One Valedictorian Survives the Soul-Destroying Classroom

[WTMCassandra]

This blog reprints a bold valedictorian address! Very thought-provoking.

[clarkacademy]

WOW!!! That was awesome I loved it I am going to read it again when the rugrats go to sleep. Thanks for sharing

[LibraryLover]

I think traditional hsers could learn from that as they are couting up the number of AP classes & AP tests crammed that are crammed into teens and younger at the expense of true knowledge This young woman sounds like the perfect unschooler...

Edited July 22, 2010 by LibraryLover

[Desert Rat]

Wonderful speech.

[spradlin02]

WOW!!! That was awesome I loved it I am going to read it again when the rugrats go to sleep. Thanks for sharing

 

I'm going to enjoy reading it to the rugrats.

[Another Lynn]

She has great perspective! When I was a graduating senior, I could have identified with much of what she says, but I didn't have her bigger-picture understanding (or her vocabulary :001_smile:).

[rookie]

does anyone know where the zen master story can be found (independent of the speech)?

[Nicole M]

I think even hsers could learn from that as we are couting up the number of AP classes & AP tests we try to cram into our teens and younger at the expense of true knowledge This young lady sounds like the perfect unschooler...lol

 

That thought struck me, too.

 

I was on the fence about this speech, and thought it a little rude until she slammed our consumer culture. Then I thought, you go girl.

[Audrey]

:hurray::hurray::hurray: That took guts. :hurray::hurray::hurray:

[RoughCollie]

This is my favorite part:

 

"This part of my life is over, and I want to make sure that no other child will have his or her potential suppressed by powers meant to exploit and control. We are human beings. We are thinkers, dreamers, explorers, artists, writers, engineers. We are anything we want to be - but only if we have an educational system that supports us rather than holds us down. A tree can grow, but only if its roots are given a healthy foundation."

 

This is my second favorite part.

 

"The majority of students are put through the same brainwashing techniques in order to create a complacent labor force working in the interests of large corporations and secretive government, and worst of all, they are completely unaware of it."

[cathmom]

Loved it! Hope her grades were completely final... :lol:

[Quiver0f10]

excellent!

[mirth]

. 

 

[mycalling]

That was great! She should be proud she rose above all the indoctrination.

[PiCO]

This blog reprints a bold valedictorian address! Very thought-provoking.

 

I really enjoyed that speech, thanks for the link.

 

A friend of my dd's was valedictorian at her school, and I want to listen to her speech. She said she didn't enjoy school at all, she just did what she needed to do to succeed at it. I wonder what other valedictorians are saying.

[Cindyz]

It brought tears to my eyes.

 

With home schooling, we have the time to teach the things we think our children should know as well as allow them time to explore their own interests. That's one of the things that I love the most about homeschooling. Children who go to traditional school don't get home until late afternoon and then have home work to do and often don't have the time to explore their own interests.

 

We are so lucky!!!

[WTMCassandra]

Do you have an original source for this speech? Curious . . .

 

The best I can find is a letter to the editor page:

 

http://www.phoeniciatimes.com/phoenicia/letters.html

 

One letter toward the middle of this run-together page quotes the speech. If you can search a webpage for specific text in your browser, try searching on "Coxsackie-Athens" and it should take you to the right spot on this lengthy webpage.

 

ETA: Here's another version, a PDF of the actual publication. The speech begins on p. 32.

 

ETA again: Lots of unschooling blogs seem to be reprinting the speech.

Edited July 20, 2010 by WTMCassandra

[mom31257]

WOW!!!!! That was so well written and thought out. She did learn to be a great writer in school. I have to say that it really gets me thinking because I have a rising 8th grader. The wheels in my mind have already been turning about high school credits and SAT's and such.

 

I know that homeschooling has allowed her more time to read and write, which she loves. I find myself wondering, though, how to spend these last 5 years meeting the system's requirements so that she can get into college, but still have time to really open up her world to become the significant, creative person I think she could become.

 

It is definitely something for me to really pray and think about.

[cathmom]

I did a search and came up with this article:

 

http://www.thedailymail.org/articles/2010/06/26/news//doc4c258f0fa4054321534823.txt

 

Seems if this speech was given, the article would include some of the reaction. And I don't remember her saying that in the text we were given.

[Tangerine]

Do you have an original source for this speech? Curious . . .

 

http://americaviaerica.blogspot.com/2010/07/coxsackie-athens-valedictorian-speech.html

 

This appears to be a blog she set up.

[MotherGoose]

WOW! This about says it all.

[Jumping In Puddles]

I did a search and came up with this article:

 

http://www.thedailymail.org/articles/2010/06/26/news//doc4c258f0fa4054321534823.txt

 

Seems if this speech was given, the article would include some of the reaction. And I don't remember her saying that in the text we were given.

 

From the article you linked:

Erica Goldson, the Class of 2010 valedictorian, encouraged her classmates, and those who will come after them, to question authority and push the boundaries.

 

“Focus more on learning, rather than on getting good grades,” she said. “Step up and ask questions.”

I just copied the quote for Erica and "find" in the transcript of the speech and the quote was there so I'm thinking it is legit. I wonder if the paper was just trying to downplay the tone?

 

:p I was also thinking that the system didn't fail her too badly since she was able to give such a fine speech! :p

Edited July 20, 2010 by Jumping In Puddles

[May]

One of the most powerful speeches I've heard in a long time. It was very moving.

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

That was great.

 

It puts into words many of my own incomplete thoughts that I've had for the past -- ahem -- 25 years. I graduated salutatorian of my high school class. Man, did I know the system! I could memorize with the best of them. I knew which classes to take and which classes not to take, because it would lower my GPA (we had weighted/honors classes). Even the valedictorian of our class had a medical note to excuse him from the 4 years of mandatory physical education required of us (his dad was a physician), so his GPA could be perfect.

 

Oh, how I wanted to break out of the expectation of going to college right away after high school -- I really, really wanted to take a year off and travel. My only rebellion from the established way of doing things was to not try out for one of the two graduation speeches; they were traditionally given to the valedictorian and saludatorian. When try-outs came, I was just so. sick. of. school. that I had nothing beyond "good-bye" to say to my classmates. It was a pretty big deal for me to not try out.....

 

Anyway, that was a fantastic speech.

[Sahamamama]

 

I have no interests because I saw every subject of study as work

 

To me, that quote is the defining sentence of the speech. Here's the sentence in context:

I did what I was told to the extreme. While others sat in class and doodled to later become great artists, I sat in class to take notes and become a great test-taker. While others would come to class without their homework done because they were reading about an interest of theirs, I never missed an assignment. While others were creating music and writing lyrics, I decided to do extra credit, even though I never needed it. So, I wonder, why did I even want this position? Sure, I earned it, but what will come of it?

When I leave educational institutionalism, will I be successful or forever lost? I have no clue about what I want to do with my life; I have no interests because I saw every subject of study as work, and I excelled at every subject just for the purpose of excelling, not learning.

For a graduating senior, an obviously bright valedictorian to get up in front of her whole school, her family, her community and say, "I have no interests," because all I ever did was study to achieve high grades.... :crying: That is so sad.

 

And, if we're not careful, this could happen to our students, too.

 

 

Edited July 21, 2010 by Sahamamama

[mycalling]

I have no interests because I saw every subject of study as work

 

And, if we're not careful, this could happen to our students, too.

 

 

 

 

This is the part that stuck with me most, also. Your last sentence is exactly what ran through my mind. How far into School At Home have I gotten? How can I change that without sacrificing knowledge?

[ChrisOR]

However, in retrospect, I cannot say that I am any more intelligent than my peers. I can attest that I am only the best at doing what I am told and working the system. Yet, here I stand, and I am supposed to be proud that I have completed this period of indoctrination.

I was a high school valedictorian too, and this is my opinion of my accomplishment too. And sadly, that achievement bought me status and made others feel inferior in their own abilities. I hope I didn't do that myself; I think I was kind and friendly. But that is the system and I knew how to work it. And my goal was to get college scholarships.

 

It didn't get better in college. If anything, I streamlined even further, knew my formulas for success and plugged the info into them accordingly. Did I even care about what I learned in college? Not a bit. So sad, especially considering it was all on scholarship and I didn't value the opportunity I was given.

 

This is why I love Charlotte Mason's focus on the whole child, and not so how much they know, but how much they care.

Edited July 21, 2010 by ChrisOR

[CLHCO]

:party:

 

I needed to read something like this. I sometimes go against the grain of even a lot of average homeschoolers. This helps confirm my belief that the chasing of paper shouldn't be the main goal in life.

[Nakia]

Wow! That young woman is going to go far in life. That was an amazing speech!

[amiechoke]

For those of you who (like me) try not to believe everything you read on the internet:

 

The good news is, the blogspot link is for real. This girl really did give this speech and she is the owner of that blog page.

 

And there is no bad news. I tracked her down to write an article - which I don't think I'm allowed to link to in this forum. So I'll just say that I wrote it for the homeschool column run by the Washington Times Communities website and leave it at that.

 

Cheers!

Amie

[ChrisOR]

For those of you who (like me) try not to believe everything you read on the internet:

 

The good news is, the blogspot link is for real. This girl really did give this speech and she is the owner of that blog page.

 

And there is no bad news. I tracked her down to write an article - which I don't think I'm allowed to link to in this forum. So I'll just say that I wrote it for the homeschool column run by the Washington Times Communities website and leave it at that.

 

Cheers!

Amie

 

Thanks for the good update. I was trusting that the other newspaper links were reliable.

[Retired]

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/homeschool-highlights/2010/jul/25/school-not-all-it-can-be/

 

good interview

[plansrme]

"We are not enlivened by an educational system that clandestinely sets us up for jobs that could be automated, for work that need not be done, for enslavement without fervency for meaningful achievement. We have no choices in life when money is our motivational force. Our motivational force ought to be passion, but this is lost from the moment we step into a system that trains us, rather than inspires us."

 

This is just a small sampling of what I found to be utter foolishness. If we turn schools into places that only inspire us, rather than train us, we're going to produce a generation of graduates who can compose lovely poetry but are incapable of actually oh, I don't know, running the world.

 

I fear for the future of our country when we are applauding a speech that so openly ridicules hard work.

 

Terri

[KJB]

"We are not enlivened by an educational system that clandestinely sets us up for jobs that could be automated, for work that need not be done, for enslavement without fervency for meaningful achievement. We have no choices in life when money is our motivational force. Our motivational force ought to be passion, but this is lost from the moment we step into a system that trains us, rather than inspires us."

 

This is just a small sampling of what I found to be utter foolishness. If we turn schools into places that only inspire us, rather than train us, we're going to produce a generation of graduates who can compose lovely poetry but are incapable of actually oh, I don't know, running the world.

 

I fear for the future of our country when we are applauding a speech that so openly ridicules hard work.

 

Terri

 

 

I tend to agree with you, and I also always find it interesting that home school Moms will spout off about the "love of learning" they are inspiring implying that home schooled children have better access to this inspiration than their public school peers. Most home school Moms profess to have a love of learning themselves, and they are typically products of the public school system.

 

Somehow, public schools taught this particular young woman to write and deliver a passionate, if not completely accurate, speech. She is clearly articulate and thoughtful, and she is a product of public education. If you commend her speech and her thought process, then you commend her education. She even credits one of her public school teachers for greatly inspiring her.

 

I often worry that by home schooling, my children will miss the opportunity to find a wonderful mentor that they might find in the halls of a more formal school setting. This young woman's speech knocks the system that inspired her to achieve to a high level, and probably taught her more than she realizes.... An example of the doe eyed beauty and arrogance of youth, imho.

[PollyOR]

For those of you who (like me) try not to believe everything you read on the internet:

 

The good news is, the blogspot link is for real. This girl really did give this speech and she is the owner of that blog page.

 

And there is no bad news. I tracked her down to write an article - which I don't think I'm allowed to link to in this forum. So I'll just say that I wrote it for the homeschool column run by the Washington Times Communities website and leave it at that.

 

Cheers!

Amie

 

Amie, thank you for sharing this. I too was a bit skeptical that this was real. Also, I enjoyed reading your article.

[Tea Time]

"We are not enlivened by an educational system that clandestinely sets us up for jobs that could be automated, for work that need not be done, for enslavement without fervency for meaningful achievement. We have no choices in life when money is our motivational force. Our motivational force ought to be passion, but this is lost from the moment we step into a system that trains us, rather than inspires us."

 

This is just a small sampling of what I found to be utter foolishness. If we turn schools into places that only inspire us, rather than train us, we're going to produce a generation of graduates who can compose lovely poetry but are incapable of actually oh, I don't know, running the world.

 

I fear for the future of our country when we are applauding a speech that so openly ridicules hard work.

 

Terri

 

My goodness. Who ran the world before compulsory education and the NEA?

 

You do not seem to grasp her meaning. It is not at all about disparaging hard work. It is disparaging meaningless work.

 

If you are concerned that the public school system will stop turning out people who are prepared for hard work or vocations if it takes her advice, well, I suspect you should read what Booker T. Washington wrote about eduction in the early 1900s. We have already completely lost educations by his standards, and by what he achieved in his lifetime. We are turning out people by the droves who cannot cook for themselves, cannot repair their cars or even change a tire, cannot managing their banking needs or comprehend their health care system, cannot grow a garden much less a crop, cannot tame a horse, cannot raise a steer, cannot program a computer, cannot read a novel over the 9th grade reading level, and the list goes on and on and on. Thankfully people are resourceful and often go on to master these things and more, but not because they were taught any of it in the public schools.

 

I wonder who introduced her to John Taylor Gatto? I wonder who taught her to write like that? Was it the public school system? You had better not assume that since she turned out okay the system must be okay.

 

What is the purpose of public education if not to raise productive citizens? To raise consumers. She woke up. I wish everyone would.

[Capt_Uhura]

Speaking from my own experience, I understand where she is coming from. I opened a book and studied to get the grade. I had always done well in school and it came easy to me. Anything less than an A was unacceptable. I didn't go as far as to avoid hard classes for fear of lowering my GPA but certainly the A was the goal and not the learning. I was the queen of binge and purge after the test.

 

When I went to college I was focused on my discipline and did what I needed for the degree. Looking back, I wish a love of learning had been instilled in me so that I would have stepped outside my discipline to expand my horizons. I find that I am fairly narrow. Yes, I have a love of learning now but I didn't then. I stopped reading for pleasure in middle school I think. I wish I would have had time to follow my interest or to just dabble in other things. It was "You have to take this class b/c you need it to graduate," rather than, "This is exciting stuff and here is why I think so and I hope by the end of class you will too."

 

I thought grammar was boring but a necessary thing. Get it done so we can check it off and move on. Then we found MCT and now grammar and writing is our favorite subject. My boys and I now see beautiful writing, beautiful words, and beautiful sentences in books we read. We love language now and have been inspired. My take on her speech is that she wanted some of that in her public school education.

 

I also had a very spoon-fed education. I recall very little discussion and certainly no debate. This is what happened. This is why it happened. Next page. Don't question authority. Do what you're told. It seems this young woman had a teacher which inspired her to question, dig deeper, don't take things at face value. I wish I had encountered such a teacher. That is why my decision was so difficult and I left my son to suffer in PS for 3yrs. How dare I question authority? Question folks who teach kids every day and say that all kids should go to public school to learn to be functioning adults. Especially in an area where homeschooling is unheard of.

[Capt_Uhura]

I wonder who introduced her to John Taylor Gatto? I wonder who taught her to write like that? Was it the public school system? You had better not assume that since she turned out okay the system must be okay.

 

 

There was a similar speech from NY I believe a few years ago. This one was from a young man. He was tops in math and science etc. He echoed your sentiments above. He said don't be fooled that this is a good school system b/c of what he had accomplished. All that he new in math and science he learned at home from parents. He went on to cite how bad math and science education was in his school district etc etc etc.

[Capt_Uhura]

Well, I can't speak for every homeschool mom, of course, but I know my "love of learning" was aroused long after I left public school and realized that what went on in those buildings wasn't really much of an education at all.

 

And I think it's reasonable to suggest that the speechwriter's thought process is, perhaps, in spite of her public school education--not a result.

 

:iagree:

[FO4UR]

You do not seem to grasp her meaning. It is not at all about disparaging hard work. It is disparaging meaningless work.

 

 

I wonder who introduced her to John Taylor Gatto? I wonder who taught her to write like that? Was it the public school system? You had better not assume that since she turned out okay the system must be okay.

 

What is the purpose of public education if not to raise productive citizens? To raise consumers. She woke up. I wish everyone would.

 

:iagree: One excellent teacher out of her 12 years of ps is a SAD percentage! The fact that she can write is not telling of the school system. Let's look at her entire graduating class and evaluate the average student, who did NOT have the opportunity to be mentored by that excellent teacher. (b/c one teacher can't do it ALL and for EVERY student)

 

I raise my hand proudly as a former student of calc, physics, Latin (MAN, my hs transcript *looks* good.:tongue_smilie:) who graduated never truly understanding what I was calculating or translating. I did exactly what this girl described. I learned to play the school game. I became a very good momentary memorizer and test taker. It has done very little for me since. Meanwhile, the list of Good Books I've never read is embarrassing, the time stolen away from practicing my music can never be regained, and the opportunity to explore things dependent upon a TRUE understanding of the courses I survived has passed. I felt cheated when I began reading about homeschooling.

 

The core of the problem is the hierarchy of the system itself, and I think this girl hit the nail on the head. I've met plenty of excellent ps teacher, and most express how much their hands are tied by 2 things; the *Test* and the lack of foundational knowledge b/c of teachers in the younger grades who are bound by the *Test.*

[KJB]

Well, I can't speak for every homeschool mom, of course, but I know my "love of learning" was aroused long after I left public school and realized that what went on in those buildings wasn't really much of an education at all.

 

And I think it's reasonable to suggest that the speechwriter's thought process is, perhaps, in spite of her public school education--not a result.

 

 

Here we are writing on a message board filled with mainly public school graduated women who are all willing to mummify chickens and learn Latin and hatch butterflies and round up road kill to study....

 

It's not logical to think that public schooled home school moms love learning, but public school kills instead of kindles this love. Everyone likes to think this backwards thought because it justifies opting out.

 

IMO, public school can be and often is excellent, and even in cases where it's not so excellent, the opportunity to meet a teacher/mentor or read a book or be exposed to a thought you didn't have before is enough to spark a passion.

 

Just because you don't leave 12th grade at your local public school wanting to build a gyrocopter yourself, doesn't mean your love of learning was killed by the machine. The fact that grow up and still want to learn new things is evidence that your desire to learn wasn't squashed. Of course, the truth is (to me, at least) humans inherently love to learn.

 

Nor it it fair or logical to assert that this young woman's thought process and ability wasn't developed at school. This young woman indicates in her speech that one teacher in particular was inspirational to her.

 

Everyone may like to think that school didn't light a match (or in this young woman's case contribute to her ability) but the evidence suggests otherwise. IMO, and all of that....:D

[Tea Time]

And I think it's reasonable to suggest that the speechwriter's thought process is, perhaps, in spite of her public school education--not a result.

 

Exactly!

 

There is a certain presupposition inherent in the whole thought process that people must have teachers, professional, and formalized systems and settings to learn all things. This is simply not true.

[Tea Time]

Here we are writing on a message board filled with mainly public school graduated women who are all willing to mummify chickens and learn Latin and hatch butterflies and round up road kill to study....

 

It's not logical to think that public schooled home school moms love learning, but public school kills instead of kindles this love. Everyone likes to think this backwards thought because it justifies opting out.

 

IMO, public school can be and often is excellent, and even in cases where it's not so excellent, the opportunity to meet a teacher/mentor or read a book or be exposed to a thought you didn't have before is enough to spark a passion.

 

Just because you don't leave 12th grade at your local public school wanting to build a gyrocopter yourself, doesn't mean your love of learning was killed by the machine. The fact that grow up and still want to learn new things is evidence that your desire to learn wasn't squashed. Of course, the truth is (to me, at least) humans inherently love to learn.

 

Nor it it fair or logical to assert that this young woman's thought process and ability wasn't developed at school. This young woman indicates in her speech that one teacher in particular was inspirational to her.

 

Everyone may like to think that school didn't light a match (or in this young woman's case contribute to her ability) but the evidence suggests otherwise. IMO, and all of that....:D

 

I'm sorry. I was unaware that I had to justify opting out. In fact, I was not aware I was able to opt out since I still pay school taxes. Perhaps it is you who is justifying your own position.

 

How is it logical to assume that her love of learning flourished in school when she says that it did not. Why don't you believe her?

 

Defense mechanisms are tricky things. Is it mine or yours in play? It could be either or both. I am willing to try to figure it out. Are you?

[Barry Goldwater]

One excellent teacher out of her 12 years of ps is a SAD percentage!

 

Wow! Finally someone else said it!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU.

 

I am only speaking of my own experience, so no on get insulted here, but the academic/intelligence/discipline of my college classmates that were pursuing 'public education' as a career was, well, uhm, let's say 'sub-par.' Like bottom-Quintile...

 

Tea-Time, bless you for saving me some typing...well put.

[KJB]

:iagree: One excellent teacher out of her 12 years of ps is a SAD percentage! The fact that she can write is not telling of the school system. Let's look at her entire graduating class and evaluate the average student, who did NOT have the opportunity to be mentored by that excellent teacher. (b/c one teacher can't do it ALL and for EVERY student)

 

I raise my hand proudly as a former student of calc, physics, Latin (MAN, my hs transcript *looks* good.:tongue_smilie:) who graduated never truly understanding what I was calculating or translating. I did exactly what this girl described. I learned to play the school game. I became a very good momentary memorizer and test taker. It has done very little for me since. Meanwhile, the list of Good Books I've never read is embarrassing, the time stolen away from practicing my music can never be regained, and the opportunity to explore things dependent upon a TRUE understanding of the courses I survived has passed. I felt cheated when I began reading about homeschooling.

 

The core of the problem is the hierarchy of the system itself, and I think this girl hit the nail on the head. I've met plenty of excellent ps teacher, and most express how much their hands are tied by 2 things; the *Test* and the lack of foundational knowledge b/c of teachers in the younger grades who are bound by the *Test.*

 

I think if you get one truly excellent teacher/mentor in your whole life, you are extraordinarily lucky. One chance to hang out with Socrates would be more than enough....

 

With regard to memorization without learning, I would say that is a maturity issue. As you grow, you become more interested and better able to understand information that you have been previously exposed to (the whole concept of classical education). You become better able to process information after multiple exposures. You may think you only memorized for a test, but your previous exposure makes it easier to learn deeper the next time you engage with a subject.

 

Also, not all that you learn in school factually needs to be remembered. All the times you trained your memory to hold on to information for a test was making you better capable to organize and hold on to necessary information in the workplace (a short term order or project you're working on, for example).

 

I think that graduating with a college degree, for example, doesn't demonstrate that you are smart but rather that you can persevere. It is perseverance and character that makes you a valuable employee...

Edited July 26, 2010 by KJB

[Capt_Uhura]

:iagree: One excellent teacher out of her 12 years of ps is a SAD percentage! The fact that she can write is not telling of the school system. Let's look at her entire graduating class and evaluate the average student, who did NOT have the opportunity to be mentored by that excellent teacher. (b/c one teacher can't do it ALL and for EVERY student)

 

 

:iagree:

[KJB]

I'm sorry. I was unaware that I had to justify opting out. In fact, I was not aware I was able to opt out since I still pay school taxes. Perhaps it is you who is justifying your own position.

 

How is it logical to assume that her love of learning flourished in school when she says that it did not. Why don't you believe her?

 

Defense mechanisms are tricky things. Is it mine or yours in play? It could be either or both. I am willing to try to figure it out. Are you?

 

Of course I'm justifying my position. :D That's necessary in an exchange of ideas to lend credibility to one's position.

 

It's logical because she's the goods....she's the valedictorian who wrote and delivered a great speech that complete strangers who are adults are talking about! She's obviously bright and well taught. That fact that we're discussing her proves that.

 

Regarding my defense mechanism, not sure what to say, but I like to think my mechanism is pretty good. :lol:

[plansrme]

You do not seem to grasp her meaning. It is not at all about disparaging hard work. It is disparaging meaningless work.

 

She protests that she is "a human being, a thinker, an adventurer - not a worker. A worker is someone who is trapped within repetition - a slave of the system set up before him. . .. But now, I have successfully shown that I was the best slave. I did what I was told to the extreme." That sounds pretty disparaging to me.

 

She sounds to me like a whiney 18 year old who thought high school was so boooooooring and has taken this opportunity to tell the world. Well good for her, she did it. High school IS boring. So is 90% of the rest of your life, no matter what you do. We live for that other 10%.

 

Now she needs to get over herself and get a job doing something productive--wait tables, clean offices, pressure wash a house, chop wood, plant a garden, wipe snot off of a kid's face or, heaven forbid, try to teach history to a bunch of high schoolers.

 

Terri

[mycalling]

Here we are writing on a message board filled with mainly public school graduated women who are all willing to mummify chickens and learn Latin and hatch butterflies and round up road kill to study....

 

It's not logical to think that public schooled home school moms love learning, but public school kills instead of kindles this love. Everyone likes to think this backwards thought because it justifies opting out.

I think it's more fair to assess PS instilling a love of learning against those who are currently public schooling, not those of us who have "deschooled" for years and re-found our love of learning, because, as you said and I agree, humans inherently love to learn.

[Tea Time]

Of course I'm justifying my position. :D That's necessary in an exchange of ideas to lend credibility to one's position.

 

It's logical because she's the goods....she's the valedictorian who wrote and delivered a great speech that complete strangers who are adults are talking about! She's obviously bright and well taught. That fact that we're discussing her proves that.

 

Regarding my defense mechanism, not sure what to say, but I like to think my mechanism is pretty good. :lol:

 

"The goods." Interesting. What does it mean? Whose "goods" is she? According to her, not her own.

 

Again, the fact that she seems bright and well taught does not prove that the system works, it just proves that she is bright and well taught. How she got that way has not been established.

 

She clearly states in her own words her disappointment in the system, but you disregard that. Again, why don't you believe her?

 

 

She protests that she is "a human being, a thinker, an adventurer - not a worker. A worker is someone who is trapped within repetition - a slave of the system set up before him. . .. But now, I have successfully shown that I was the best slave. I did what I was told to the extreme." That sounds pretty disparaging to me.

 

She sounds to me like a whiney 18 year old who thought high school was so boooooooring and has taken this opportunity to tell the world. Well good for her, she did it. High school IS boring. So is 90% of the rest of your life, no matter what you do. We live for that other 10%.

 

Now she needs to get over herself and get a job doing something productive--wait tables, clean offices, pressure wash a house, chop wood, plant a garden, wipe snot off of a kid's face or, heaven forbid, try to teach history to a bunch of high schoolers.

 

Terri

 

And your words sound like the whining of someone a wee bit older who is well established and satisfied with the system that she decries.