I Hope My Children Call Me Stupid One Day

Listening to the presidential candidates after the Iowa Caucus reminded me of my youthful folly supporting past inadequate nominees.  It reminded me that I had heard their rallying cries, had seen their enthusiasm and been crushed by their losses or indiscretions.

I want my young adult children to be politically active (at least knowledgeable) because I know that ALL politics are local and crap eventually rolls downhill wherever one stands.  My advice, "Have a voice in who delivers the crap and perhaps all of it won't land on you!"  Some believe that corruption, inaction, and idiocy go hand in hand with government yet without having some trust in it, this country would disintegrate.  Use that four letter word and VOTE every time it is offered.

Revolutions are messy, usually deadly, and most fall flat.  Arab spring?  It ended up flooding the region with false hopes.  But will the believers stop?  No.  They may be suppressed for a while but their children will observe, learn, and find their own protest strategy.  Energy for freedom always resurfaces. For the sake of humanity, may that generation of children call their parents "stupid" when their own efforts succeed.  May those parents live long enough to accept it laughingly and say, "You're right!  We were stupid when we did it BUT we're happy you kept trying."

Knowing better.  We preach that if a habit goes on long enough, it takes longer to break.  As a country formed by revolt, a people emboldened to rise up again and again when suppressed, I hope my children call me stupid one day for some of my beliefs and actions.  That will mean they KNOW better.

A simple photo inspired my thoughts.  What a great idea!  It's a much better option to give fruit to a child versus a cookie in the grocery store if we're trying to teach them to live healthier.  To my future grandchildren, "Yea, we really used to let our kids eat stale cookies but now they only give fresh fruit!"  :-)

Free the Teachers!

In response to an article that a friend shared on FB, I simply had to rant!

How To Raise a Creative Child

This is EXACTLY what is wrong with standardized testing as a goal...teaching the "rules" over and over doesn't allow a child the space to develop other "rules" that may help mankind push forward to new thinking. How in the world can we expect our kids to be innovative if all we ask of them is to relearn old facts? Instead, letting them have information access via their libraries, etc allows them to expand their thinking from others' creations and experiences. Teaching them how to "teach themselves" will let them delve into topics that may seem inconsequential to us but could change their young lives forever.
Yes, they should be taught reading, writing, arithmetic, civics, the arts but only to a point. Controversial? No, because generations before us were given these tools and did great things. To have access to the world's information via computers and ask kids to memorize miscellaneous facts about an obscure historical event, a rarely used mathematical formula, even my beloved poetry...ridiculous. Memorization is valuable because it can increase the synapses in developing brains...but why aren't we letting them memorize what they're passionate about?
Once they've mastered essential tasks, shouldn't we let them with their parents' input personalize their educational experience? How many "gifted" kids have languished in middle and high school because they can't pursue a passion. Once we have their trust, we can expose them to the intricacies of certain subjects. Engineering, more recent history, music beyond an instrument but via their laptops...if we let them, students will excel at something. And if they excel, they'll trust themselves to EXPLORE other topics that we can facilitate.
I truly sense that we're at a tipping point. Our educators want/need to follow their instincts and let children latch onto to their own talents. They ought to have space in their classrooms to guide these young minds and instead, they're mandated to make their students "learn" what others feel is important, pass tests that huge conglomerates create.
Those days are done. The public education system will continue to languish regardless of the money we pour into it if we follow this path. Home schooling would be hard for the masses...we pay taxes so that our children can come together and develop socially, create with others, and be guided by teachers to discover their own gifts.
Overhaul of the education system? Recreating the education wheel? No, it could be as simple as it once was...teaching students essential skills and giving them tools to hone their own skills. Vocational school? Yes. Technical schools? Yes. Artistic endeavors? Yes. Under one roof? Yes.
Standardized testing? Occasionally to make sure kids leave with the life skills of reading, writing, and calculating what they need including their own finances and civic responsibility so that they understand how the government that works for THEM should be working together.
Sorry, not sorry for the long rant.... I had teachers who were allowed to guide me toward self expression. And what a good job they did!!