structure

more polished post here on lab connections.

insight from James Bach:
what is structure..

I think structure means pattern.

but when people say it pointedly they often mean a pattern that is imposed 
sometimes, they mean a pattern that they can see, or name 
and sometimes they mean a pattern that directs and confines
so when people say - i like structure, I like to check whether that means 
"I like to be told what to do" 
or 
"I like to tell other people what to do"
or 
"I like to be able to explain and justify what I'm doing"
each of these are different.

the thing is
all things have structure! 

A room full of kids has a structure
even without telling them what to do
they will be structured by their feelings toward each other
and toward the objects in the room
and their beliefs about justice and fairness
and their cultural expectations
and the roles they choose for themselves
and what they had for breakfast
and whether they had a fight with their sibs before school
and prior agreements
and what happened yesterday
and the things adults do that they witness
etc.


we watch the kids,
feel what's going on,
diagnose problems, if any,
provide support if requested. 
if the kids are constrained by a lot of imposed ideas, that disturbs the system and makes it hard to see what's happening.
it's as if you were trying to understand the psychology of a child solely
by watching them play chess
that's a lot of structure
but chess is not a very expressive experience
I think basically, the problem for a lot of us is that we just don't believe kids are healthy humans who instinctively seek their own growth

but one thing is
that one persons organization/structure is another person's muddle
we can't know what's really happening for the kids
inside their heads
we do have to trust in the wisdom of the growing mind

great post and comment by zac chase @mrchase on this:
I’m not sure where it’s going or what it will become. 

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