Palliative care for a dying institution

•November 23, 2012 • Leave a Comment

This morning as I was gearing up to write a completely different post, I came across this article and was mesmerized. It’s the type of article that makes me have butterflies in my belly because it’s something  that resonates with me at such a deep level – deeper than my belly – what I call soulful education. I believe that school could work at some level, but it needs a complete overhaul. But why listen to me?

“I do not believe in the institutional structure of public schooling anymore,” Elmore said, noting that his long-standing work at helping teachers and principals professionalize their practice is “palliative care for a dying institution.”  Elmore predicted “a progressive dissociation between learning and schooling.”

Dr Richard Elmore, of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, believes that “schooling as we presently know it, will inevitably fail.” Powerful.

Fascinating. I need some popcorn. It’s like reading a suspense-thriller. That’s how excited I am about it.

 

No child left behind.

•November 22, 2012 • Leave a Comment

“In a country where girls have been shot for advocating education equality this photo made us smile. It’s three Pakistani girls, all on one bike, coming home from a day at school.

In other countries people go to great lengths to get the education we so often take for granted here in the United States.”

Image and quote taken from here. More information can be found here.

Education, the right of all.

•November 22, 2012 • Leave a Comment

Beyond Schooling: A great scholar and an amazing teacher

•November 21, 2012 • Leave a Comment

While I was in teacher’s college over 10 years ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to meet a man who became very influential in how I saw education and school. He redefined for me, what education is, and how it can be implemented in the life of a child. In Convocation lecture hall, at the University of Toronto, Mr John Taylor Gatto introduced me to the concepts of mass education, dumbing down children and other thought-provoking ideas. It was this conference that was a turning point in my understanding about education. And I will forever be grateful, and it will be my children who benefit from what I learned from this gentleman.

For that reason, if you have ever read a book by Mr Gatto or have been touched by his philosophy on education, I urge you to consider this cause. After having suffered a stroke, there is a request for help with his medical funding and other areas of need. Please consider. Please click here on how you can help.

Two sticks, a stone and a feather.

•November 20, 2012 • Leave a Comment

“Our children come to us whole, complete and worthy.

They are happy with two sticks, a stone and a feather.”

This is an excellent video by Dr Shefali Tsabary. She is a clinical psychologist with a private practice in New York. She received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University, New York. She is the author of the multi-award-winning, The Conscious Parent. Heralded as a game-changer in the parenting genre, this book turns the traditional parenting paradigms on its head and revolutionizes how we raise our families. She has been exposed to Eastern mindfulness at an early age and integrates its teachings with Western psychology. This blend of East and West allows her to reach a global audience. Her ability to appeal to both a psychologically astute and consciousness-driven audience establishes her as one of a kind in the parenting field. She lectures extensively on mindful living and conscious parenting around the world and is in private practice. She resides with her husband and daughter in New York.

Thinking about mirrors & windows – maybe I need some Windex.

•November 19, 2012 • Leave a Comment

I found this to be a thought-provoking quote and I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you see it. From my husband, “Sometimes you teach kids what you know, but you really want them to be their own individual.”

Image source can be found here.

Imagine…

•November 19, 2012 • Leave a Comment

 

Image source can be found at fb.com/theUnschoolBus

Integrating Islam into the Muslim School Curriculum

•November 19, 2012 • Leave a Comment

I’ve just signed up for this series of free video lectures by Dr Nadeem Memon, Program Director of the Islamic Teacher Education Program. While this is primarily for Muslim schools, I’d be interested in seeing how I can apply it to my later homeschool curriculum. If you sign up, please let me know and please share your thoughts.

Here is the prequel to the series: What do we teach?

How do you see Islam as it is integrated into your Muslim school curriculum? If you are watching the videos, did you find them useful?

 

Too small to fail

•November 16, 2012 • Leave a Comment

I’ve never heard of this initiative till today, but the video is below. I found myself agreeing with a lot of the points. However, one of the reasons my husband and I chose to homeschool is that more than just competitive edge and economics, we wanted our children growing up with greater awareness of their world by actually living in it. Learning by living.

That said, I also sincerely believe that home education is a luxury that not everyone can afford. We feel the burdens of being a one-income family and we pray that we can continue this endeavour without being forced into a position where we will have to stop. Only time and economics will tell.

For that reason, initiatives such as this are important in changing the priorities of America. A great video and something to think about.

For more information, check out their website.

If you have a spare 10 minutes…

•November 16, 2012 • Leave a Comment

Image source can be found at Easy Peasy Kids parenting blog.

 
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