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The Six-Lesson Schoolteacher

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Re: The Six-Lesson Schoolteacher

#21

Post by KiwiNige »

Alex3917 wrote: post #5

Anyone who likes this essay would probably enjoy Gatto's book, The Underground History of American Education. It's about the historical forces that shaped the evolution of compulsory schooling it America and in other industrialized countries. The book makes some pretty bold claims. For example, "Ninety-six and a half percent of the American population is mediocre to illiterate where deciphering print is concerned." h…

Another good one is John Holt's How Children Learn, in which he says something along the lines of "It's just as well that we don't try to teach children to walk and talk" or else they would struggle to learn that as well.

My wife and I are homeschooling our children for sure...

Re: The Six-Lesson Schoolteacher

#22

Post by tc »

Alex3917 wrote: post #10
gruseom wrote: post #8

It occurred to me some time ago that many things are confusing because they are improperly named. For example, the label "Education System" is confusing because it implies that the system in question is primarily about education. Having accepted the premise, you now have many paradoxes to explain. But if you change the label to, say, "Child Processing Factories", most of the paradoxes disappear. Edit: I originally wr…

There is a book called The Addictive Organization that touches on this. Below are a couple thoughts and excerpts cut-and-pasted from my notes: "What makes the organization addictive is the promise it makes to every employee about the future, which takes them out of the here and now." These promises involve power, money, influence, and social acceptance, the same as the promises of pop culture made-for-TV society. Hav…

The observation you describe from 'The Addictive Organization' seems similar to Orwell's formulation of doublethink.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doublethink

Re: The Six-Lesson Schoolteacher

#23

Post by hugh »

PieSquared wrote: post #11

It's unpleasant how many of his points just ring true in my mind instantly. I connected it with PG's essay, too, where he asks why students should have to ask to go to the bathroom. But my theory is that a school system cannot be designed in a one-size-fits-all sort of way. There are students who will take advantage of lenient teachers, instead of learning. It is because of them that the rest of the students cannot p…

I don't think I've read the essay about why children need to ask to go to the bathroom, but it seems to me that the answer should be pretty obvious to anyone who's ever had to take care of thirty ten-year-old kids. It's hard enough even when they're all within your line of sight -- if they go wandering off to the "bathroom" at random intervals then surely disaster looms.

Re: The Six-Lesson Schoolteacher

#24

Post by nazgulnarsil »

I think schools need to be more economically focused. Teach kids about the realistic options in their future and what they can do to give themselves more choices (avoid premature optimization).

also: I hate when people whine about how hard "the poor" have it. I'm technically living below the poverty line and I live the way an emperor might have lived in ages past.

I have my own personal transportation to take me wherever I want whenever I want. I eat delicious food shipped to me from all around the world. I have fantastic opportunities to make riches beyond what 99.9% of the human population has ever been able to.

I'm sorry what's the problem? Oh, right...school is kinda boring. boo hoo. self starters have always taught themselves what they wanted to know anyway, regardless of the institutions of the time. Our forefathers achieved more with less. I don't think blaming poor schooling excuses us from anything.

Re: The Six-Lesson Schoolteacher

#26

Post by PieSquared »

hugh wrote: post #23
PieSquared wrote: post #11

It's unpleasant how many of his points just ring true in my mind instantly. I connected it with PG's essay, too, where he asks why students should have to ask to go to the bathroom. But my theory is that a school system cannot be designed in a one-size-fits-all sort of way. There are students who will take advantage of lenient teachers, instead of learning. It is because of them that the rest of the students cannot p…

I don't think I've read the essay about why children need to ask to go to the bathroom, but it seems to me that the answer should be pretty obvious to anyone who's ever had to take care of thirty ten-year-old kids. It's hard enough even when they're all within your line of sight -- if they go wandering off to the "bathroom" at random intervals then surely disaster looms.

Ten year olds - yes. A few years older - I'm not so sure. Take the extreme case: should someone able to vote have to? (There are 18-year olds in school, that's what I mean.)

Re: The Six-Lesson Schoolteacher

#27

Post by rms »

hugh wrote: post #23
PieSquared wrote: post #11

It's unpleasant how many of his points just ring true in my mind instantly. I connected it with PG's essay, too, where he asks why students should have to ask to go to the bathroom. But my theory is that a school system cannot be designed in a one-size-fits-all sort of way. There are students who will take advantage of lenient teachers, instead of learning. It is because of them that the rest of the students cannot p…

I don't think I've read the essay about why children need to ask to go to the bathroom, but it seems to me that the answer should be pretty obvious to anyone who's ever had to take care of thirty ten-year-old kids. It's hard enough even when they're all within your line of sight -- if they go wandering off to the "bathroom" at random intervals then surely disaster looms.

I had a fifth grade teacher who insisted that you didn't need to ask to go the bathroom. She said we were all responsible enough to just do it and there was no need to interrupt the class. Nothing bad ever happened.

Re: The Six-Lesson Schoolteacher

#28

Post by pixcavator »

nazgulnarsil wrote: post #24

I think schools need to be more economically focused. Teach kids about the realistic options in their future and what they can do to give themselves more choices (avoid premature optimization). also: I hate when people whine about how hard "the poor" have it. I'm technically living below the poverty line and I live the way an emperor might have lived in ages past. I have my own personal transportation to take me wher…

I wish I could give 10 points.

Re: The Six-Lesson Schoolteacher

#29

Post by brlewis »

gruseom wrote: post #13
PieSquared wrote: post #11

It's unpleasant how many of his points just ring true in my mind instantly. I connected it with PG's essay, too, where he asks why students should have to ask to go to the bathroom. But my theory is that a school system cannot be designed in a one-size-fits-all sort of way. There are students who will take advantage of lenient teachers, instead of learning. It is because of them that the rest of the students cannot p…

I've wondered about it often. I have no idea what to do. None. I sympathize. It seems to me that part of the block comes from defining the problem monolithically: how can we take the standard system we have and make a better standard system out of it? Nobody seems to have a good answer to that. Maybe we should stop asking it and instead go through a period of decentralization and even destandardization. Let all sorts…

how can we take the standard system we have and make a better standard system out of it? Nobody seems to have a good answer to that.

Montessori is a good answer. The U.S. could convert its standard system to Montessori. The project could be funded by taking money out of the invade-small-oil-rich-countries budget. It only doesn't happen because the U.S. does not make education a priority.

Re: The Six-Lesson Schoolteacher

#30

Post by DmitriLebedev »

In childhood, in early years of school, I perceived teachers as evil and good. In the last years of school we used to label them as "normal" and "crazy" (or "idiots", if one preferred).

My grades were exceptionally high with "good" teachers and low with "evil" throughout all the school. Only recently I liberted myself to start seeing that as a good sign.

I guess, "good" or "normal" teachers in our perception were those who procrastinated from teaching these lessons.

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