It did not hit home with everyone, and the learning from this entire situation (and the still-happening aftermath of it) has probably been biggest for me, yet I believe that is a good thing too. I have never been one to accept the status quo without a LOT of questioning, and trying to understand it, and over the years my pure stubbornness or contrariness has become a more open-minded learning process, and a resolve for better personal actions taken – thank goodness!

Amanda Alexander PCC (ICF) Professional coaching for working mothers

I wanted to share a follow up to my last posting (Students Need the Life Skill of Caring and Speaking Up) which would be more inspirational and promising, and this past weekend I spent some time searching for what is right within our school system vers…

Kristen often cites quotes by another education pioneer, John Holt, who really helped me see school and learning in a totally different way. John Holt debunked many myths about learning and education. I remember reading his book, “How Children Learn” with ever-widening eyes as I recognized things I had been told and had believed, that did not hold up under scrutiny. Even simple things, such as the “correct” way to hold a pencil. Holt pointed out that not everyone is the same, and that one method of holding the pencil is not right for everyone. What? Well, of course, that makes sense. Why did I ever think that there was only one proper method? Because the powers-that-be told me there was.

When choice is taken away, on something as unimportant as how to hold a pencil, there is an effect on the individual. Holt saw that so many things that are deemed vital in mainstream education are really insignificant in real learning.

“The problem arises when some parents decide unschooling is a great idea, and make no effort whatsoever to provide interesting and varied experiences…”

30 people signed up, convinced it was a great idea, but did they all follow-up and make good on their commitment – or even make basic, passable effort on their commitment? No.

The workplace can be a pretty boring, uneventful place which is not conducive to continual tertiary learning either… thus we of MWA fight the good fight!

We’ve got to… Challenge Your Most Brilliant Self: Burn Your Boats
(sorry… the blogger in me could not resist making the connection :-)

Your objectivity (subjectivity? I always get them confused) about something you are so deeply immersed in is so admirable Ruth; you are a goldmine of information! I also know commenting like this takes time, and I am deeply grateful.

“This controversial new book says that the way we educate millions of American children alienates students from a fundamental pleasure in learning, and that pleasure in learning is essential to real engagement, creativity, intellectual entrepreneurship, and a well lived life.”

Read more at her website. here is what John Gatto has to say, the former Teacher of the Year Ruth referred to:

“Kirsten Olson’s book is refreshingly unlike the general run of sludge I associate with writing about pedagogy. It seems to be entirely free of the familiar platitudes which replace thought when we read about school matters, is scrubbed clean of pretentious jargon, and offers up the twists and turns of Olson’s analysis and citations with beautiful clarity. I can’t imagine anyone not being better for reading this book – Twice!”
- John Taylor Gatto, author of Dumbing Us Down, The Underground History of American Education, and Weapons of Mass Instruction

Here is a parent’s perspective, from Dave Rothacker…

“If we are parents of school age children, the process of eliciting dialog and opening up communications to address the what, why and how of the previous sentence, can be a daunting task. (Why you gotta buy Kirsten’s book). But as learners ourselves, doesn’t it make that much more sense to not let the teacher or boss play ping pong with herself?

Isn’t picking up that ping pong paddle and returning the serve just like engaging in dialog to facilitate our own education? You bet it is! And, who else do you suppose is learning here? Hmmm, do you think it might be the teacher or boss? And if they are, and they process and apply what they’ve learned, do you think the whole educational spectrum might get jacked and improve? Perhaps even a revolution?”

The Dave Pollard interview is a testament to the benefits of unschooling. He saw how all the things that happened in his life led him to where he is today. They were building blocks in his learning experience, and the time he spent unschooling helped him to realize that he knew how to learn, and that he was capable of making good choices and doing good work, without being told what to do, when to do it and how to do it. Yes!

In homeschooling circles, I am known to be an advocate of unschooling, because that is where I have seen the most impressive results. It is, also, where I have seen absolutely no learning taking place whatsoever. The problem arises when some parents decide unschooling is a great idea, and make no effort whatsoever to provide interesting and varied experiences. Good books, trips to museums, parks, libraries, historic sites, meeting and talking with inspiring and interesting people, these are all important tools that unschoolers utilize, as Dave and his unschooling cohorts did. Learning needs to be nourished, and unfortunately some families equate unschooling with unparenting.

In the workshops I present, I explain that one of the duties of an unschooling parent is to observe their child when they are at the library or the zoo or an art museum, or when their child is playing. What intrigues them? What do they mention repeatedly? What questions do they ask? The parents job is to discover what is most interesting to their child and feed that interest. Some interests are long-term and some are very short, but by providing experiences and information that nourish their child’s interests, they ensure that curiosity and passion for learning will continue.

These children soon become adept at discovering their passions, and they are skilled at finding resources to answer their questions. They find knowledgeable people who will share information, and perhaps allow the child to work with them on projects.

By following their passions from a young age, they almost automatically cover a wide ranging curriculum. Subjects they would have found difficult to understand in a school setting, they master easily because it has meaning to them, as it relates to their passion. If it is still challenging, they don’t give up, because they know they need that information to do that which they feel passionate about.

One other important criteria for successful and inspired learning, that we haven’t mentioned here, is the willingness to make mistakes. Mistakes are not seen as a good thing in traditional school, but to really learn and understand and grow, mistakes are necessary. Students need to be free from fear of mistakes. They are one of our greatest learning tools.

I will not deny there was an element of thinly disguised scolding in the presentation I gave them for their rudeness to our hosts, but what I did manage to concentrate on that day, was explaining to them that learning from people (i.e. other adults willing to teach them) versus from school as classroom study required a more personal initiative and involvement that will help them at work and in their adult lives to come. I did give them my personal story as I was asked to, but framed it differently, for I have also learned (from previous speeches to younger audiences) that they have difficulty relating to “the old days” and will get that “here come the violins” look on their faces if I go there. In the question and dialogue part of it, we talked about college, and they wanted to know if I really thought that helped me at all, or if today I thought they should go straight to work instead: They are feeling the need to help their parents financially in this economy, and are facing tough choices. One girl pulled me aside about it afterward, saying,

“The school counselor says I need to talk to my parents about it. My parents say that I should talk to the school counselor about it, because they don’t know about all my choices, and that’s the counselor’s job. I say they both are no help to me whatsoever.”

Back to your comment, you give great advice for how to deal with students who are now where they are Kirsten, when people like me cross paths with them and need some advice on how to better relate to them. I am very quick to admit that speaking to audiences younger than ready-to-work fulltime and make the transition is out of my area of expertise – and my comfort zone. We can’t start over, and we are with them in such short windows of opportunity. We all hurt from the damage done, and that hurt and emotion keeps us from finding chinks in the armor. The practices I now teach in the workplace get back to the solving of the problem on our own turf: For instance, the Daily 5 Minutes creates the relationship comfort zone we need to get to work.

However I have to wonder just how many teachers have the “reaching them skills” you speak of, or even know of their resources for learning them? Parents are at a loss too…