Schools

[turtledude23]

Same North America disclaimer as the Capitalism thread.

Schools primarily teach obedience based on relative authority: the government says this person can tell you what to do and you must obey them, otherwise your parents will punish you and/or you won't have a good job. Officially they're supposed to fill your mind with ideas, but how can anyone remember something they don't want to learn? And if they do want to learn it then the only thing you'd need teachers for is to help them find the resources they need to learn what they want and answer any questions they have - rather than force a one-size-fits-all set of factoids on everyone in a classroom.

Throughout all 12 years of school the only useful things I learned were reading, writing, and basic math. Everything else was a useless barrage of information I didn't care about, which had no impact on my life or abilities, and which took a toll on my psychological well being. Most children probably weren't as sensitive as me but that doesn't make it alright. School destroyed my creativity and passion for learning, I think I'd be alot happier, more creative, and more intelligent if I went to an alternative school, Waldorf school, or was home schooled in the style of unschooling http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unschooling The only good thing I can say about school is it forced me to be around other people my age, even though I didn't want to, without school I'd have no friends.

Canada doesn't have standardized testing, I assume in the U.S. you could skip school every day and still get into university if you did well on the SAT or ACT.

[Ocean]

if i had money and means i'd start a school for kids that was based on fundom and inspiration. a flexible school that would always live and breathe. always willing to accomodate and change.

[3DMonkey]

if i had money and means i'd start a school for kids that was based on fundom and inspiration. a flexible school that would always live and breathe. always willing to accomodate and change.

i call it a family

[Ocean]

aww well that's a good word for it. i'd like a school to be.

[3DMonkey]

I'm serious too. That school building is a lesson in contending with society. It's gonna be a b***h either way it goes. It really is.

Family is a b too, in its own way. But here is where life starts. Home is the foundation. School is a place of education. Stuff to learn is there. Go there, you'll learn something. That's all it needs to be. And safe also. Safety is another of the prevailing issues causing strictness in school. Again, that starts in the home, IMO.

[3DMonkey]

It's not really learning that is the issue. It's the evil nature of children within the school, isn't it? The clicks and the looks and the teasing. You know all this. This is my only concern for my children.
Which came first the school bullying or the screwed up society? Is school an initiation into the broader society? Is the society created as a result of the school environment?

Are we just dreaming of changing something that really can't be changed?

---

It's all probably a reshuffling of semantics.

[Brittany]

I have to say public school contributed a lot to who I am today. As a kid I was extremely sensitive, and most teachers didn't want to take the time to understand why I was so different- why I was lost in my head, why I reacted to things they couldn't even perceive, why I had violent, emotional mood swings, and the list goes on...Teachers are programmed to treat all students the same, expecting them all to learn at the same pace, and the ones who don't resonate with the singular method of learning they present get labeled as "problem children." They told me I needed to stop displaying such stupid behavior or people would think I was retarded.

And of course, the other kids made fun of me relentlessly. There's so much social pressure to fit in that most children will do anything to "belong", especially by pointing out others who stand out even more than they do.

Fortunately I was highly intelligent, so I usually breezed through the schoolwork with straight As and they couldn't relegate me to a special ed class. But the constant criticism for things I couldn't control hardened me. There came a point when I realized that running home in tears wasn't going to do anything. I stopped caring about what other people thought about me, and that released me to take part in the activities that *I* felt were important, not simply what was popular or socially accepted.

As soon as I showed some confidence in myself, I began getting more and more friends, and even became something of a leader amongst a lot of them. I accepted people as the individuals they were instead of a cardboard cutout stereotyped example of "popular" behavior, and I found out there were a lot of people desperately seeking release from that kind of social pressure. If I could say what the fark and do my own thing and still be happy, so could they.

Is it an inefficient system based upon imprinting ideas into young minds in order to make them easier to control? Yes, I believe that. But I wouldn't be who I was without it. That "soul fire" that people seem to know me for would likely never have developed. So I can't say it was all bad. That kind of intense social interaction can cause a lot of personal growth...then again, it can also crush you into a mindless zombie who can't survive without the approval of others. So I guess my opinion on this one is really on the fence. Still, if the decision as to what kind of education future generations received rested solely on my shoulders, I can guarantee it wouldn't be anything like what we have now.

[Ankh]

That "soul fire" that people seem to know me for would likely never have developed. So I can't say it was all bad. That kind of intense social interaction can cause a lot of personal growth...then again, it can also crush you into a mindless zombie who can't survive without the approval of others. So I guess my opinion on this one is really on the fence. Still, if the decision as to what kind of education future generations received rested solely on my shoulders, I can guarantee it wouldn't be anything like what we have now.

Here lies an irony and paradox of the creation. As we struggle and fight to makes things better, these very things are those that teach us most.

[Monica]

Elementary school was miserable...I went to Catholic school and was teased mercilessly for being tiny and bad at sports. High school was better, but still with a lot of unhappy memories.

We homeschooled our son. He is very gifted so there was no way we could turn him over to being institutionalized, which is pretty much what school is, in my opinion. (Sorry if I offend anyone with my strong opinion on this. I realize that some people have fond memories of school, so, as with religions, it's not the same for everyone.)

If I could do it over again, I would have done the homeschooling totally differently...more of an unschooling approach. We partially did that but in the areas that were structured, is where we had challenges. In the areas that our child was allowed to teach himself, he flourished.

He is a very independent thinker and we saw no reason to put him in an environment where he is forced to conform.

I don't think schools prepare children for the real world, except how to be a cog in a machine and work for corporate. They are artificial environments. Where else in life do you associate with only those your age? And only during breaks and lunchtime?

For anyone with young children who is questioning the institution of school, I highly recommend this book:

Teach Your Own by John Holt

Totally blew my mind! Whether you are able to homeschool or not, it's well worth reading!

Especially in light of what's happening on the planet, the new incarnating souls have more important things to learn, than what they learn in school.

If I could do it over again, I would spend a lot more time on the Law of One, and a lot less on the regular school subjects. I would teach only the essentials and allow the child to pursue his/her own interests as much as possible (provided only top quality resources are offered of course...NOT saying to let the child watch tv or play video games all day).

[Brittany]

Here lies an irony and paradox of the creation. As we struggle and fight to makes things better, these very things are those that teach us most.

It's actually a pretty neat system when you think about it. We are given challenges to overcome, but during the process of overcoming them, the challenges themselves provide ample opportunity. I think it would be great if we could reform the educational system (along with politics, economics, etc.), but I can still see the good in the experience I endured. I don't think anything happens for no reason at all.

[Confused]

I don't think anything happens for no reason at all.

I think not everything is planned for a purpose. As Ra said, infinite possibilities are freely allowed, as the logos itself is a creature of freewill.

There could be simply little logical reason to some events, in my humble opinion.

[3DMonkey]

What say you about school Mr Confused?

[Confused]

What say you about school Mr Confused?

Schools should be a mixture of idealism and practicality.

Yes, children should explore and discover themselves, but they also need to earn a living in our world. If the basics of the body and mind are not taken care of, the spiritual has little force to it; as the entity would sort of have no real self-confidence. Unless otherwise, there is a pre-incarnational choice to get so emasculated, so as to learn to accept the love and largess of those around, may be in order to learn lessons like humility.

And please, bullying should be trampled without mercy at school. They leave much too many scars.

[kristy1111]

This is why I homeschool - I am on the same train as Monica. Horrible elementary school experiences. High school - I was popular but got along with all the "cliques"...stoners, geeks, jocks, rednecks, etc. I couldn't stand to put anybody down. And even being "popular" was a constant fight for being loved and accepted - one wrong move and you were down for the count.

I teach my remaining two children the 'basics'...read, write, math....and the rest is "unschool". I don't remember a dang thing I learned in school except the basics. My twelves years of hell were a total waste of time, except that perhaps I was "refined" through the fires of hell, as they say. ;o) I don't want to teach my children to get along in the world, I want to teach them to help CHANGE the world. My kids ask questions like "When are we going to space?" and I tell them SOON!! I don't quell their passions or make them think they have limited possibilities. I teach them about past lives, UFO's, E.T.'s and anything that seems "strange" to the outside world. I have had to hide out almost - thankfully the state I live in now doesn't require me to "report" that I am homeschooling, nor does it ask that I report what I'm teaching. If they found out I was "unschooling" I'd probably get in trouble. I can't stand the fact that government thinks they own my children. It reminds me of the Pink Floyd song called "Just Another Brick in the Wall". My kids will NOT be another brick in this society. They will be what holds the building together. ♥

[turtledude23]

I don't want to teach my children to get along in the world, I want to teach them to help CHANGE the world. My kids ask questions like "When are we going to space?" and I tell them SOON!! I don't quell their passions or make them think they have limited possibilities. I teach them about past lives, UFO's, E.T.'s and anything that seems "strange" to the outside world.

That's awesome!

I think most peoples idea of homeschooling is doing the same thing as most schools but at home: textbooks, essays, cookie cutter homework, etc. or religious fundamentalist brainwashing. If more people knew about unschooling and John Holt (Steve Holt!) then things would be better. A major newspaper here actually covered unschooling http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/fami...le1703185/ and some unschooling parents run an online magazine http://www.lifelearningmagazine.com/index.htm

[kristy1111]

Yeah, that type of thing makes me laugh...if I wanted my kids to get an education like the schools teach, I'd send them to school...haha! ;o) Thanks for that link...I'll check it out. Most people think of unschooling as a clever excuse for lazy parents who don't care about their childrens' educations. If only they knew how much we put into it. We just allow the kids to decide what they want to learn about. They follow their own passions - not what we dictate should be their passions. ♥

[unity100]

Same North America disclaimer as the Capitalism thread.

Schools primarily teach obedience based on relative authority: the government says this person can tell you what to do and you must obey them, otherwise your parents will punish you and/or you won't have a good job. Officially they're supposed to fill your mind with ideas, but how can anyone remember something they don't want to learn? And if they do want to learn it then the only thing you'd need teachers for is to help them find the resources they need to learn what they want and answer any questions they have - rather than force a one-size-fits-all set of factoids on everyone in a classroom.

Throughout all 12 years of school the only useful things I learned were reading, writing, and basic math. Everything else was a useless barrage of information I didn't care about, which had no impact on my life or abilities, and which took a toll on my psychological well being. Most children probably weren't as sensitive as me but that doesn't make it alright. School destroyed my creativity and passion for learning, I think I'd be alot happier, more creative, and more intelligent if I went to an alternative school, Waldorf school, or was home schooled in the style of unschooling http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unschooling The only good thing I can say about school is it forced me to be around other people my age, even though I didn't want to, without school I'd have no friends.

Canada doesn't have standardized testing, I assume in the U.S. you could skip school every day and still get into university if you did well on the SAT or ACT.

education system in this society exists and works to create the underlings to be employed in the existing hierarchy and mechanism. its no surprise that it did kill some of your creativity.

exceptions may be seen at varying levels of education system in different european countries - netherlands has a pretty advanced system that channels kids to their interest areas from preschool, you can just walk into german universities and start receiving lessons (whether you may be able to go past the first exams is a different matter and depends on you) and so on.

on top of all of these, the education system in america is geared for making money off students. it adds its own ills to the system.

[3DMonkey]

From the US-

I would like to reiterate that we each have paths. Children being homeschooled chose their family at birth. Likewise, all others. Also, teachers in publc school can be very passionate and dedicated with love. Teachers are people too

Yes, unity100, it IS geared toward money. Ick. It is.

No worries. Paths are everywhere. Challenges too.

[Phoenix]

Some of the studies I remember feeling sick about, and really having to discipline myself to do were studies that eventually I found out were fraudulent. Such as Global warming and volcanoes (subduction zones). Also, even though I was hardcore atheist from about 4 to 12; I don't think atheism as a practicing faith is very useful, denying reincarnation etc. And controlling distortions of Christianity just as much.

I've watched children be socialised against school. Children are taught to hate school by the expectations of their parents. For instance, I have a passion for maths. I can get children excited in maths but their parents won't. (I also remember a teacher who did the same for us as students).

I'm at university at the moment studying politics and sociology. The way I am taught is I get some basic information and then am told to go off and research and bring back an essay, or take an exam. The essay I got the best marks on last sememster was one where I mentioned Edgar Cayce and ruthlessly criticised the biomedical model. I'm doing an exercise on Africa, but haven't yet had the guts to write about the negative elite, free energy, or positive and negative polarisation. One of my last classes on one of my modules included a critique of the 'medicalisation of childhood'. ADHD. Pretty much at this level the constraints, are much removed.

Although I have only studied it academically, I think one of the really bad parts of schools is that they often do reinforce class differences. Malcolm Gladwell talked about this in Outliers. However, I also think that the discipline needed for school work is not necessarily a bad thing. I do not think medicalising children is ever good though.