So, if June Cleaver were to appear in the year 2009, she would be: 5'3", with red hair, and green eyes....wait...do you hear that? That's the sound of my echoing laughter. Yesterday while visiting with a new friend, she dubbed me the "June Cleaver" of our neighbourhood. I laughed so hard I cried.
What precipitated the comment was my producing some homemade pretzels to munch on for snack. This friend often happens to be the recipient of yummy baked treats, hence the reference to June Cleaver. But I always felt I was so far away from this "ideal" of a homemaker, mother and wife I wouldn't even make it onto a 1950's television show, let alone be cast as this iconic character.
I clean my house once a week. I just don't have the time or effort to drag the vacuum out more often. I try to wash the kitchen floors every other week, but that doesn't even always happen. I always have piles of laundry. I don't do arts and crafts with my kids; I've never liked crafts and the idea of the mess is just too scary. I'm much more likely to be outside kicking a soccer ball or shooting hoops. I tell my kids to pick themselves up when they fall rather than smothering them in cuddles and kisses. My kids generally look like they've been playing in dirt (they have) and may have even eaten some. And more than likely I am covered in the aforementioned dirt, too.
I do enjoy baking and cooking, and I hope to add gardening to that. Music is a huge part of our home, which includes sing-alongs at the piano and dancing in the living room. Story-telling and imagination feature most of our playtime. I have yet to tire of the "why?" questions from Colin, encouraging as much learning and inquisitiveness as possible.
Perhaps I should re-pose the question above: what would June Cleaver look like in 2009? Since she represents the heart of the home, doing her part to create a loving atmosphere, supporting her husband and nurturing her kids, maybe I am a bit like her. But there's no doubt my rough and tumble, artistic, athletic, housecleaning-inept self do not resemble the image June radiated through the television all those years ago. I'll just have to laugh at those who read the minute aspects of my personality and seem to see that "model housewife" in there somewhere. She just ain't there at all.
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
Colinisms
Colin, on rainstorms:
"The rain painted the blue sky silver."
***
Getting ready for dinner, James lifted Colin up to the sink to wash his hands. The water splashed and wet Colin's sleeves, making for a very unhappy 3-year old. Trying to stop Colin from stripping off his shirt, James assured him it was only a little water and to please sit at the table to the blessing on the food. Colin repeatedly told James that he didn't like his shirt wet, and not to get it wet anymore. Ready for the blessing, Colin asked if he could say it:
"Dear Heavenly Father, we're thankful for this food. And Daddy will never, ever get my shirt wet while he's washing my hands again. Amen."
An indirect reprimand through prayer. It was all we could do to maintain reverence to the end of it.
***
Colin is enjoying using adjectives in his vocabulary. Unfortunately, he hasn't quite got the knack or definitions down yet. Here are some gems:
"I'm too lazy to walk." (he means tired)
"Mommy, I put my shoes on. I'm so proud of you!"
"The rain painted the blue sky silver."
***
Getting ready for dinner, James lifted Colin up to the sink to wash his hands. The water splashed and wet Colin's sleeves, making for a very unhappy 3-year old. Trying to stop Colin from stripping off his shirt, James assured him it was only a little water and to please sit at the table to the blessing on the food. Colin repeatedly told James that he didn't like his shirt wet, and not to get it wet anymore. Ready for the blessing, Colin asked if he could say it:
"Dear Heavenly Father, we're thankful for this food. And Daddy will never, ever get my shirt wet while he's washing my hands again. Amen."
An indirect reprimand through prayer. It was all we could do to maintain reverence to the end of it.
***
Colin is enjoying using adjectives in his vocabulary. Unfortunately, he hasn't quite got the knack or definitions down yet. Here are some gems:
"I'm too lazy to walk." (he means tired)
"Mommy, I put my shoes on. I'm so proud of you!"
Hmmm
Do you think "dumbness" is inherent or a learned behaviour? Are some people just hopeless? Is it a result of evolution of a species (Survival of the Fittest)? The idea of the bell curve would say that some people are simply more intelligent than others - that 5 out of every 20 will be smart, 5 will be dumb and 10 will be average, and there's nothing they can do about it.
Could anyone be taught using the freer, "open source" idea of learning, spurred on by oneself? Can everyone be able to use critical thinking? Or, even if trained from a young age, would some people simply need to be taught every lesson?
What do you think?
Could anyone be taught using the freer, "open source" idea of learning, spurred on by oneself? Can everyone be able to use critical thinking? Or, even if trained from a young age, would some people simply need to be taught every lesson?
What do you think?
Sunday, 26 April 2009
This is my house
Friday night I had a few girlfriends over for a gabfest. Six hours of munching on goodies and spilling our hearts to each other - exactly what a woman needs every once in a while. When I finally crawled into bed at 2 in the morning I knew I would be hurting when Caleb woke up at 5am, but it was definitely worth it.
The comment came up during the night about how my friend wished her house could look as clean and tidy as mine. I laughed out loud. My house rarely looks like this. Usually only when company is coming. Ignore the overstuffed basket on the stairs of things still needing to be taken upstairs. Don't get down on the floor because I probably didn't get all the granola bar out of the rug. The dishes are still drying in the sink. I told them that next time they come over, I'm not going to do a blitz cleaning - I'll just leave it as it was during the day. Then they'll realize the state we usually exist in.
But you know what? I have a friend I visit a couple times a month and I am always jealous that her house is spotless - with three boys and a baby to boot. But I visit during school hours, when there are no kids around imitating a tornado. Lately I'm starting to realize the insanity of competition. No one is perfect. Someone might have things under control in one area and totally hanging out in another. It is useless to compare my weaknesses with other's strengths. It is useless to compare at all. I am working really hard on sweeping this insidious habit from my life. It's hard - it seems to come so naturally in our society. (Yes, I attribute this to the effects of society rather than a natural human tendency.) But it's not worth having in my life and so I'm taking the trash out where it belongs.
The comment came up during the night about how my friend wished her house could look as clean and tidy as mine. I laughed out loud. My house rarely looks like this. Usually only when company is coming. Ignore the overstuffed basket on the stairs of things still needing to be taken upstairs. Don't get down on the floor because I probably didn't get all the granola bar out of the rug. The dishes are still drying in the sink. I told them that next time they come over, I'm not going to do a blitz cleaning - I'll just leave it as it was during the day. Then they'll realize the state we usually exist in.
But you know what? I have a friend I visit a couple times a month and I am always jealous that her house is spotless - with three boys and a baby to boot. But I visit during school hours, when there are no kids around imitating a tornado. Lately I'm starting to realize the insanity of competition. No one is perfect. Someone might have things under control in one area and totally hanging out in another. It is useless to compare my weaknesses with other's strengths. It is useless to compare at all. I am working really hard on sweeping this insidious habit from my life. It's hard - it seems to come so naturally in our society. (Yes, I attribute this to the effects of society rather than a natural human tendency.) But it's not worth having in my life and so I'm taking the trash out where it belongs.
Friday, 24 April 2009
Concert
Last night I played in my first concert as a flutist. It was a fantastic community event organized by our band, in which we play with the local high schools and elementary schools. Each band played a few selections on their own, and then we played all together. I can imagine the experience for the kids, especially the 11, 12 and 13 year olds, would have been inspiring. To hear the songs you have been struggling through come alive in a band of 150 people!
As I sat in my chair and looked around the the group of musicians that filled the gamut of ages between 11 and 60+ years, I realized: I was very likely the person with the least experience in the entire band! I knew that starting a new instrument meant I would be the novice in the community band; all of a sudden I realized that even the grade school students had been playing since September! I felt very humbled by the thought.
It was a great show. There were a few unusual fumbles, and the challenge of playing for new conductors and with new musicians, but the overall effect was amazing. We do it all again next week with a new round of schools, and then we have two more engagements to prepare for before we break for the summer. One thing for certain - I'll be back in the fall! I haven't decided if I'll keep with flute or take a turn on the clarinet, but I'm enjoying the immersion so much it won't matter which instrument I play. I'll simply be glad to be a part of this group again.
As I sat in my chair and looked around the the group of musicians that filled the gamut of ages between 11 and 60+ years, I realized: I was very likely the person with the least experience in the entire band! I knew that starting a new instrument meant I would be the novice in the community band; all of a sudden I realized that even the grade school students had been playing since September! I felt very humbled by the thought.
It was a great show. There were a few unusual fumbles, and the challenge of playing for new conductors and with new musicians, but the overall effect was amazing. We do it all again next week with a new round of schools, and then we have two more engagements to prepare for before we break for the summer. One thing for certain - I'll be back in the fall! I haven't decided if I'll keep with flute or take a turn on the clarinet, but I'm enjoying the immersion so much it won't matter which instrument I play. I'll simply be glad to be a part of this group again.
Thursday, 23 April 2009
Nine qualities essential for successful adaptaptation into the workplace
Most teens will tell you high school is pointless. Some are simply going through the motions to get to university. Some are simply complying with the law. Even those who like to learn and get good grades see the futility of the things they study. Very little will actually prepare them for university, life, or the workplace.
Most university students will tell you university is pointless. They will learn almost nothing that directly helps them in a career in their field. Nearly everyone will tell you they learn more in a few weeks on the job than four years in a classroom.
The following list was compiled and posted at a Harvard campus. It was included in a brochure containing advice for students planning a career in the new international economy - the state our world is becoming. It would seem to me, then, that these would be fairly important skills to be taught and learned by university students preparing for their careers. And since these types of skills are ones that need to be fostered and deep-rooted, it would seem to me you would need to start in high school. Or middle school. Actually, since most study habits and modes of thinking are already established by middle school, it seems to me they should be taught from the very first days of elementary school. Hmmm.
1. The ability to ask hard questions of data, whether from textbooks, authorities, or other "expert" sources.
2. The ability to define problems independently, to avoid slavish dependence on official definitions.
3. The ability to scan masses of irrelevant information and to quickly extract from the sludge whatever is useful.
4. The ability to conceptualize.
5. The ability to reorganize information into new patterns which enable a different perspective than the customary.
6. The possession of a mind fluent in moving among different modes of thought: deductive, inductive, heuristic, intuitive, et al.
7. Facility in collaboration with a partner, or in teams.
8. Skill in the discussion of issues, problems or techniques.
9. Skill in rhetoric. Convincing others your course is correct.
Is it any wonder why kids graduate from high school only to flounder at home for another 10 years before deciding they should maybe try and "make it" in the world on their own? Is it any wonder why we graduate from university and feel completely ill-equipped to actually get a job in our discipline? Of the above 9 essential (and although not compiled by myself, I would agree with the list) qualities, how many were taught with any sense of urgency during our schooling?
Most university students will tell you university is pointless. They will learn almost nothing that directly helps them in a career in their field. Nearly everyone will tell you they learn more in a few weeks on the job than four years in a classroom.
The following list was compiled and posted at a Harvard campus. It was included in a brochure containing advice for students planning a career in the new international economy - the state our world is becoming. It would seem to me, then, that these would be fairly important skills to be taught and learned by university students preparing for their careers. And since these types of skills are ones that need to be fostered and deep-rooted, it would seem to me you would need to start in high school. Or middle school. Actually, since most study habits and modes of thinking are already established by middle school, it seems to me they should be taught from the very first days of elementary school. Hmmm.
1. The ability to ask hard questions of data, whether from textbooks, authorities, or other "expert" sources.
2. The ability to define problems independently, to avoid slavish dependence on official definitions.
3. The ability to scan masses of irrelevant information and to quickly extract from the sludge whatever is useful.
4. The ability to conceptualize.
5. The ability to reorganize information into new patterns which enable a different perspective than the customary.
6. The possession of a mind fluent in moving among different modes of thought: deductive, inductive, heuristic, intuitive, et al.
7. Facility in collaboration with a partner, or in teams.
8. Skill in the discussion of issues, problems or techniques.
9. Skill in rhetoric. Convincing others your course is correct.
Is it any wonder why kids graduate from high school only to flounder at home for another 10 years before deciding they should maybe try and "make it" in the world on their own? Is it any wonder why we graduate from university and feel completely ill-equipped to actually get a job in our discipline? Of the above 9 essential (and although not compiled by myself, I would agree with the list) qualities, how many were taught with any sense of urgency during our schooling?
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Education vs. Schooling
I loved school. I could never understand why anyone hated it at all. Now, as I get deeper into John Taylor Gatto's book, I'm starting to understand. I was never really exposed to "school" as the majority of kids and teens are. In fact, I can recall only three classes in 14 years - all of which were negative experiences for me. Let me share a little of what my education looked like.
There was little structure and much liberty given to myself and my classmates. Freedom to learn according to my interests, explore the questions I had, and to share the things I learned in meaningful ways.
1. The Paper Airplane Project - My grade 5 independent study project was just that - completely independent. We could choose absolutely anything the interested us. Perhaps influenced by my father who worked in the airline industry, I studied paper airplanes. I devoured books on different models. I built them all and studied how they flew. Then I gathered my research and created an "optimal" airplane based on different criteria. No one else in the class was doing anything to do with paper airplanes. It was my interest and my project.
2. Scrap the Essay - Grade 13 English Literature class, reading the play "A Man for All Season's." The "curriculum" dictated all 30 students read the play and write an essay based on one of 3 topics. As the teacher read the topics, I put up my hand. "Can we do something instead of writing an essay?" My question was not based on laziness or inability - I could have written an A paper overnight. The question stemmed from boredom. "What do you want to do?" the teacher inquired, entertaining my idea. I looked around the classroom, surrounded by students talented in many different areas of the arts. "Can we mount a scene?" Permission granted. Over the next two weeks I directed the pivotal jail scene. Our presentation included actors, set designers, musicians who wrote a score and costume designers. Everyone had been compelled to read the play more closely, research the time period, and really understand the message and themes.
3. Beowulf at age 10 - The inclusion of this text in my grade 4/5 class caused a stir among students and parents alike. It was "over our heads" and a "waste of time". I can still remember my frustration in trying to find imagery in the old English lines. I remember my teacher's frustration when I concluded there was no imagery to be found. I also remember his response, that the colour red was representing blood and violence. To this day I am acutely aware of the use of colour in imagery, and used colour prominently in all my filmmaking. All this stemming from that one lesson.
4. Games during class time - My time spent in grades 6/7/8 included a major game tournament each year. One year was V-gate, one year was Risk, (and the last game eludes me). We spent many hours in big tournaments. We worked hard at learning strategy. We interacted with follow classmates. One year we even designed, built and packaged our own board game, of whatever style and whatever topic we pleased. All during class time.
5. Schedule-shmedule - One of my elementary school teachers realized the futility of learning in hour long blocks, forcing kids to drop everything in one subject in order to start another. (He probably also recognized that we didn't need to respond to the sound of a bell, and that the constant shift in activity might lead to attention deficit issues). Instead, he gave us a blank schedule each week. On the side was noted the amount of time we needed to allot to each subject. Each student could fill in the schedule however we liked. If I wanted to read a book for English all day Monday, that was fine. If I was knee-deep in a science project, I could work on it all morning. The freedom was exhilarating.
6. Go beyond - I wrote my first essay when I was 10 years old. The assignment: to research an ancient civilization - any one of interest to me. Look into its political structure, model of society, the presence and influence of art, and more. But my essay wasn't about Ancient Greece. The topic was: was this ancient civilization more or less civilized than we are today? This meant I was going beyond regurgitation of facts from library books. I had to process what their lives were like, what our lives were like, compare and contrast, draw a conclusion, and then coherently express my opinion. Now that's education.
I bet you're wondering if amid all this chaotic, open, libertarian education I ever actually learned the basics. Well, I read "Les Miserables" at age 13, took Grade 13 calculus to raise my grade average, and wrote several short stories, books of poetry, a few plays and a musical before high school graduation. (I don't say that to brag about myself - just that open-ended learning doesn't mean sacrificing essential learning tools.) For the record, I should also include the three isolated examples of schooling that marred my otherwise exciting years of education. Also for the record, these three experiences were my exposure to what most children are exposed to day in and day in schooling.
1. You know as much as I do - This is how my grade 11 biology teacher introduced herself on the first day of class. She was a math teacher told to teach science, a subject she had barely studied past high school herself. She self-admitedly didn't want to be there, which didn't spark much excitement in her students.
2. Just read it. Grade 13 English. Our class reading assignment was a book dreaded by all high school students. I don't know one person who ever read it that liked it, or found anything to related to in it. I have no problem with "hard" texts (and this one was particularly challenging) but was it this teacher's mission to make us hate reading? Literally, not one person I ever met liked reading this book in high school. Pay attention a little, teacher!
3. I'll read it. Grade 13 calculus. I took it to boost my average for university admissions. The teacher spent 10 minutes reading from the text book on how to solve a problem, then dismissed us from class to complete the pages of exercises. The only class I ever considered skipping, but as we only had to be there for 10 minutes anyway, what was the point in ruffling the administrative powers-that-be with that behaviour? (By the way, my plan to boost my average with this class failed. I went into the exam with a 98%, completed the simple exam in half the allotted time, then gasped when I saw my final grade in the mail 6 weeks later: a 72%??? Yes - that meant I had scored about 14% on the exam. Yeah right. But my wonderful, caring, attentive (ha) teacher didn't notice the discrepancy. I didn't bother with a fight - I was just glad to be graduated).
So now you know what my years of early learning looked like, why I was a huge advocate of schooling, and why I'm scared to think of the schooling my boys might get in the "mainstream" class. I only wish all students could (and firmly believe they should) have the type of education experience I got.
There was little structure and much liberty given to myself and my classmates. Freedom to learn according to my interests, explore the questions I had, and to share the things I learned in meaningful ways.
1. The Paper Airplane Project - My grade 5 independent study project was just that - completely independent. We could choose absolutely anything the interested us. Perhaps influenced by my father who worked in the airline industry, I studied paper airplanes. I devoured books on different models. I built them all and studied how they flew. Then I gathered my research and created an "optimal" airplane based on different criteria. No one else in the class was doing anything to do with paper airplanes. It was my interest and my project.
2. Scrap the Essay - Grade 13 English Literature class, reading the play "A Man for All Season's." The "curriculum" dictated all 30 students read the play and write an essay based on one of 3 topics. As the teacher read the topics, I put up my hand. "Can we do something instead of writing an essay?" My question was not based on laziness or inability - I could have written an A paper overnight. The question stemmed from boredom. "What do you want to do?" the teacher inquired, entertaining my idea. I looked around the classroom, surrounded by students talented in many different areas of the arts. "Can we mount a scene?" Permission granted. Over the next two weeks I directed the pivotal jail scene. Our presentation included actors, set designers, musicians who wrote a score and costume designers. Everyone had been compelled to read the play more closely, research the time period, and really understand the message and themes.
3. Beowulf at age 10 - The inclusion of this text in my grade 4/5 class caused a stir among students and parents alike. It was "over our heads" and a "waste of time". I can still remember my frustration in trying to find imagery in the old English lines. I remember my teacher's frustration when I concluded there was no imagery to be found. I also remember his response, that the colour red was representing blood and violence. To this day I am acutely aware of the use of colour in imagery, and used colour prominently in all my filmmaking. All this stemming from that one lesson.
4. Games during class time - My time spent in grades 6/7/8 included a major game tournament each year. One year was V-gate, one year was Risk, (and the last game eludes me). We spent many hours in big tournaments. We worked hard at learning strategy. We interacted with follow classmates. One year we even designed, built and packaged our own board game, of whatever style and whatever topic we pleased. All during class time.
5. Schedule-shmedule - One of my elementary school teachers realized the futility of learning in hour long blocks, forcing kids to drop everything in one subject in order to start another. (He probably also recognized that we didn't need to respond to the sound of a bell, and that the constant shift in activity might lead to attention deficit issues). Instead, he gave us a blank schedule each week. On the side was noted the amount of time we needed to allot to each subject. Each student could fill in the schedule however we liked. If I wanted to read a book for English all day Monday, that was fine. If I was knee-deep in a science project, I could work on it all morning. The freedom was exhilarating.
6. Go beyond - I wrote my first essay when I was 10 years old. The assignment: to research an ancient civilization - any one of interest to me. Look into its political structure, model of society, the presence and influence of art, and more. But my essay wasn't about Ancient Greece. The topic was: was this ancient civilization more or less civilized than we are today? This meant I was going beyond regurgitation of facts from library books. I had to process what their lives were like, what our lives were like, compare and contrast, draw a conclusion, and then coherently express my opinion. Now that's education.
I bet you're wondering if amid all this chaotic, open, libertarian education I ever actually learned the basics. Well, I read "Les Miserables" at age 13, took Grade 13 calculus to raise my grade average, and wrote several short stories, books of poetry, a few plays and a musical before high school graduation. (I don't say that to brag about myself - just that open-ended learning doesn't mean sacrificing essential learning tools.) For the record, I should also include the three isolated examples of schooling that marred my otherwise exciting years of education. Also for the record, these three experiences were my exposure to what most children are exposed to day in and day in schooling.
1. You know as much as I do - This is how my grade 11 biology teacher introduced herself on the first day of class. She was a math teacher told to teach science, a subject she had barely studied past high school herself. She self-admitedly didn't want to be there, which didn't spark much excitement in her students.
2. Just read it. Grade 13 English. Our class reading assignment was a book dreaded by all high school students. I don't know one person who ever read it that liked it, or found anything to related to in it. I have no problem with "hard" texts (and this one was particularly challenging) but was it this teacher's mission to make us hate reading? Literally, not one person I ever met liked reading this book in high school. Pay attention a little, teacher!
3. I'll read it. Grade 13 calculus. I took it to boost my average for university admissions. The teacher spent 10 minutes reading from the text book on how to solve a problem, then dismissed us from class to complete the pages of exercises. The only class I ever considered skipping, but as we only had to be there for 10 minutes anyway, what was the point in ruffling the administrative powers-that-be with that behaviour? (By the way, my plan to boost my average with this class failed. I went into the exam with a 98%, completed the simple exam in half the allotted time, then gasped when I saw my final grade in the mail 6 weeks later: a 72%??? Yes - that meant I had scored about 14% on the exam. Yeah right. But my wonderful, caring, attentive (ha) teacher didn't notice the discrepancy. I didn't bother with a fight - I was just glad to be graduated).
So now you know what my years of early learning looked like, why I was a huge advocate of schooling, and why I'm scared to think of the schooling my boys might get in the "mainstream" class. I only wish all students could (and firmly believe they should) have the type of education experience I got.
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