tuitions and scholarships could be instituted. Any money made from Primary Care tuition should go directly to the Primary Care Institution and not to the district. While the district should have some authority over the cost of tuition it should be left to the Heads of House to determine scholarships.
It should also be understood that one of the main objectives of this system is to save money by encouraging self-sufficiency. Where practical the children should be responsible for labor and production needed by the school, minimizing the need to rely on external goods and services. Some of the practical labor performed by the children could even be for external entities that might pay the institution for the service. It is important to remember, however, that the primary objective of practical labor is to challenge the children mentally and physically in healthy ways. Labor that does not meet this primary objective should only be pursued in dire situations.
It is the essential duty that every school helps to support its fellow schools. Quality of education is a global concern, and if politics and government cannot grasp that point then the schools themselves must embrace it. Schools in wealthy areas should assist struggling schools in poorer areas. One way to handle this is for every institution to contribute 50% of its budget to a universal fund which will be divided evenly among all institutions based exclusively on the number of students actively attending each institution. To completely socialize education is dangerous for several reasons. Many parents may refuse to pay a tuition that goes more toward the education of other children than it does toward the education of their own child. Furthermore some areas may have higher costs for basic needs than other areas. However, to ignore the educational needs of poor regions is outrageously unacceptable. The “survival of the fittest” aspect of capitalism, that the rich deserve wealth for what they have accomplished, relies on an assumption of initial equality, that every person started from the same point and the rich simply did more with their lives. This assumption is only valid if each child has equal opportunity during youth. A world in which the initial conditions are not the same is aristocracy and not capitalism, even if there is marginal opportunity and encouragement for positive class shifts.
The intent of creating this system of education was to improve upon the quality of education of children throughout the world. This intent is unfulfilled until this system of education reaches a state of global acceptance and use. In order for any social institution to reach that state it must be supported by its adherents and its opponents must be convinced of its benefit to society. For this reason it is the duty of every school to help support programs that extend the influence of this system. Schools should collectively support the construction of new facilities and conversion of old facilities to the new system. Institutions that implement this system might consider creating or belonging to a universal organization that advances the use of this system. This document will make no suggestions as to the nature of such an organization or the means of its funding, but only that such an organization should exist and should be supported by every school that follows this model.
It will undoubtedly occur that institutions or houses will perform the duty of educating children poorly either as demonstrated by poor results on Primary Graduation Examinations or by the dissatisfaction of parents or teachers in the results of Competitions. Altering the supply of money to the troubled institution, either positively or negatively, is among the least effective means of correction. Cutting funding to bad schools only makes them worse, and giving bad schools more money that they will not be able to use effectively is equally as foolish. Improving the quality of schools requires attention and dedication. A more effective approach would be to fund consultant groups that work with low achieving schools and determine what measures should be taken to correct the situation, including reeducation of teachers and special techniques to rehabilitate the children. Placing such groups in monetary competition based on effectiveness toward rehabilitating low quality schools could be an effective means of ensuring the quality of such consultant groups. Groups can be judged based on recommendations from previous work and on the improvements made on Primary Graduation Examinations.
The involvement of Secondary Care children is an important part of this system of Primary Care. The nature of the Secondary Care facilities associated with the Primary Care institution may effect how the relationship is managed.
A Primary Care institution may establish a partnership with a conventional high-school. In this case, the older children will be able to spend very little time during the day at the primary institution, as they will spend that time on their own studies. However, certain organizations could be involved with the primary institution before or after school. The schools could even negotiate daytime involvement at the primary institution in place of study-hall or lunch. The practicality of these daytime activities is, however, dependent on the proximity of the facilities. If the secondary school is a boarding school, the older children might even participate in the same House system as the primary children during the evenings and after school.
The primary children may also get involved in some secondary level activities. Clubs and organizations may permit primary level members, either on special occasions, or as part of a process of generating and maintaining interest in future generations.
A Primary Care institution may also establish a partnership with a more integrated system of Secondary Care. In this case, the older children will likely spend more of their time in independent study, using the secondary level experts only when they have specific questions or if a group of them have common difficulties. This means that the secondary students can spend much of their time participating in House activities with the primary children, as most of the work they need to do for their studies does not require them to be in special age-segregated classrooms. This continuous interaction between primary and secondary children is desirable, even if much of the secondary student’s time is spent in quiet study. It also increases the degree to which primary children can be involved in secondary activities. The primary children could even accompany the secondary children to occasional secondary lectures or tutelage, as long as they behave themselves of course.
Home-Schooled children may also be involved in the Primary Care institution. The type of involvement they have will very much depend on the will of the parents, however, home-schooled children at the secondary level should certainly be permitted to participate in the role of a Secondary Care participant at the Primary Care institution.
The Exchange Program is an important part of every Primary Care institution. All schools that follow this model of education should pursue exchange programs with other such schools. It is also important that schools not following this model of education be accepted as part of exchange programs. The objective is to introduce the children to diversity, teach children how to be socially and culturally open, and introduce teachers to new educational and cultural concepts and paradigms. This will not only raise more worldly children, and by allowing new ideas to spread and flourish quickly it will also help to promote progressive and open-minded views of education, allowing the system of education to continuously evolve, rather than stagnate.. The partnerships need not be true exchanges. The idea is to set up relationships that will facilitate sending children from one school to other schools for a temporary enrollment. The other schools need not reciprocate with perfect symmetry, but it should be understood that the partnership entails an eventual reciprocation of sending a student to another institution or accepting a student to your institution.
Each child should spend at least a year of their Primary Care experience at other institutions. This time may be continuous or segmented over several exchanges. The other institutions that the children attend should be as diverse and foreign to the child as possible, within reason. It will be the duty of Head of House to manage the destinations of the children in such a way that the children can reap maximum benefit from their experience. Each house should also continuously have one or more students from other institutions present.
Apprentices should also participate in exchange programs, acting as a Journeyman in the school they attend. An Apprentice may do this either as part of their Apprenticeship or at the end of the Apprenticeship when they feel they should gain more diverse experiences before applying to the role of Head of House somewhere. A Head of House may also occasionally participate in the exchange program, acting as a Journeyman in other schools in order to gain fresh perspectives on the roles and techniques of education. Of the role of the Head of House implies that the decision to act as Journeyman should be made carefully, less frequently, and only if the House has a very competent and well-trusted Apprentice who can take over as temporary Head. There is also no reason why Journeyman status shouldn’t be used as a means of taking a brief vacation. Because the Journeyman role is one of observer, it is likely less stressful than that of Apprentice or Head. The mental heath of the teacher is of utmost importance, and combining that with experiencing new environments and educational paradigms further increases the benefits of such experiences.
Institutions in or near communities with a history of substandard education results should publicly advertise the Continued Education program and should make active efforts to find and help potential candidates for the program. The Heads of House should interview volunteers for the sincerity of their interest in the program. The Institution should attempt to support as many Continued Education Volunteers as they can and as are available. Institutions not in or near such communities should actively engage with other institutions that are in or near such communities in support of an exchange program, so that all institutions can help share the responsibility for the Continued Education program.
The Head of House should constantly be on the lookout for older children who may fit the description of a potential Long-Term Dependent. They should work with the parents or guardians of the child as well as councilors or psychologists, if they are available, toward determining what possible futures the child may have, and how the education system can help the child prepare for an adult life. During these conversations it should be made explicit that the Long-Term Dependent program is available and that for some children this program may be a better choice than struggling to get by in an adult world that may merely take advantage of them, and which they may not be able to fully comprehend. The Institution should try to support as many Long-Term Dependents as they need to, but should avoid accepting children into the program who could have a healthy adult life. Institutions with an abundance of Long-Term Dependent Volunteers should engage with nearby Institutions regarding exchange programs. All Institutions should share in the responsibility of caring for the Long-Term Dependents as well as reaping the benefits of having such volunteers on staff.
Institutions should actively pursue the inclusion of Elderly persons in their programs. Ideally institutions should work towards constructing and managing their own elderly communities, developing a tight relationship between the facilities associated with both the children and the elderly. If the Institution either cannot afford or cannot gain community support of a tightly integrated elderly community, then the Institution should work with local pre-existing elderly communities and develop programs where the elderly can visit the children or where the children can visit the elderly. If no local elderly communities exist, either for societal reasons or location reasons, then the Institution should work with local community leaders to at least develop a local day program for elderly people in the community and work towards integrating that program with the Institution.