Page 127 - Looking_after_school

4. Lessons learned

given that normality is no longer guiding and legitimising the organ-
isation of education. The question, however, is how this can be under-
stood from the pedagogical perspective which we have sketched. All
children, from this perspective, are entitled to school. In other words,
the right to schooling is not conditional. The question then is whether
there are pedagogical reasonings for discerning types of schools based
on the characteristics of students. We have tried to argue here that it
is the responsibility of the school to compensate pedagogically for
differences in the initial situation. This means that, in the name of
pedagogical freedom and equality, these characteristics should never
be taken as ‘natural’ or ‘determining’. From this pedagogical viewpoint,
the difference between mainstream and special schools, in principle,
cannot be defended. But besides these very important principles, there
is also the matter of pedagogical pragmatism. We mean that the school
also has to be organised, and freedom and equality need to take shape
materially, in order to make school for all. It will always be a challenge
to consider concrete practices in light of principles of freedom, equal-
ity, and formation, but also to keep on looking at these principles in
the light of practical, pedagogical possibilities. This also implies not
allowing ethical principles or the logic of social justice to overshadow
the pedagogical in these situations, because that way we risk denying
school to young children. By way of example, and without going into
detail here, we would like to bring forward some issues.
Pedagogical pragmatism is clearly at play in the possible tensions
between freedom and equality. The material organisation that is
needed to place all students in an equal pedagogical situation of begin-
ning can lead to denying many students the freedom to give shape
to themselves. These students are then only given the opportunity
for a specific form of development, and hence are denied access to
school. They no longer have the opportunity to become students and
are pinned down to the extra support that they need. Or the other way
around, it is of course also possible that the dedication to the freedom
is so high - think for instance of education for the gifted - that scho-
lastic equality is under pressure. Another example is the extremely
personalised school where everybody is exceptional and where all
differences between students are magnified and determine learning
in advance. Both freedom and equality are at stake here, and, in a

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