So Which Is It?
Home educators often send mixed messages about the homeschooling life. One the one hand, we proclaim “If I can do it, anyone can!”, yet on the another hand, we warn “Homeschooling isn’t for everyone.” Well, which is it?
As with many endeavors, it’s both. Home education really is something that any parent is capable of doing, but it shouldn’t be taken lightly. We need to put at least as much planning into our homeschool as we would shopping for a car or home. Do a little research, count the cost.
But while I am encouraging folks to consider home education, I need to address the fact that just as much thought needs to go into every facet of child rearing. I believe that we often take things for granted when it comes to our kids. We forget that children aren’t property, but very short and cute people. 
And they certainly aren’t pets whose sole purpose in life is to feed our egos and bestow on us unconditional love. They often become, thanks to those handy-dandy charts they give you when you bring home your bundle of joy, a series of goals to meet. Roll over, sit up, crawl, walk, potty train, cut teeth… and kids can become objects to tend instead of tender human beings to nurture.
How much forethought are we putting into the different aspects of their formative years? Do we consider their spiritual needs, physical health, emotional makeup, and mental development as factors that should impact the decisions we make about our families? Or do we often just operate on auto-pilot, doing what feels right at the time, or worse- doing what ‘everyone else’ does?
Institutionalized education has been around in America for about 120 years, and because most of us have that institutional mindset, there are things we do simply because it’s how we were raised, it’s what we know, it seems normal. If you decide to use a traditional school to provide academic instruction, have you considered who your child’s teacher will be, what curriculum will be used, who will influence their character and worldview, how much time will be allotted for physical activity, rest, eating, and unstructured play? These are all things that a child, especially a young child, requires to be healthy in mind and body.
If you are thinking about home education, how will it fit into your lifestyle? What do you believe are the most important elements of an education? Do you need more structure, or is your family spontaneous? Is it something you just want to try, or do you expect to commit to it for a period of time, or until graduation? What is your budget for books and supplies? Do you have a decent library system in your area? What are the legal requirements in your state? How will you provide instruction in virtue and be an example of good character? As a home educator, you will most likely become their primary role model- are you ready for that? And if not, why not? 
For parents who have little ones, you have some breathing room to ponder these questions while the crumbcrunchers are still just rolling around on the floor and slobbering on your car keys. But- if your kids are in a traditional school right now, how involved are you in the process? Do you often touch base with the teacher? Do you help your child with their homework? How well do you know your kids’ friends and their parents? This is important, and I am going to be blunt- if you are not already involved in your child’s academic life, what makes you think that you will be able to commit to the deep involvement that home education requires?
How about instead of looking for methods and programs and magic bullets, parents just get to know their kids. Spend time with them, have fun, talk, and most important- listen. Find out who is important to them, what influences their decisions, and what their natural talents and interests are. This is your primary research project, regardless of how you decide to provide academic instruction. Once you have gotten to know your child, the other considerations that affect the decision whether or not to home educate will be much more instinctive.
Just as sending one’s child to public or private school should not be based on what the other parents on the block are doing, so should your decision to home educate be founded on what is best for your child and your family. When in your heart you are convinced that you have chosen the right path, the wherewithal to make the trip will follow.
So home education is both- easy and challenging, difficult and rewarding, natural and exceptional. Think about it.
“Mommy, this is YUCKY!”
When my firstborn was about four years old, he was watching me fry some bacon for BLTs. He was SO hungry, and decided he did not want to wait for the bacon to cook. He told me that he preferred his bacon raw. I argued with him for a minute, but he was adamant. So, I gave him a small piece of raw bacon to let him see for himself. The look he got on his face after taking a bite and chewing for a few seconds- he turned six shades of olive green and said “Mommy, this is YUCKY!” Well, duh!
This election has been a “Give me what I want” election. No thought for the consequences, no consideration for the ramifications of certain policies being enacted. I think Neal Boortz has said it very well this morning-
THE “I WANT MY MOMMY” ELECTION
I brought this up several months ago … a slogan for this election. “I want my mommy.” The phrase really says it all. This is not an election where the American voters were looking for someone to protect their freedoms. Instead, it was an election where people were looking for someone to take care of them. Self-sufficiency seems a bit old-fashioned right now. Why work so hard to be self-sufficient when candidates are falling all over themselves to provide the American people with womb-to-tomb or, if you will, cradle-to-grave paternalism. The voters who put Barack Obama into office bear little resemblance to the people who fought for independence 124 years ago. Colonists fighting for our independence actually left their bloody footprints along the icy roads of New York and Pennsylvania while marching to engage the British troops. Today we can’t even drum of a decent plurality of voters who will vote for liberty, let alone fight for it.
This has been a “what’s in it for me” vote. Are you going to give me health care? Are you going to make sure my job is guaranteed? Are you going to cover my child care costs? You aren’t going to make me pay taxes, are you? How about all those evil rich people? Aren’t you going to take some of their money away from them and give it to me? After all … I work for my money, they cheated and stole for theirs. Make them pay their fair share of taxes. Me? I’m tired of paying any share.
The big question for me today is whether or not freedom, economic liberty and self-sufficiency can make a comeback in America. Right now it seems that a dismaying number of Americans think that they are owed a living; that it is the government’s job to guarantee their economic security. Can we ever turn that around and return to a time when people accept the responsibility for their own lives and eschew the idea of using government as a tool of legalized plunder?
Several times in the last few day’s I’ve mentioned the concept of “The Tipping Point.” I’m using that term in the context of voting and taxpaying. Right now we are at the point where about 43% of American income earners pay absolutely NO income tax. I’ve been saying for years that if the Democrats ever gain absolute control in Washington we’re going to see that percentage climb … climb to over 50%. That’s the tipping point. Imagine a political campaign where the majority of voters do not pay income taxes. Imagine a campaign where the majority of voters actually get a check from the government instead of writing a check to the government. Can you hear the Democrat campaign themes then? “Vote for the Republicans and they’re going to make you pay income taxes.”
In fact … I’ve already developed the Democrat campaign themes for the next several presidential elections:
2012: “Vote for the Republicans and they’re going to make you pay income taxes.”
2016: “Vote for the Republicans and they’re going to make you pay your own Social Security and Medicare taxes.”
2020: “Vote for the Republicans and they’re going to make you pay for your own health care.”
2024: “Vote for the Republicans and they’re going to make you pay for your own place to live.”
?
Here we are my friends. We’re at the point where virtually every voter out there understands that they can use their ballot as an instrument of plunder. For those of you who went to government schools, that means they can use their vote to take money away from other citizens. That would be the difference between a Democracy (rule of man) and a Republic (rule of law).
So- by a rather slim majority of the popular vote, (51.3% to 47.5%) the bratty sector of the population have gotten what they wanted. OK, boys and girls- here’s your raw bacon. Let the grown-ups know when you have chewed on it long enough to realize it’s yucky. Will four years be long enough?
I also agree with Neal that if you haven’t read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand yet, add it to your home education reading list. I know it is about 1200 pages, but you can get it in audio form. Pretend Mommy is reading you a bedtime story.
John McCain on Education
Continuing in my quest to find out what the candidates believe about education, and how that might impact homeschoolers, I have to say that I found a completely different tone in John McCain’s education policies as compared to Senator Obama’s.
First, Senator McCain defines public education in an interesting way:
Public education should be defined as one in which our public support for a child’s education follows that child into the school the parent chooses. The school is charged with the responsibility of educating the child, and must have the resources and management authority to deliver on that responsibility. They must also report to the parents and the public on their progress.
… does not allow us the luxury of eliminating options in our educational repertoire. John McCain will fight for the ability of all students to have access to all schools of demonstrated excellence, including their own homes.
Five points for including the home as an option.
But then the website goes on to say:
John McCain believes our schools can and should compete to be the most innovative, flexible and student-centered - not safe havens for the uninspired and unaccountable. He believes we should let them compete for the most effective, character-building teachers, hire them, and reward them.
Competition in the free market- gotta’ love that. But here’s where I think the last 120+ years of institutionalized thinking has blinded folks, including Senator McCain, to solutions that don’t involve federal programs and funding; early education-
Every child born in America… success will be determined in great part by whether or not we meet our obligation to provide them with the education critical to their success. A foundation for this effort is ensuring that every child, regardless of their financial means, arrives on the first day of elementary school ready to learn.
I am still of the view that this is foundation is best provided by parents, because-
There is no shortage of federal programs targeted at early child care and preschool. State and federal funding for early childhood care and education programs is over $25 billion each year. The list of programs includes Head Start, Title I preschool programs, Early Head Start, Even Start, the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, Early Reading First, the Social Services Block Grant, the Child Care and Development Block Grant, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
No kidding there isn’t a shortage of federal programs with billions of dollars in taxpayer’s money attached to them, and instead of children being nurtured and taught, they appear to be falling through the cracks by the truckload, because the temporary gains sometimes seen with early learning programs do not seem to create enough momentum to propel kids past fourth grade, much less until graduation.
The Head Start program was created to meet the educational and social needs of young children. While there are some excellent Head Start centers that can serve as models for leadership and best practices, far too many Head Start centers have fallen prey to the same institutional flaws that have undermined the larger public education system. They lack quality instructors; they lack accountability to parents; and they are focused on process, not outcomes. We should build Centers for Excellence in Head Start that actually leads to excellence in all of the pre-K and early learning programs that taxpayers support. (emphasis mine)
When are politicians and bureaucrats going to admit that you can’t fix institutional flaws by creating another institution? I appreciate that John McCain often looks more toward parental choice and competition for solutions to problems such as those we see in our public education system, but are we so entrenched in the idea that the only means of providing an education to the nation’s children is with top-heavy generalized taxpayer-funded black holes of bureaucracy?
Why not use that first step of empowering parents in the lives of their children (not just reducing the input of the federal government in education) to make the leap back to community-based schools that meet local and state standards instead of federal ones? Let’s throw a Going Away Party for the Department of Education and the NEA and the AFT- I’ll bring the chips and dip!
Parental Education and Involvement
Parental involvement is critical to the success of any pre-K program. Current federal programs will be focused on educating parents on the basics of preparing their children for a productive educational experience. These programs will place an emphasis on reading and numbers skills, as well as nutrition and general health. Reinforcing to parents the fundamental importance of reading to their children as a primary way of expanding their vocabulary and preparing their young minds to learn will be emphasized at every level.
Someone please tell me- do we really need federal programs to teach parents to read to their kids? Are the parents of America so pathetic that they don’t understand that reading to their kids is important? Don’t they play with their toddlers, counting fingers and toes, stacking alphabet blocks, figuring out how many days until their birthday or Christmas? We need a government program for that?
Overall, Senator McCain’s education policies contain some better alternatives when compared to Barack Obama’s ideas, because I see the underlying philosophical differences- John McCain leans more toward the freedom of citizens to make choices about their own lives, and Senator Obama’s plans are geared more toward even more expensive and expansive government programs. This affects the home educator in one primary way- that if a candidate believes that the state has a more compelling interest in a child than the parent, the freedom to homeschool will soon become a burp in American history.
In spite of some differences I have with Senator McCain’s proposals regarding education, and the continued trend toward dependence on government for solutions to problems in the private lives of Americans, I’d rather see Senator McCain behind the big desk, perhaps as the beginning of a turning tide back toward individual liberty and enabling citizens to find solutions within themselves to care for and nurture their children, the inspiration to get involved in their local schools and support policies that benefit their communities, and support a thriving society that rewards hard work and achievement and respects privacy and diversity.
Find Out What They Believe
From The Washington Post:
Obama and McCain Tax Proposal Comparison Chart
According to a new analysis by the Tax Policy Center, a joint project of the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain are both proposing tax plans that would result in cuts for most American families. Obama’s plan gives the biggest cuts to those who make the least, while McCain would give the largest cuts to the very wealthy. For the approximately 147,000 families that make up the top 0.1 percent of the income scale, the difference between the two plans is stark. While McCain offers a $269,364 tax cut, Obama would raise their taxes, on average, by $701,885 - a difference of nearly $1 million.
From The Wall Street Journal:
Obama’s 95% Illusion It depends on what the meaning of ‘tax cut’ is.
…The Tax Foundation estimates that under the Obama plan 63 million Americans, or 44% of all tax filers, would have no income tax liability and most of those would get a check from the IRS each year. The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Data Analysis estimates that by 2011, under the Obama plan, an additional 10 million filers would pay zero taxes while cashing checks from the IRS.
Why Americans should set aside their wealth envy and paranoia and understand that Senator McCain’s plan to cut corporate taxes are A GOOD THING: (Warning: An understanding of American economics is important to understanding… American economics)
Cutting The Effective Corporate Tax Rate by Jack M. Mintz, Chair of the School of Policy Studies, University of Calgary
With credit markets in disarray and the United States facing a possible recession, Americans are looking closely at the economic proposals of the presidential candidates. Luckily, there is a reform option available to the next president that would generate stronger economic growth and is easy to implement. Corporate tax reform that lowers the rate and achieves a more neutral burden across business activities could boost capital investment, aid the adoption of new technologies, and increase the capacity of the economy to grow.
I am definitely not a one issue voter. Policies that could affect home education are not the only reason I am going to the polls. I look at the campaign platforms to see how they reflect a candidate’s overall philosophy of governing.
Recently I spoke to three young men who were out campaigning for Obama, and asked them about his policies and what they mean to American citizens. All they could tell me what that he was going to change things. “Change how?” They couldn’t tell me. In spite of their obvious zeal and that they seemed to be quite intelligent, they didn’t appear to have any understanding of how our economy functions. They were excited about Obama’s charisma, but were ignorant of his substance.
Whatever you believe about the candidates’ personal lives, their platforms reveal what they know about American economics, and what they believe about liberty.
Barack Obama on Education
As a home educator, I am very interested in where the candidates stand on educational issues. This post is going to be a bit of an overview of some of my perceptions about Barack Obama’s platform on education and how home educators might be affected if he is elected.
From his website, BarackObama.com:
Early Childhood Education
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Zero to Five Plan: The Obama-Biden comprehensive “Zero to Five” plan will provide critical support to young children and their parents. … the Obama-Biden plan places key emphasis at early care and education for infants, which is essential for children to be ready to enter kindergarten. Obama and Biden will create Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state “zero to five” efforts and help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school.
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Expand Early Head Start and Head Start: Obama and Biden will quadruple Early Head Start, increase Head Start funding and improve quality for both.
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Affordable, High-Quality Child Care: Obama and Biden will also provide affordable and high-quality child care to ease the burden on working families.
It is good that these programs are designated as voluntary, but the role of government in education is still problematic. How will these programs be funded? Obama and Biden aren’t going to provide anything themselves- they are going to use the our tax system to redistribute wealth. I have major philosophical objections to that that I will get into later.
I’d like to know how the data regarding the impact of early childhood education on long term academic success is going to impact the details of his proposals. There are some favorable outcomes- but those vary wildly based on the differences in quality, funding, and execution of those programs, as well as socio-economic factors. It has been proven again and again that One Size does NOT Fit All.
There is also the evidence that the parent-child connectedness created in infancy and sustained throughout a child’s life greatly impacts adolescence, and has even been linked to the prevention of STDs and teen pregnancy. Some of these programs sound as if they are seeking to ‘relieve’ parents of the responsibility (note the use of the word ‘burden’ of being their child’s primary care giver.
Pet peeve- anything that implies that children are a burden to parents or society.
This excerpt concerns me-
Recruit, Prepare, Retain, and Reward America’s Teachers
Currently there are many private schools that are not accredited or employ teachers that are not certified. This area has also been studied, and there is a significant amount of research that shows that certification and accreditation are not guarantees of quality in education. I don’t believe that the call for more accreditation has any value nor will it have the desired impact on academic achievement. It appears that the more hoops the gov’t holds up for potential teachers to jump through, the fewer of the best and brightest that get in line.
Question: How do you say this-
Real change is finally giving our kids everything they need to have a fighting chance in today’s world. That begins with recognizing that the single most important factor in determining a child’s achievement is not the color of their skin or where they come from; it’s not who their parents are or how much money they have. It’s who their teacher is.
And then in the next breath say this?
But there is no program and no policy that can substitute for a parent who is involved in their child’s education from day one, who makes sure that child is in school on time, helps them with their homework, and attends those parent-teacher conferences; who is willing to turn off the TV once in awhile, put away the video games, and read to their child. Responsibility for our children’s education starts at home. We have to set high standards for them, and spend time with them, and love them. We have to hold ourselves accountable.
So I started reading the fine print, and found this interesting-
Increase Parental Responsibility:
Barack Obama believes that parents have responsibility to ensure that their children are on time and ready to learn every day, and that at night, their children are continuing their studies.
As announced by Barack Obama in November 2007, the following principles will be implemented in an Obama-Biden administration:
• Clear and High Expectations for Student Behavior: Every school receiving funding under this plan is required to lay out clear and high expectations for student behavior and shared values, agreed on by the school’s educators and parents. This plan will support summer planning time for teachers to design behavioral expectations or receive training in models driving positive student behavior school wide.
• School-family Contracts: The Obama-Biden plan will encourage schools and parents to work together to establish a school-family contract laying out expectations for student attendance, behavior, and homework. These contracts would be provided to families in their native language when possible and would include information on tutoring, academic support, and public school choice options for students.
• Parental and Family Responsibility: Barack Obama will call on parents to turn off the TV and video games, make sure their children are getting their homework done and work to take a greater stake in their child’s education both in and outside of school.
• Service: All students in grant recipient districts will be expected to engage in community service.
That’s an ambitious list to apply to parents who plan to use the system, but what about parents who opt out? I am still seeing more government intervention into the private lives of families than I think is healthy for our society. Exactly how do you “call on parents to turn off the TV and video games”. I mean- this I gotta’ see, as well as compelling children to engage in community service.
I did find that in his book, The Audacity of Hope, he says- “none of these policies need discourage families from deciding to keep a parent at home…For some families, that may mean doing without certain material comforts. For others it may mean home schooling….Whatever the case may be, such decisions should be honored.” (p.344) That’s it- that’s all I found so far about Obama and home education specifically.
What I find troubling-that Barack Obama appears to view the government as The Answer to the nation’s educational needs. His estimations of the funds needed to implement his programs are astounding. The bureaucracy necessary for the kinds of oversight these programs call for will make the tax code look like Danny and the Dinosaur.
Moreover, his claims that he will cut taxes while still increasing spending do not stand up against the actual numbers and how the current tax code is already punitive enough:
…we find that America’s lowest-earning one-fifth of households received roughly $8.21 in government spending for each dollar of taxes paid in 2004. Households with middle-incomes received $1.30 per tax dollar, and America’s highest-earning households received $0.41. Government spending targeted at the lowest-earning 60 percent of U.S. households is larger than what they paid in federal, state and local taxes. In 2004, between $1.03 trillion and $1.53 trillion was redistributed downward from the two highest income quintiles to the three lowest income quintiles through government taxes and spending policy.
The top 20% of wage earners pay 34.55% of the tax burden, while the bottom 20% pay 12.97%. This does not include the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Child Tax Credit, which leaves many families on the lower 40% paying NO TAXES AT ALL. So his claims that he will cut taxes on the middle and lower classes is as viable as his claim that he will cut capital gains tax on small business owners. That is rubbish, and in my opinion is nothing more than an appeal to the baser human instincts of greed and envy and the belief that folks are ignorant of the American economy and too lazy to check their facts.
None of this strikes me as a formula for academic success, and it is a guarantee of an economic meltdown as well as a serious loss of liberty for American citizens.
Most of the home educators that I interact with regularly are NOT anti-government. They believe the gov’t has a real and important role in our nation’s success, but that role should not (and the Constitution supports this) invade the private lives of families. Since there is very little evidence of what Barack Obama believes about home education specifically, all I feel able to do is infer from his beliefs about public education and educational choice.
I appreciate many of the changes to NCLB that he has suggested, but instead of more federalization, we need LESS. Everywhere I looked on his plan, I saw ‘federal funding’ repeated again and again. Federal funding means federal regulations. This leaves out the community to a large degree. Instead of truly turning education back over to the states and neighborhoods and parents, it creates even more bureaucracy- and isn’t that, to a large degree, what got public education into trouble in the first place?
This, in my opinion, does not bode well for the homeschooler, who has stepped out of the system, with very little if any accountability to any government agency. The history of home education details incident after incident of what happens when folks in power believe that they know better for the nation’s children than the parents of the nation’s children.
So I am very concerned about what an Obama presidency would mean, not just to my pocketbook, but to the freedom to educate my children in the manner which I and my husband have deemed appropriate for them and for our family.
New Digs Up & Running…
but still working out the minor details. I have had some interesting conversations using terms I heretofore did not know existed: SEO- Search Engine Optimization, SQL Databases, FTP…
The coolest thing about Wordpress.org as opposed to Wordpress.com is all the plug-ins. When I figured out how to upload and install them, I had a field day! Wordpress.com is great, but does not allow javascript for security reasons. Many of the simple things, like badges and buttons, would not work because of this.
I signed up with bluehost, and can I say “WOW!” Their customer service so far has been phenomenal. And when I call I get a human. Like, totally awesome.
At first I was completely intimidated by the idea of having my own website and learning all this new jargon and code. But it’s started to come together in my head, and I am thankful yet again for all the folks who put this complicated mumbo-jumbo down on the bottom shelf where newbies can get at it.
By the way, if you have a link to my blog in your blogroll, would you mind updating the link? I’ll be ditching the old blog soon, and who likes to click on a link that no longer takes you where you want to go?
That’s all for now. I’ll be back to blogging about home education as soon as I get the furniture where I want it.
Homeschooling Essentially on an ‘Honor System’
An article in The Missourian presents some of the controversial questions regarding the home education issue, but the one that jumped out at me is also the title-
Home schooling operates on ‘honor system’
Sunday, September 28, 2008 | 6:09 a.m. CDT
BY Emily ColemanAccording to Missouri statute, home schools must maintain records that provide evidence instruction is occurring, but these records do not need to be submitted to any agency.
“Parents basically maintain a log of the instruction and the instructional time students are engaged in so that if they were ever challenged, if someone wanted to investigate, they would be able to document the fact based upon their log,” said Bert Schulte, the deputy commissioner of education. “It’s essentially an honor system.”
Imagine that- taking for granted that parents will act honorably when it comes to the education of their children. To me, this is not only a ‘Duh!’ statement, but the idea that that parents are often assumed guilty until proven innocent really frosts my taters.
Of course, the quote from the obligatory school official is what you’d expect-
“Our home-school policy in the state of Missouri is very, very lenient,” Barnett, the assistant superintendent, said. “That’s probably not good.”
Then there’s the evidence to the contrary, which is usually conveniently ignored-
“Some states impose heavy regulatory burdens on home-schoolers,” Woodruff said. “Others (like Missouri) impose relatively light burdens. The kids don’t do any better academically in the states that impose heavy burdens. So if a heavy regulatory burden doesn’t help the kids, why do it?”
In the past decade or so, there has been more research into the reasons for and the result of home schooling. A study referenced by Woodruff compared public school students’ scores using the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency with those of home-schooled students. The median score for home-school students in the eighth grade was about the same as the median score for 12th-graders in public schools. The study ended in 1999 and was conducted by Lawrence Rudner, whose children are not home-schooled.
But the state never looks at it that way- and you can gauge the motives of those in power by how often they want to create regulations for something that by and large needs no regulation.
“Sometimes we have grandparents that will call being very concerned, knowing that their grandchildren are not being educated even though they know the parents are saying that the child is home-schooled,” Barnett said. In cases like these, the district directs the caller to the state hot line.
They know, do they? By what standards do they measure whether or not a child is being educated? How much time they spend at a desk? Whether or not they can spell ‘conspiratorially’? Does an educated child have the capitals of the 50 states memorized by age 8?
Barnett said there is probably more legitimate home schooling occurring than non-legitimate. For those that aren’t, she said, the legislature should look at the issue again.
“There are some children falling though the cracks educationally because we don’t have a structure that makes sure that all children are in school,” Barnett said.
And if they were in school, Ms. Barnett, what structure ensures that a large percentage of children don’t fall through the cracks? Excuse me if I am sick and tired of the assumption that “kids in school=educated kids”. “Kids in school” = “kids in school” and nothing more.
“Home educated” means that children are being overseen by their parents, and I can’t wrap my mind around the idea that we as a country could proceed with a ‘guilty until proven innocent’ approach to the roles and rights of parents. It’s incomprehensible to me that someone would think that an impersonal entity such as ‘the state’ could nurture and educate the nation’s children. Aren’t those ‘in charge’ also human beings? Aren’t many of them parents as well? Why would anyone believe that they could do better with someone else’s child than they can do with their own? Upon what rock are the standards of ‘what children should know when’ engraved, and why isn’t it in the Smithsonian?
Sheesh.
Got Electric?
Well- since September 14th we haven’t… until tonight. Apparently Ike decided to give our neck of the woods a piece of his mind, and the atmosphere cooperated with some kind of weird high pressure system that held high winds close to the ground, so that we in SW Ohio could feel the thrill of 60 mph winds blowing trees around like they were twigs. It gave me much sympathy and a dose of empathy for the devastation that folks must be experiencing in the southern states that experienced the full wrath of Hurricane Ike.
Living without the conveniences that electricity allows was interesting, since we are in a suburb where this seldom happens and thus we aren’t as prepared for it as we would be if we lived in a rural area where power outages lasting for days is normal. We managed quite well though, with my husband’s company allowing us to borrow some things to make life easier, as well as the gracious help provided us by our church family.
So now life may return to some semblance of normal, and I only have about 24 of 252 emails left to read.
What I’ve Been Reading Online…
There are so many amazing writers whose offerings are available online, and it is a never-ending task to absorb all the information right at our fingertips. I could sit at my desk all day and just go from link to link, site to site… and never get tired of it.
But, I have children to nurture and dishes to wash, so I must schedule a little bit of time each day and choose what kind of information I am interested in and what ideas do I want to spend time contemplating.
Lately I’ve been reading and re-reading a really fascinating blog at Psychology Today. It’s Freedom to Learn by Peter Gray, who is “a research professor of psychology at Boston College, is a specialist in developmental and evolutionary psychology and author of an introductory psychology textbook, Psychology, now in its 5th edition.”
His blog entries include “Why We Should Stop Segregating Children by Age: Part I–The Value of Play in the Zone of Proximal Development” and Children Educate Themselves I: Outline of Some of the Evidence-
As adults we do have certain responsibilities toward our children and the world’s children. It is our responsibility to create safe, health-promoting, respectful environments in which children can develop. It is our responsibility to be sure that children have proper foods, fresh air, non-toxic places to play, and lots of opportunities to interact freely with other people across the whole spectrum of ages. It is our responsibility to be models of human decency. But one thing we do not have to worry about is how to educate children.
We do not have to worry about curricula, lesson plans, motivating children to learn, testing them, and all the rest that comes under the rubric of pedagogy. Lets turn that energy, instead, toward creating decent environments in which children can play. Children’s education is children’s responsibility, not ours. Only they can do it. They are built to do it. Our task regarding education is just to stand back and let it happen. The more we try to control it, the more we interfere.
And then he goes on to support his premise. You’re gonna’ love it.
I am also taking in some research and publications by The Friedman Foundation, and an issue of The School Choice Advocate (.pdf) caught my eye-Democrats for School Choice. Hmmmm…
Beyond School has an older post about Taking Back Teaching, which examines “What are the origins and history of grading in modern education?”. I think I’ve read it five times.
Then I’ve been backtracking through Jay P. Green’s blog, where I run into a post with his reading recommendations.
I could be here all day.
What Do We Miss When We Are Dismissive?
Never before have regular folks been able to present their ideas and opinions for consideration than since the dawn of the internet. But with freedom comes responsibility, and we need to respect the power we have to influence and affect the lives of others with our words.
There is an ebb and flow to the blogosphere, with elections and scandals and tragedies inspiring folks to write about that which they believe passionately. In the midst of all that passion, I’d like to ask- “How much do we really contemplate the ideas that are in opposition to our own firmly held beliefs?” and “How do we support, with real evidence, the ideas that we propose?”
I do not want to imply that we be ideological fluffballs, floating on the winds of majority opinion and changing our stance with every shift in the social climate. But do we give credit where credit is due, or as soon as we see certain words- “global warming”, “conservative”, “pro-life”, “Democrat” do we turn away dismissively- “Partisan!” “Right wing fanatic!” “Liberal nutjob!”
If Hillary Clinton offers some insight based on her experiences, do we mock it simply because she said it? If Rush Limbaugh points out a study that supports his stance on a topic, do we dismiss the report because he is a conservative talk-radio host? Or do we take the time to actually see whether those things are so?
Personally, I don’t think bias is a bad thing, as long as one is talking about a bent, a tendency “an inclination of temperament or outlook”. That kind of bias is normal and even inevitable. When it becomes a stumblingblock to productive discourse or personal growth is when it is an unreasoned response; when it dismisses out of hand an alternative opinion without any serious consideration.
A partisan is a “firm adherent to a party, faction, cause, or person; especially : one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance”. How often is this word used to discredit worthy ideas and wisdom gained by experience or study? How many times have conversations become insults and sideswipes instead of weighing the evidence surrounding the subject at hand? Are we supposed to take seriously exchanges that are little more than “I know you are but what am I?”
I have strongly held opinions and beliefs, and I endeavor to communicate them responsibly and with adequate support and evidence. I also really try to never dismiss an idea or opinion expressed in a reasonable manner. When I am tempted or fail in this area, I am disappointed in myself. I know in my head that I will either alter my beliefs or some aspect of them, or I will become even more steadfast in my own convictions, but in either case, I do not need to be afraid of investigating the information that supports a different idea. So it’s hard work sometimes. So I might have to say “I’m sorry, I was wrong”. Isn’t it worth it to honor The Golden Rule in discourse as well as in life? Respect and consider the ideas of others as we would wish our ideas to be respected and considered? Can we be strong and humble?
We all have some core beliefs on which we will not bend, that we hold as sacred convictions that we defend staunchly. One of mine that is relevant to current political events is that we always advance in the direction of freedom and personal responsibility, and never towards more government control of our personal lives.
Unfortunately, some folks do sabotage themselves by the manner in which they present concepts and convictions. When the debate is begun with hyperbole, dishonesty, verbal perversions and contortions, where are we left to go? It’s hard to find anything productive to discuss after such a start, and to be respectful after having one’s character and intelligence questioned for having the audacity to disagree.
I wish to remind myself and encourage my bloggy friends to consider this- as much as it lies within us, let’s strive to keep the conversation about the issues that affect us, and not descend into gross exaggerations and a stubborn rejection of an idea based solely on the overall ideology, religion, ancestry, or gender of its proponent. We have this great freedom, as well as the opportunity to be responsible and respectful with it.
Special thanks to Dawn at Day by Day Discoveries for encouraging me to blog about this.