Utterly Meaningless » Blog Archive » WHAT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND…
  • WHAT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND…

    Filed at 8:26 am under by dcobranchi

    Attack!

    Homeschooling is now too mainstream (and successful) for the MSM to pick on. Not so for unschooling. Does anyone think it is a coincidence that the New York Times decided to do a lengthy piece on unschooling the day after Dr. Phil’s hit piece aired?

    Me, neither.

    7 Responses to “WHAT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND…”


    Comment by
    Nance Confer
    November 26th, 2006
    at 9:46 am

    I know this is all the buzz online but I’m really not seeing why I should be bothered by either.

    Nance — happily unschooling even if nobody else gets it! 🙂


    Comment by
    COD
    November 26th, 2006
    at 10:40 am

    Was that article really lengthy? I was a puff piece at best, devoid of any real analysis or any serious criticism. Somebody should do a survey on the accompanying pictures though. I bet the unschoolers never earn nickels for Tim.


    Comment by
    JJ Ross
    November 26th, 2006
    at 12:28 pm

    Nance, I’d say the only reason to care is because it’s how political power of story works — and the ballot initiatives that result from such public framing PASS however ill-advised most of them are as public policy. (Which by itself should prove that extravagant public schooling hasn’t produced much actual public education, but I digress.)

    Professor Huerta of Columbia Teachers College: “If the
    public and policy makers don’t feel that this is a form of schooling
    that is producing productive citizens, then people should vote to make changes accordingly.”

    I read this as an element among higher education researchers and academics agitating for the MSM to help write one standardized ending for us all, and then to sell it to the voting public as What Smart People Should Want.


    Comment by
    CS in NV
    November 26th, 2006
    at 2:41 pm

    this is all very ironic to my family since my 9 yr old has a passion for physical anthropogy, is completely self taught in that area, and is now ‘teaching’ other kids.

    What we fear and don’t understand, we must legislate.


    Comment by
    Tim Haas
    November 26th, 2006
    at 3:39 pm

    Chris, my first thought was “Damn, no change for the leave New Jersey fund today!”


    Comment by
    Nance Confer
    November 26th, 2006
    at 5:29 pm

    Professor Huerta of Columbia Teachers College: “If the
    public and policy makers don’t feel that this is a form of schooling
    that is producing productive citizens, then people should vote to make changes accordingly.”
    *********
    Maybe the public will read this and other similar schlock and agree. Yep, we don’t want to fund something that’s not working. . . hmmm. . . like public school maybe?

    In the other article linked here, another concerned expert wants to reinstate the draft because of all the aimless young people. . . most of whom go to public school. . .

    I’m just saying — maybe the professor would be better of hushing up.

    Nance


    Comment by
    JJ Ross
    November 27th, 2006
    at 9:08 am

    No doubt! 🙂
    If “the public and policymakers” really are some sword of Damocles hanging over Big Education by a single hair, that sword will slice up most everything in the system (including pontificating education professors who made reputations and careers on falsely claiming to know what works and teaching it to others) before reaching down to that last layer of home educators, just minding our own business for free on the bottom!