http://www.whiteoakschool.com/camp-creek-blog/en-USSquarespace Site Server v5.9.2 (http://www.squarespace.com/)Amy ChionisWed, 17 Mar 2010 21:36:45 +0000http://www.whiteoakschool.com/camp-creek-blog/2010/3/17/school-as-employee-training.html#comments59139:1518541:comment/7785258The last few posts have got me so relieved that while we are "in school", we are in a special education program with an IEP and a tiny class. A strange blessing. I bristle when we have to discuss things like "preparation for mainstreaming" at his IEPs and keep silently reminding myself that we take this process day by day. I am grateful for your perspective, as well as all the other voices of parents out there that are choosing to opt out of traditional schooling methods and meet the needs of their children as people.
Keep them coming. You never fail to set me thinking and challenging myself. You have been a guidepost for me over the last two years.]]>LoriWed, 17 Mar 2010 21:13:30 +0000http://www.whiteoakschool.com/camp-creek-blog/2010/3/16/lets-compete.html#comments59139:1518541:comment/7785126
thank you for sharing your story!

queenbee, i *love* that story. :^) i'm pretty sure the best school for an adventurer is homeschool. ;^)

from an interview between two reggio educators (included in "the hundred languages of children"):

Gandini: What advice could you give, after so many years of work, to teachers who work with young children?

Vecchi: I hesitate to give advice. Our research is really an adventure, often exciting and diverting, and how can I give advice about going on an adventure?

:^)]]>LoriWed, 17 Mar 2010 20:59:04 +0000http://www.whiteoakschool.com/camp-creek-blog/2008/4/12/make-a-field-bag-from-recycled-clothing.html#comments59139:1518541:comment/7785029LoriWed, 17 Mar 2010 20:57:46 +0000http://www.whiteoakschool.com/camp-creek-blog/2010/3/17/school-as-employee-training.html#comments59139:1518541:comment/7785015
and thank you, molly!

this is a trust issue. we should trust that if we give children the best education we can — and respect their own interests and talents — we’ll be equipping the next generation to do whatever needs to be done in their time. we can’t always forecast what jobs will even exist in 20 years; we *can* concentrate on today and what we are capable of doing for children now.

there is a lack of trust that spreads like a cancer throughout the system. there is no trust of teachers to teach (in that link at the bottom of my post, University of Chicago’s Zalman Usiskin is quoted as saying that “our teachers cannot be trusted to make decisions about which curriculum is best for their schools”), there is no trust of administrators to hold their schools to adequate standards and determine their own pedagogy, there is no trust of parents, and far and above all else, there is no trust of children — no trust that they *want* to learn, no trust that they *will* learn unless they are subjected to drill and kill.

we need to trust that if we get education right, our kids will not only get jobs but they will be able to find their own best, meaningful work. if we get education right, we’ll not only turn out cogs, we’ll turn out inventors, risk-takers, and leaders.

we need to make education about education and trust that well-educated, happy, engaged kids will become the adults our society needs when it’s their turn to lead.]]>mollyWed, 17 Mar 2010 19:48:28 +0000http://www.whiteoakschool.com/camp-creek-blog/2010/3/17/school-as-employee-training.html#comments59139:1518541:comment/7784557
and your darn right that the time families allow their children to leave home should be treated as a precious commodity. if we all started respecting the time of others, imagine how different our world would be and imagine how much more productive each and every one of us could be. especially in the international market.

you're always so right on!]]>QueenBeeWed, 17 Mar 2010 17:00:37 +0000http://www.whiteoakschool.com/camp-creek-blog/2010/3/16/lets-compete.html#comments59139:1518541:comment/7783317I've been thinking about it since I read it. We were contemplating a move to India last year and over and over heard that our American children wouldn't be able to cut it in Indian schools because of the pressure and pace. I'm certain the people offering this opinion were correct b/c as my children are homeschooled they've never dealt with that "pressure and pace" at all. I have to admit that for a brief moment I felt worried that I was doing an actual disservice to my children - leaving them unprepared for "the future." I mean, they haven't memorized the Periodic Table yet - my god! They helped me get my head on straight again when my six-year-old reminded me that she wants to be an Adventurer when she grows up and asked which is the best University for learning to be an Adventurer - you know with classes in choosing a destination, how to draw your adventures, and how to pick fellow travelers for the journey. Ah - that's right - we're after creativity not conformity.]]>Dawn SuzetteWed, 17 Mar 2010 16:59:40 +0000http://www.whiteoakschool.com/camp-creek-blog/2010/3/16/lets-compete.html#comments59139:1518541:comment/7783308This is so true Lori. I saw so many kids in my high school of almost 3,000.. yes! 3,000 kids... in what I used to call survival mode. Trying to make in through the day so they could get on to the things they loved to do after school. It was intresting to me one day when I heard some teachers in the lunch room complaining about a student. I asked who they were talking about. Once they told me I was a little shocked. He was a great student in my class and spoke out with insightful comments and questions. I even saw him on the street downtown with his friends and he ran across the street calling my name so he could meet my husband. BUT he was in a "band" and hung out with "those" type of kids... and was not intrested in "this" or "that"... the things those particular teachers found exceptable. It was a sad case of not meeting a student at his level and respecting the things that he found intresting. I would talk to him about his band and what gigs they were playing around town. It was not my kind of music but I knew that he loved it and it was important to him. That was all I needed to know... He did not need my approval just my interest. Then all of a sudden he was an active and productive member of my classroom.
I wonder what kind of student that English teacher would have seen if she had just asked to see a few of the songs he had written?
Thanks again for the disscussion Lori!]]>RachelWed, 17 Mar 2010 16:32:47 +0000http://www.whiteoakschool.com/camp-creek-blog/2008/4/12/make-a-field-bag-from-recycled-clothing.html#comments59139:1518541:comment/7783130amy k.Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:42:19 +0000http://www.whiteoakschool.com/camp-creek-blog/2010/3/17/school-as-employee-training.html#comments59139:1518541:comment/7782809LoriWed, 17 Mar 2010 13:33:43 +0000http://www.whiteoakschool.com/camp-creek-blog/2010/3/16/lets-compete.html#comments59139:1518541:comment/7781988
i agree re: health care; it seems we are rushing forward rather than spending time figuring out the best system for *us*. also, why can't we step ourselves toward our ultimate goal? in politics it seems like everyone feels they have to move at lightning speed, then it gets canceled out by the next party. health care and education are bipartisan issues -- we all need them -- and we should be working together from the outset so we can jointly commit to long-term, permanent change.

la dee dah, living in a dream world today...]]>