Like you, I really enjoy a lot of what Alfie Kohn has to say and find him to be one of the more refreshing voices in the whole world of educational “experts”. I always find myself nodding and thinking “Amen, Alfie” through the beginning of whatever it is of his I’m reading at the time.

But then he always hits this point where I find myself wondering what would a classroom taught by Alfie Kohn be like and why would it be necessary? I visualize a room full of kids chilling on their phones forever, absent any judgement or guidance from the adult, never experiencing challenge and never learning anything except how to get better at whatever they were already doing…playing a video game, snap-chatting misspelled and grammatically awful messages to each other, sword-fighting with metersticks…

I always get the feeling by the end of any article by Kohn that by just showing up and trying to make a difference in kids’ lives I am an oppressive part of the problem. I disagree with that, of course, or I wouldn’t have chosen to become a teacher. So I leave with this odd feeling of hopelessness. Until I remember that Kohn is that guy in the brainstorming session with the crazy idea that’s totally unworkable, but might trigger someone to think of a toned-down version that has practical value.

I wanted to buy it, then I realized there was nothing to buy
Great article taking on the Guru of truth; well, the Guru of Truthful-ish ideas. I swear, I resonate with Kohn, and his beautiful ideas of non-violence and understanding. His ideas about punishment and guilt and parents who suck get my attention. Then, the nagging vocie in my head, the same voice that screams at me during all Harry Potter movies something to the effect of, “What’s the big freaking deal about Harry Potter?” Okay, I admit it, I can’t ever totally buy Harry Potter, and Kohn, too, fails to ring the total truth deal. So, growth mindset sucks? it is a system of thought, thus a system? Kohn hates all systems, and the educational system sucks? Is that close?

In my head I hear the screams and they want me to listen to their question, which is, “What IS the educational system that Kohn invented? What are the statistics immediately a few years out, and in 5 years? Because come on, just because someone can gripe about the system doesn’t mean they’ve solved the system’s problems and are now ready to roll out the new and improved guaranteed to cure our country’s neuroses In fact, someone may just be a divisive element. Who knows? I feel like I’m almost all in, then there’s the awkward mental pause…and the wait…for the solution…BUT IT ISN”T THERE.