Schadenfreude
Here’s an article about how the lack of recess, art and music in school is making schools mind-numbing for kids.
I love this article. I read it twice. I need positive reinforcement that school is so bad that there’s no way that homeschooling the kids could be worse.
Then I let the kids rip off their clothes in the cold autumn waves of Lake Michigan.
For some reason the picture isn’t showing up.
Jana
Okay. I fixed it. Drat. I loved the picture.
Penelope
Hi Penelope,
Did you read the comments on the article you linked to from Salon? Many people posted comments more or less suggesting that public schools are used to create the “Walmart Worker” mentality. They just about suggest that there is a huge conspiracy in public education to do this. The posters are beginning to sound like Kevin Trudeau. What’s your take on the claims?
While the book has some flaws, the basic idea behind this idea is explained well in John Taylor Gatto’s “Weapons of Mass Instruction,” a popular book among the homeschool set.
Here’s an article ( http://www.good.is/post/why-sat-scores-are-down-and-why-it-matters/ ) for you to read about why SAT scores are down and why high school students are less ready for college or a career. The ‘No Child Left Behind Act’ is cited as being detrimental as well as a lack of critical thinking skills training.
This isn’t going to convince anyone of anything, but it’s the kind of thing that can help substantiate the gut feeling that parents can teach kids what they need to know. It’s a clip of a mother otter teaching her pup to swim.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpTqV6LPl8c
I thought I saw a naked butt. :) That looks cold, and windy, and like so much fun that I wish I lived in Chicago again.