Sunday, February 6, 2011

Deny Children Their Dreams?

A revelation indefensible is borne of seemingly disconnected conversation:
"too much emphasis is put on curriculum," is something of where the ah-ha cohered.

Conversation was begun.. About our children being 'tethered' together in a duet or trio of PS2 play. Meanwhile well educated English speaking Egyptians a world apart are reading my Tweets from America about freedom and how the Old World Order based on a certain tyrannical power structure is crumbling into, people power. Have you read the news? So Egyptians will have no more, no more of living where their very dreams are squashed.

It is the same thing in compulsory or dictated curriculum-assessment based education. Children are taught to submit to coercion, conspiracy (parent/teacher/education-director, private meetings/conferences) and bribery, sacrificing of themselves, their very childhoods' in attempt to hide or gain favor. These are the "choices" presented our children.

Where, when a child's emotional development is the most critical element developing, children suffer alienation and separation anxiety from their 'elders' due to the ongoing trauma of repeated and regular dictation and indifference. Conformity, classification and competition, assessment-comparison is so required that the environment becomes completely lacking in regard to the individual. The personal path is denied including any personal bio-rhythmic, special challenges unique to an individual or various learning style needs... Usually when the "norm" is not met children end up with labels instead of unfolding. 

Sometimes our children sleep a lot, naps, etc.. other times not so much.. Sometimes we're up late and other times we get up early. Such is life. Sometimes we're productive and others well..  Where did this emphasis were priority is some attendance record, spinning to our grave in drudgery.. The supposed value in a dictated contrived regimen, were did it come from?  The schooling the homework is almost like a child labor-camps.  I cannot imagine denying my children their sleep whenever they are so inclined nor their dreams (a function of sleep), whenever they - on their natural rhythm, may come to require some...
This is one way "school" teaches no such regard for individual subtlety, but indifference to ourslves and ultimately to others too.

See: John Taylor Gatto in the links for enlightening us on 'Indifference' further...


1 comments:

elaine said...

Although the assessment was very lengthy, I could not agree with it more. I am not a teacher, but I witness all of this on a daily basis. I see it in the children and have read that either 40 or 60% of our children are on medication to be able to cope in school. This is outrageous. What are we doing to these beautiful minds? We are programming them, confusing them and underestimating them. To me, school and the bible has been used as the same tool. Both, dumb individuals down. It is as simple as that.

Cordially,

elaine

What Unschooling is not

We cannot tell you what unschooling is when the point of unschooling is to unleash the individual. Because to nurture self-expression and inspiration and find the unique individual purpose within, is different for everyone. This is the point.

We cannot tell you what unschooling is going to be for you and your children because unschooling is an individual experience. We can only refer to what unschooling is not. Each individual has a multitude of possibilities and inspirations. It is our role as parents to lend support and guidance so our children can realize their purpose as it comes to them.

This unfolding process can appear through examples and experiences, mentors. As long as you're there in support and as facilitator you offer opportunity to learn via freewill according to inner directive. That 'stewardship,' of our children, is the role as we see it, as parents. We learn as much from our children as we expect them to learn from us.

Unschooling is not instructive but constructive. Unschooling is not curriculum nor assessment based but more about becoming, about faith in natural processes unfolding, rites of certain passage. The best we can do most of the time is get out the way. Unschooling is not a rat-race but self-paced. Unschooling is not competitive but cooperative. Unschooling does not sacrifice the individual for the whole but waters the roots to enjoy the fruits..

At home with

At home with
Gnomes

Missing component in Education today

One critical missing component of typical education today is a focus on the development of Emotional Intelligence. You have probably heard of it. It ultimately has to do with the empowerment phase necessary of balanced education. This is opposed as you know to disempowerment. People who are achieved in emotional intelligence can actually put knowledge to work effectively. Those with limited experience in this area accumulate knowledge in the left brain while the right brain gets a headache. Connections become lost due to fragmented understanding. As coursework was taught to them in fragmented ways so goes the confused, undeveloped in emotional development and disempowered not knowing why. By designing the modern-cultural aspects of education devoid of relevant connection with emotional intelligence, modern culture is, by-design neutered. .. Devoid of the tools necessary for its' own empowerment. . Something critical to us all, at such rapidly transitory times.. We must evolve and Adapt. An immediate good first step could be a degree of Unschooling for all teachers with emphasis and inclusion to learning how to bring E.I. to the class.