Are we inherently lazy?

As James and I debated the idea of self-directed education the other day, an interesting questions was posed: are humans inherently lazy? John Holt, one of the thought pioneers of alternatives to the institution of schools, heavily favoured the idea of making school attendance voluntary. His view is that the compulsory nature of schools is anti-American, and that to maintain the precious gift of freedom meant that no one should be forced to attend school.

But if children (and their parents) were given the choice, would anyone go? Are the majority of people capable of self-directed learning? Do they have the desire and the drive? It would hardly be necessary to insist that everyone learn in this manner; certainly not everyone actually learns from our current form of compulsory schooling. Today's buzz words of illiterate graduates and low test scores are evidence that sitting in a classroom for 12 years doesn't make everyone "educated" as it is.

The big question, when it comes to self-directed learning, revolves around our inherent drive. James put forth the idea that if kids didn't have to go to school, they wouldn't, and as a result would not learn the fundamental things needed to function in society. I concede that many of today's school-aged kids would likely opt out of school if you asked them. Remember the old rhyme of

No more pencils, no more books
No more teachers' dirty looks

I think this is obvious, deeply entrenched evidence of how kids feel about school. There is no doubt that if we made school voluntary tomorrow that the vast majority of desks would be empty the day after. Aha! some would say: a solid case that children are lazy and would not take the initiative to educate themselves.

But I think you need to back up to determine if they are indeed capable of learning on their own. By the time kids have been in school for a couple of years, I think they have learned the habit of being lazy. Babies, toddlers and preschoolers are probably the brightest and quickest people on the planet. They learn languages and social concepts and shapes and colours and how to read and sing and walk and interact...the list of things children learn in the first 3 or 4 years of their life is amazing, and at such an incredible rate. John Holt has a valid point if you observe young children: they want to learn, and they do it informally, not in a desk, and often with no formal teaching practices at all. They ask a billion questions, and if those questions are answered, they ask more. Their memory and rate of retention is unparalelled. So what is it that slows or stops this incredible learning curve?

By watching young children I think we answer the question "are we inherently lazy?" No, not in the least. Therefore laziness is something we learn as we grow, perhaps in schools, perhaps from society, maybe even from parental examples. I think if we fostered that love of learning in children when they are young, allowing them to ask questions they want to ask, teaching them as they desire, their education would be fast-tracked way beyond the current level. Does that mean we should dispense with schools entirely? No, of course not. We need somewhere to go to access the knowledge we desire to pursue. But I think the laziness factor is something to consider when designing a model of education.

Benjaminuggets

Benjamin has seemed more curious about food, plus he can't seem to get enough milk lately, so I thought we might foray a little into the world of solid food. This morning I had planned on giving him some cereal, but I forgot I haven't bought a box yet. But I did grab a couple boxes of Farley biscuits (cereal in handheld form) when they were 75% off last week, so this morning, I gave Benjamin one.

He is currently chewing his fingers instead.

Calebites

Mommy: Caleb! Please don't run on this sidewalk! It's bumpy and you'll fall!
Caleb: But Mommy, I'm wearing running shoes!

Colinism

Not that "Polar Express" is ever gone for long around here, but this morning Colin is once again running through the entire movie. No, not watching it, reciting it. He is running a small wooden train around and around the wooden track on the small table we have set up. He has been doing it since he woke up, line by line through the entire movie. Right now he's about 45 minutes or so into the film. He hasn't missed a line or sound effect. Every line is delivered with full inflection, just as it is in the movie. He's been doing this for years. Perhaps I'm still amazed at it this morning because it's been a while since they watched the movie. The kid has a super memory! If I lived closer to the city, or if he was an only child, I might consider taking him to auditions. But I know first hand what that all really entails, and it's not a ship I want to sail at this time. So for now I'll just leave it all to his imagination.

I know I'm lucky

I know how lucky I am. I have three boys who still all nap together in the afternoon.

I know how lucky I am that Caleb has always asked for a nap when he gets tired. Truly. We have been out at the park and he simply stops playing, comes over to me, and says "I want to go home and have a nap."

But I didn't know how lucky I really am until today. We had arrived home after a morning play and picnic lunch at the park. I just wanted to get some bread into the breadmaker for dinner tonight, so I told the boys they had 5 minutes to play until we went up to bed. A few minutes later I noticed it was unusually quiet. Not only downstairs, but upstairs also. With a 2 year old and a 4 year old, this generally means trouble.

I darted upstairs to discover they had put themselves down for nap! Caleb had flipped on the fan, and both were tucked under their sheets, drowsy eyes waiting only for a quick story and kiss from me before drifting off.

I am so lucky.

Charlotte's Web

We finally settled into "Charlotte's Web" to read. The first day, Colin sat while I read ten chapters. We only stopped because I had to make dinner. I think he might have sat through the entire book at once, if we'd had the time. One of his favourite parts of chapter books is the chapter title. He always makes me read the chapter number and title, and then his eyes grow wide in anticipation of what that title might mean is coming up. And when we stop, he always wants to know what the next chapter is called, and you can see the anticipation in his eyes. The next day we read another 6 chapters, once again stopping only when I had to tear away to attend to Benjamin.

What's made it even more wonderful is that we've been reading it outside on the swing. The swing folds down into a flat bed, and the boys and I, including Benjamin, pile onto it and read away in the shade of the hot summer-like days. Caleb wanders in and out, Benjamin smiles and gurgles and plays with his feet, and Colin lies enthralled as he listens. I have put a moritorium on movies when the weather is nice, and this has become a natural substitute.

(We're nearly done Charlotte's Web - if you have any other suggestions of books that might be of interest, let me know!)

Golden Oldies

What are the "golden oldies" in music to you? The first songs you can remember your parents listening to (that would be about 1985-6 for me, songs like "Lady in Red") Is it a decade, like the '50's?

Oldies to me go way, way back. My Great Grandma Martin was a wonderful piano player, completely by ear. When she visited us, she would spend time at our piano, playing (and singing? I can't remember) what have become some of my favourite songs. When I think of her, I always see her sitting at that piano, her gnarled fingers stretched across the keys, the ones on her right hand nimbly plucking out a melody while her left hand moved automatically from one chord to another. She used every note as she danced across the entire keyboard.

She used to volunteer at a nursing home, entertaining the residents with her music. She was doing this almost right up to the end of her own life on this earth. Very likely she was older than many of the residents there. She is the reason I hope to volunteer myself, playing many of these same old favourites. By the time I get there I wonder if they'll all be songs be songs from before the currect residents' time?

Those songs, the ones that I suppose were her favourites, are some of my favourites. Somewhere along the line two well used Reader's Digest song books came into my collection, and in these books are found many of Great Grandma Martin's songs. I don't play by ear, but with these books I am able to sit at my own piano and play away, singing these old familiar tunes. Many of them I sing as lullabies to the boys.

Here is a list of some of my favourites, along with the year they were written (for interest's sake). There are a lot of them, but I want to have a list so that when the piano books are old and gone, I can remember them. Judging by the years on many of them, and the relative young age of my great grandmother (she was born in the late 1920's or early 1930's, I think, and so the earliest her contemporary music would have been was the 1940's), perhaps they were favourites passed down by her mother or grandmother. I love that music has spanned so many years and generations in my family, tying us all together.

Ain't She Sweet (1926)
If You Were the Only Girl in the World (1916)
The Man I Love (1924)
Someone to Watch Over Me (1926)
Begin the Beguine (1935)
The Blue Room (1926)
Mack the Knife (1928)
Jeepers Creepers (1938)
September in the Rain (1937)
Bei Mir Bist Du Schon (1937)
Gypsy Love Song (1898)
By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1909)
Hello! My Baby (1899)
In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree (1905)
The Band Played On (1895)
My Wild Irish Rose (1899)
Greensleeves (lyrics 1580, music 17th C)
Blowin' in the Wind (1962)
Shenandoah (early 19th C)
Aura Lee (1865)
The Glory of Love (1936)
Downtown (1961)
Three O'Clock in the Morning (1921)
Moon river (1961)
Mona Lisa (1949)
Let Me Call You Sweetheart (1909)
Autumn Leaves (1955)
You'll Never Walk Alone (1945)
Over the Rainbow (1939)