What Is “Education?”

Tags

Common Core Standards, Education, learning

This word means different things to different people. The online version of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines education as: 1) the action or process of teaching someone especially in a school, college, or university; 2) the knowledge, skill, and understanding that you get from attending a school, college, or university; and 3) a field of study that deals with the methods and problems of teaching.

When our Founders created the Constitution, education was intentionally omitted. These wise men knew that educating was best left to local people – those closest to the child and knew them best. The early Americans had already shown that in the midst of battling the elements of the frontier, the settlers and pioneers managed to find a way to educate their children.

Most of us are familiar with the one room schoolhouse. Those austere buildings with one teacher were the foundation of formal American education. Children of all ages were instructed by one teacher. Chronological age was not the determining factor; the determining factor was whether or not the student had learned a specific skill.

The teacher in the one room school house was not aware of the numerous learning problems we know today. All she (and yes, she is proper because men did not teach in the one room school house!) knew was that some children took longer to learn a specific skill than others! Since there were no such things as grades – first, second, third, etc., age did not matter. All that mattered was whether or not a skill was mastered.

Anyone notice a recurring theme?

This seemingly unorganized, non-bureaucratic education provided the very foundation upon which the too-numerous-to-mention inventions and our modern-day conveniences evolved. Abraham Lincoln, considered by many to be our greatest President, was self-taught. Can you even imagine today’s headline if a Presidential candidate was self-taught? One current, potential candidate who did not finish college is already being excoriated by the press.

All children want to learn! And all children are capable of learning. True, some of them have problems that interfere with learning, but that does not inhibit their desire. It just means that their instructors have to discover what the problems are and accommodate the child.

Children, when left to their own devices, will create play. Play is a child’s version of education and learning. They gravitate toward the things they like and ignore those they don’t. And when there are no toys available, they will take boxes and whatever else they can find. This is called ingenuity, creativity, education – learning!!

I wonder how many inventions have happened because a person needed something, grabbed what was available, stuck it with something else, and voila! problem solved!

Sadly, much of this creativity is being quashed in today’s world of education.
By controlling everything that is taught (Common Core) and controlling how and when it is taught (federal money), local control, creativity and spontaneous innovation are lost.

Parents who try to secure instruction for a child who is not average – whether that child is challenged or gifted – are often met with bureaucratic red tape that can be daunting. They may give up just because the sheer volume of processes that must be navigated are too numerous.

Granted, life is not as simple as it was in the one room school house days. That does not mean that giving up control of childhood education is the answer. We do not want ”education” to become “indoctrination.”

What We Can Learn From our Pets

Tags

Children and adults – learn differently, early childhood education, learning

I was on spring break a couple of weeks ago. I got to go to my son’s house while he and his family went to Florida. My task was to care for their pets – an aging cat and dog. Of course, my own dog, who is also aging, but many years younger went along.

Although I know these animals quite well, caring for them 24/7 is quite different than just visiting for a few hours.

By day five I still did not have the dog’s schedule quite right. The cat let me know that I had not cleaned her litter box in a timely manner by leaving a small deposit on the floor. My dog was being quite tolerant of this extreme change in his routine, and I repeatedly praised him for his good behavior.

My dog tends to walk on a leash much like a snail darter – here, there, and back here again – all at a rather high rate of speed. The older dog, God love her, has gotten quite slow. There was no way I could walk both of them at the same time. Their sleeping, eating, walking, “bathroom” breaks, and even treat schedules were totally different.

They both needed the same things. Eat, drink, sleep, relieve themselves, play, etc. However, just because the needs were the same did not mean that I could provide them at the same time or the same way.

Then there is the cat. She and my dog have gotten “into it” a couple of times in the past. Episodes that neither of them have forgotten. She really just wants her vital needs met and that miniature schnauzer kept away from her! That same miniature schnauzer really, really, really wants to get to the cat. If he even thinks I’m headed for the door to her area, he is under my feet.

I am a grown woman with plenty of pet experience, but these three animals kept me on my toes for a week plus!

This experience, like most things I do, reminded me of children.

Let’s take this somewhat humorous experience and expand it to a classroom with one teacher and 20 – 30 children. There are the snail darters – always fast, always alert, and ready to go at a moment’s notice. Then there are the plodders. Slow to respond, unsure of what to do next and needing someone there nearly all the time to direct the way. And finally, the ones who tend to shy away from everyone. Not sure they even want to be a part of the process. And quick to act up if they don’t get their way.

One teacher is given the responsibility of ensuring that each child learns all the skills, preferably at the same time. However, the children like the pets need very individualized instruction and attention. Without it they will not know what to do, or they will find their own way.

And the teacher – how is he or she to know what to do to meet the needs of each of these children? I know these pets, but I still had challenges making certain each of their needs was met properly and in a timely manner.

At least there are no rules in the animal kingdom that define by what age a dog must be house trained! Or specify what size treat an animal may have or when they can have it. Then there is the complete lack of rules determining where an animal is allowed to sleep!

Children, on the other hand, are easily put into categories where it is easy to define when they must know their alphabet. What they can have for lunch. When they have to be able to add, subtract, etc.

Oh, right! Children are not easily put into categories!

Too bad the folks in charge of public education do not know this.

Taxes and Tests

Tags

Common Core Standards, Education, George Orwell, Government, standardized tests

My blog and I have been missing in action the past month or so. This is primarily because I have been struggling with the State of Indiana Department of Revenue. Rather than sharing the entire gruesome story, I will give you shortened version.

But first, a warning – I have been under a lot of stress and I am angry!

Someone at the State erroneously sent a tax warrant to a collection agency demanding a several thousand dollar tax payment for 2009. I did not owe

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this money. The result was that I also received a warrant from the county sheriff; a letter garnishing my wages; and a notice from my bank that my savings account was under a levy. And since my savings account did not cover the amount of the levy, and that account was attached to my checking account for overdrafts, my checking account was also levied.

I had no money!

I have called the State Department of Revenue so many times since the beginning of March that I have easily spent 20 plus hours on the phone. All of the people assured me they would look into it because “it shouldn’t have happened” and call me back. ONE very nice lady in South Bend did call me back with additional and helpful information. That’s one out of more than 15 people!!

My relentless calls finally got results, and the levy was withdrawn, but not before the bank sent my savings account in total to the state. And none of my bills were paid since I could not access my checking account.

Although I now have my checking account back, I still do not have my savings account money. The state cashed that instantly! (The bank very kindly provided a copy of the cancelled check.)

Now the reason I am sharing all of this is that the ability of a government agency – or someone in that agency – to have unfettered access to all of my money – and yours – and take it without knowledge is very frightening! Consider that everyone with whom I spoke – always after a considerable amount of time on hold – could just tap a few keys on her computer and instantly all of my personal information was there!

The fact that the State of Indiana is the entity that put this into motion is unsettling. How did it happen? Who is responsible? Who is going to help me clean up my credit because payments were late? How many other people experience this?

Actually I think it must happen frequently if the number of apologies I received from numerous people is any indicator. However, apologies don’t fix anything. As a matter of fact, I have heard them so many times; I put very little credence in them.

One’s financial information is probably one of the most private and critical. What makes you think that all of the scores of your children’s standardized tests, many or most of which are on line, are not accessible by anyone in the government claiming to have a need to see them?

Anyone who has read my blog knows I do not support Common Core. Common Core assumes that all children will achieve the same thing at the same time, and then it tests to see if the teacher achieved that “goal.” Sadly, although Indiana has pulled out of Common Core, the new “standards” are pretty much Common Core.2.

Tests used to be administered to see what the children learned. Now they are used to see what the teachers did.

Do you realize how easy it is to “track” a child via test results?

I don’t know, but since the granting of federal education money is linked to test results, I wonder how many schools immediately check new students’ test scores? And then ponder how their scores might affect the school’s overall rating? I wonder if we will get to the point where a school will not accept a new student because of test scores.

Some of you may think I’m crazy, but I certainly never thought the government could raid my savings account without my knowledge!

One can already go online and check the composite scores of schools, the number of paid lunches, nationalities, etc. of any school system. If the general public can access this information, we can be sure that anyone in the educational bureaucracy can access individual scores.

Your child is becoming a number – a score. This is not the fault of the teacher, but the encroaching federal bureaucracy.

We need to get the federal government out of our personal lives and that includes our children’s. This experience has provided proof that I have no control over my personal affairs.

Have you read 1984 by George Orwell? If not, pick it up. It will send shivers down your spine.