Such great stuff here, Emily! Like most adults, I grew up in the traditional education system, steeped in the belief that education (defined as school, degrees) is the key to a better future (defined as good job, money, security). I excelled in that world -- followed the rules, got top grades, valedictorian, scholarship, etc. And then I had kids. Saw that school was hurting more than helping our oldest son. Pulled him out half way thru 1st grade to homeschool. Homeschooled for 7.5 yrs. Learned that so much of what we consider "necessary" for school, for learning, for life....just isn't. I was unaware of the 1995 book you reference above, the one about preschool, but seeing this quote -- that preschool was based in part on “distrust in mothers’ abilities to do what was right for their children.” -- jibes with what I've seen & experienced. I have a strong memory of attending a playgroup w my kids and other kids & parents more than 15 yrs ago. One mom commented to another, "I'm sure your child is getting so much more in preschool than mine is getting at home," and her comment struck me b/c I KNEW this mom and kid. She read to her kids. Was at playgroup with them. Took them interesting places. Was an attentive and involved mother. And thanks to the predominant social narrative, she assumed that kids attending preschool were somehow getting "more" than her kids were at home.
Thank you Jennifer! Yes, it's such a deeply entrenched point of view, that school is here to fix us all, and it sets schools up for failure, because how could school possibly do all of that? My experience of school was a lot like yours (I am really good at coloring inside the lines) but there's so much about how we do school that doesn't make sense in a culture and an economy that values soft skills almost above anything else I can imagine. And it is so hard to try to wedge soft skills and social-emotional learning into the massive bureaucratic apparatus of the public school system, although many are doing heroic work to make that happen.
Such great stuff here, Emily! Like most adults, I grew up in the traditional education system, steeped in the belief that education (defined as school, degrees) is the key to a better future (defined as good job, money, security). I excelled in that world -- followed the rules, got top grades, valedictorian, scholarship, etc. And then I had kids. Saw that school was hurting more than helping our oldest son. Pulled him out half way thru 1st grade to homeschool. Homeschooled for 7.5 yrs. Learned that so much of what we consider "necessary" for school, for learning, for life....just isn't. I was unaware of the 1995 book you reference above, the one about preschool, but seeing this quote -- that preschool was based in part on “distrust in mothers’ abilities to do what was right for their children.” -- jibes with what I've seen & experienced. I have a strong memory of attending a playgroup w my kids and other kids & parents more than 15 yrs ago. One mom commented to another, "I'm sure your child is getting so much more in preschool than mine is getting at home," and her comment struck me b/c I KNEW this mom and kid. She read to her kids. Was at playgroup with them. Took them interesting places. Was an attentive and involved mother. And thanks to the predominant social narrative, she assumed that kids attending preschool were somehow getting "more" than her kids were at home.
Thank you Jennifer! Yes, it's such a deeply entrenched point of view, that school is here to fix us all, and it sets schools up for failure, because how could school possibly do all of that? My experience of school was a lot like yours (I am really good at coloring inside the lines) but there's so much about how we do school that doesn't make sense in a culture and an economy that values soft skills almost above anything else I can imagine. And it is so hard to try to wedge soft skills and social-emotional learning into the massive bureaucratic apparatus of the public school system, although many are doing heroic work to make that happen.