h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Home schooling doesn't work for everyone. We are fortunate enough to be able to survive on just my salary and to both agree that it (home schooling) is a good thing. But there are lots of reasons why it wouldn't be right for some people. In fact, there are times when we question our own decision, like when our daughter is tantruming, or when we wish we could afford something, but those times are relatively rare (we only wish the tantrums were as rare). Virtually anything we hear about the public system just serves to confirm our decision.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled rant.


The basic problem is the system itself. Think of prisons and madhouses. These are institutes of compulsory treatment. Places where one group of people do things to another group, without their consent, because still another group thinks this would be good for them. "We are going to control your lives (or treat you) - do whatever we want - until WE think you measure up".

Schools are exactly the same: society has decided that one group of people, teachers, shall do all sorts of things to another group, students, whether they want it or not, until the teachers think the students measure up.

The basic problem is that it is compulsory. John Holt calls it "the ugly and anti-human business of people shaping." He also says: "Next to the right to life itself, the most fundamental of all human rights is the right to control our own minds and thoughts. That means, the right to decide for ourselves how to explore the world around us, think about our own and other person's experiences, and find the meaning of our own lives." One more quote: "You can not have human liberty, and the sense of all person's uniqueness, dignity and worth on which it rests, if you give some people the right to tell other people what they must learn or know, or the right to say officially or "objectively" that some people are more able and worthy than others."

This doesn't mean not trying to influence - but it must not put the other in the position of not having any choice but to agree. And it certainly doesn't mean no one should ever have the right to ask another to show what he knows how to do.

What it does mean is trusting kids to learn what they need themselves - to direct their own education. But when you think about it, it is not such a leap of trust. After all, the kids mastered the language without being taught. They learned the very complex physical skill of walking without being taught and without it being broken down into infinitesimal bits and without being compelled to do so. Think about it - most of what we know was not learned in school, or in a school-like process. We learn by doing, and usually NOT with the purpose of learning (e.g. travel for fun, but end up learning lots; read for fun, but learn in the process; play music for fun ...). For example, in my job, most of what I do, I learned after I got the job. Of the 4 years of University engineering education I endured, virtually none of it is useful to me now, or ever has been, despite being in a technical, engineering job. My wife is similar - she got an engineeering degree too, held 3 different engineering jobs (none of which she liked) in which only a tiny part of her education was useful (and which she could have easily learned on the job), then went back to school and got her teaching certificate and taught in a public school (which she liked) until our daughter was born. In her teaching job, virtually none of the stuff she "learned" at teacher's college was useful, and the stuff that was could have been easily learned when she needed it.

So, basically, learning and doing are not separate. We don't learn to play a musical instrument, then when done learning, play it - we play and learn at the same time. We don't learn all the walking skills, then walk. But that's how schools work. I learned all the engineering skills, then was sent out to do engineering. Trouble was, I didn't learn them very well because they weren't relevant to anything and in the end 99% of them weren't needed at all - I learned most of what I do by doing it on the job.

That's the point - you don't really learn something unless it has relevance to you. Of the people reading this, probably only Witty and MR will remember any of it a week from now, because they have kids and this stuff is relevant to them. And even they have probably tuned out by now . Actually, they probably haven't because I haven't really gotten to the part that is REALLY relevant for them - what they can do for their kids (I really WILL get to that eventually, I promise). Here's another quote from John Holt: "We are unlikely to learn anything good from experiences which do not seem *to us* to be closely connected with what is interesting and important in the rest of our lives. We are even less likely to learn anything good from coerced experiences, things that others have bribed, threatened, bullied, wheedled or tricked us into doing."

So, leaning and doing are not separate. This can be taken further to say that knowledge is action. For example, history is the ACT of asking certain types of questions about the past; physics and chemistry are the ACT of asking different types of questions. Our knowledge of these subjects is a record of what past people DID. The doing of math, physics are any other intellectual activity begins with someone asking a question. School books rarely help us see this - they tell us the right answers, but very rarely the questions that first led people to look for those answers. Even more rarely do they tell us how thinkers of the past have gone about trying to answer their own questions, and still more rarely what mistakes they made along the way.

*scans back over what he has written*


Okay, better end today's rant now.

I guess I was lucky to have missed the AR program. I will say that all of my teachers prior to the 5th grade were useless, and many after. My 5th and 6th grade teachers were very good however, as well as some that I met in Highschool. They really encouraged me to read whatever I wanted to and gave me some slack in my problems with maths etc. Now I wish that I had paid more attention to grammar and spelling (as you all know I am horrible at both) but I appreciate my vocabulary (gained through reading anything I can get my hands on). I will also say that my schooling did not provide me with the tools to find a good job. Now college might have done so, but my compulsary schooling for sure did not.

In all I had over 40 teachers in my public schooling. I can think of eight that I thank for their contribution to my education. My 5th and 6th grade teachers were both godsends to my education as they helped me succede when none of my prior teachers ever tried. Also in the 5th and 6th grades I was enrolled in both special education for a learning disability that was precieved (I was lazy, nothing more) as well as the advanced learning program. The advanced learning teacher was able to get my mind working in a new way, which I will always thank her for. In junior high I had a special education teacher that realized that I was lightyears beyond my age group in my reading skills, so he gave me a book of Shakespeare to read while the rest were slogging through primers. In highschool I had two english teachers that gave me a passion for writing, a history teacher that made me enjoy history and a zoology teacher that deepened my love of animals (except birds). Other than those few people who saw something else in me, I would have failed as an abberation in the system.

Let me tell you how I ended up in special ed in highschool... In the 8th grade in Utah, you are given examinations that will place you in highschool. These are to give you the basics levels that you are at to determine what classes you should take the next year. They are graded in a method that says what grade level your knowedge is at. I scored 12th grade levels in every subject save english where I scored 9th grade. The "defeciancy" in my english scores were such that I was determined to have a learning disibility. Yes, because I was only one year ahead of my peers instead of four years (as in the rest of the gradings) I was stupid and needed to be in special ed. I was able to dump the special ed classes to become a teachers aide by the middle of the year, but it left me with a distaste for our school system that lasts to this day. I fail to see how my knowing more than 95% of my peers gives me a learnign disability. Now I know that I have a few problems that crop up now and again in my ability to be a normal person. I have mild dyslexia, nerve damage that causes my handwriting to be nearly indecipherable (even to myself), I have a blind spot for maths (that I find apalling).... But I *know* that if approached at the right angle I would be able to overcome almost all of those traits. Should I find myself in college I hope to be able to succede at whatever I choose as a major. Were it not for the insight of a very few people while in school, I would have fallen through the cracks (gaping holes of despair and mediocrity that are miles wide and are never filled as generation after generation of students fall to thier mediocre lives as useless members of society) and not found an ability to communicate to those around me. Writing is a salve for a troubled sould in my case, and were it not for my finding that, I never would have participated in this little web experiment called h2g2.



OK Ramble mode off. My view is that public school in Utah sucks, but I am not smart enough to fix it.

Happy birthday marv

(And you too, Witty )

Thanks GL. It was a great party, all except for the 8-ball in the groin (long story)

Not sure if I want to hear it. Sounds painful. Did someone call "eight ball in Marv's pocket" and miss?

Happy belated B'day Marv

{BB}

Funny thing is, I don't even think he was shooting the 8-ball...

Ralph (pictures as soon as I find space) was shooting the 8 and I hapened to be in the wrong place. But better it hit me rather than hitting the lady behind me I guess.

what a gentleman... marv! happy birthday to you and witty!

*wishes she could've read the entire education debate*

thanks, G, but unless a computer has appeared @ job #2, i won't be able to get online. thanks for the offer, though.

thanks for the kind thoughts, guys. i have great faith that things will work out okay for D. though the crazy git went out and got his nipples pierced this weekend... we seem to share a common need for body modification when we're depressed.

got to !

Ooof...I had quite a scare this weekend. Friday my Lucy and I had to have a visit with the vet 'cause she (Lucy, not me or the vet, Dr. Connie ) had a urinary tract infection. I'm sure some of us girls understand how painful that can be. Anywho, Dr. Connie gave her a shot of penicillin (and an anti-inflamatory to take some of the immediate discomfort away) and put her on a week-long prescription of antibiotics. That night, Luce was active and back to her old, lovey-dovey, snoopy self again. The next morning, however, was different. I thought it was odd that she didn't wake me up early. Instead she was huddled at the end of the bed, unmoving. Her neck was stiff, her head was twisted to the left, her pupils were dilated and whenever I touched her she cried. She could barely walk. I called the vet in a panic and what it came down to was that Lucy had a bad reaction to penicillin. Just like with people, you never know about an allergy until the offending substance is consumed or injected. She was given more medication to help with the pain and her prescription for the UTI was changed. She didn't rally around until Saturday night and she's fine now. In fact, she got a tin of tuna fish as a treat yesterday. Dr. Connie said we were lucky, she's seen cats with similar unknown allergies so severe that they died within seconds of being given a shot of penicillin.

Needless to say, it was a weekend spent at home.

I am glad to hear that Lucy bounced back FG. My sisters cat went through a similar UTI a number of years ago. The resultant diet was more restrictive than the one my father was on after he was diagnosed with diabetes. It is hard to tell a cat why they cannot have the treats that they are used to, and he took it quite personally. He was feeling better after the medication, but he was miffed that we would nt give him the kitty snacks that he usually got after a hardship. Turns out that any dry food was verbotten for a number of months, and then only rarely allowed.

I mentioned to the vet that it was ironic because I myself am allergic to antibiotics (three different classes: the -cillins, the -cyclines, and the sulfas). Like owner, like pet.

I spent the weekend curled up on the couch with Lucy, reading The Golden Compass. Which reminds me about our discussion a few threads ago about our personal daemons. I said, without having read any Pullman, that mine was a grizzly bear. Now I realize how cumbersome that would be--having a great bear follow one everywhere. Yes, it would strike fear and awe into others, but it would be hard doing the simple stuff like going shopping or driving in my compact car!

Is is just me or is the world--a version of ours--in the Golden Compass one without the Reformation?

{[caer csd] Poor Lucy, Sadie has her paws crossed in sympathy.

Spent the best part of the afternoon saving photos from a flashcard via a floppy disk adaptor, I'm now casting longing looks at the adverts for the latest generation of my Fujifilm finepix digital camera. It sits in a USB hot cradle like the palm series, must be much faster to load up to a PC. Anyway, all flashcards are now fresh and ready for Friday's departure.

Phoned Virgin Atlantic to conform H's veggie meal, I was wished a very happy and enjoyable holiday by a very nice customer service girl. Yes, I know they are trained to be nice, but it quite cheered me up after I had spent 20 minutes crawling around under my desk trying to find the aforementioned floppy disk adaptor }

*themonitor in the library together with the one on the wall in the salon both snap to life and show Lil, hair still shower-damp, sitting in the guest cottage*

Hi y'all! I'm back, sort of. You might have heard from Amy, there is apparently a bomb somewhere in the atelier that is set to go off if I come in the main building. That's the bad news. The good news is, I'm free and living in comfort right on the grounds. And you should be getting company soon -- several webjello aristocrats are on their way, and two of them are going to be married right in the atelier!

The rest of the salonistas are also on their way. If you don't mind, I'm going to read some backlog now, and then rejoin you on the monitors. I'm so glad to be back and it's wonderful to see you again!

*the monitors fade to black*

Hi Lil, glad you're back. Anxious to hear about your rescue.

Wooo Hooooo!!!!!

Wait a minute - I'm not actually here, am I?

LIL! SO glad you're back...got any idea about what that bomb looks like?

Garius, I think I know what you're going to tell me. And yes, I already find books that interest her (mostly about big cats and bugs), and I think I am pretty tolerant of her bug hobby....there are 5 jars on her windowsill, each containing a different bug. We found information on how to care for each, and are hoping that the caterpillar, which is enormously fat, will soon wrap him or herself up in a coccoon and become a butterfly, although it might be a moth. I have, for my own sanity, refused to allow her to put snails in my plants, but otherwise, it's okay.

We are also trying to find a worm farm (like an ant farm), so that she can see what they do.

The big cats, of course, are impractical in one's living room, so that's mostly books, although we do have a couple of videos, and we find big cat shows on Animal Planet and watch them. I am also trying to make a connection with the San Diego Zoo people, to allow her to see a big cat up close (she is particularly fond of bengal tigers).

We read together every night, and she helps me cook, although sometimes the rules I laid down for her safety when she was 3 and 4 get in the way!

We take "get lost" walks, which are meandering affairs that involve looking at everything, climbing trees, talking about science and nature and god...interesting.

Now, here's the thing. If I wasn't doing what I was doing, if I was a single mother working 2 jobs to keep food on the table, and had no money for extras, and lived in an urban jungle (Irvine is urban, but there's way more open space here than, say, LA), how and when would I be able to do any of these things? Also, and I'm not tooting my own horn here or anything, but I'm obviously quite intelligent, and if I don't know something, I can find the answer, or help her find it. I have a computer and internet access....do you see where I am going here? It's sort of like vegetarians. It's hard to be one in a world where food is scarce. It's only when you have OPTIONS that you can discard one. And for some kids, public school is the only place they fell safe and cared for. Sad, I know, but true nonetheless.

[not here, but if she were, she'd be sitting very close to the fire trying to warm herself]

I can't believe it was only a couple of weeks ago (beginning of September) when we were still having summer weather and temperature, which is unusual for the month of September...

...but now things have tipped over the other way instead - only +3 C (37 F) this morning!

Currently listening to 'The last night of the Proms' on TV (I've seen it a lot of times before) and I found myself wishing that the Swedes could be as enthusiastic about something - but no...

I'm told that Swedish is the only language to have a word ('lagom') for 'not too hot, not too cold' or 'not too slow, not too fast' or 'not too wild, not too tame' or 'not too spicy, not too tasteless' or... but somewhere inbetween - 'lukewarm' as many Swedes call it in distaste

I once read an interesting theory comparing Sweden and France about bringing up children (picture a restaurant):
- French children sit still like little s (I'm told that they still get slapped by their parents) with perfect manners, not being allowed to be children
- Swedish children will go to the extreme in the other way, running around, playing, shouting, no discipline (seemingly) at all

Adult French people will go on strike ever so often, or demonstrating, presumably having built up a huge amount of rebellionship during childhood

Adult Swedish people will do exactly as they are told, and you'll rarely see any rebellion at all, as they have already lived it out as children

Ti, I do not envy you your weather extremes. It has been cooling down to autum norms here. I spent the weekend driving with my windows rolled down and my heater on (the only way to do this as heat in a car is free as far an energy goes, the motor gets hot one way or another) enjoying the cold wind and warm toes . Doing this made me glad that I had the cd player installed as the wind rush while driving on the freeway was fairly loud. I had not appreciated lately how quiet my car is.

Poor Lucy! **

Lil!!!! So very good to see you again!