tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932919.post6576044668047646455..comments2024-03-26T07:07:14.304-07:00Comments on Teacher Tom: The Value Of Hard WorkTeacher Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14606781724784785338noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932919.post-64019437229604835292014-04-27T07:05:05.058-07:002014-04-27T07:05:05.058-07:00I think you're right-on in terms of malleabili...I think you're right-on in terms of malleability. This is truly what makes me shudder about high-stakes testing--the test prep itself. <br /><br />The Tuesday after my second daughter was born, 6 weeks ago, I was on maternity leave, and walked in late to take my kindergartener to her expensive, local, private school, which I'd chosen precisely to avoid the kind of authoritarian educational regime that you describe. Do you know what she had been doing those last weeks of school? Learning to fill in bubble sheets. Yep. All the kindies sitting neatly at a table, with their practice bubble sheets, while the teacher walks around. "Row four, the last shape."<br />I had been planning on that day being the last day before homeschooling, but I felt terribly guilty for sending her after seeing that. I only sent her because I didn't want her to miss the St. Patrick's Day party. She'd been talking about it for weeks. Apparently it's the only fun that they'd been allowed to have for weeks. To make things worse, she had chosen to skip breakfast at McDonald's so that she could go in early and see the St. Patrick's Day stuff the leprechauns left--and the teacher didn't do any of that. No party, no decor, nada--test prep was more important, because they'd lost Monday to a snow day.<br />I knew they were supposed to be doing test prep all March, but I didn't realize that it involved learning how to fill out sheets. I assumed it was an oral test since they don't know how to read yet--you know, being in kindergarten and all.<br />I went and picked her up at lunch, took her out to lunch with her father, and never looked back from homeschooling.Courtney Ostaffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04327281665395277255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932919.post-46788124061432111372014-04-23T19:30:27.175-07:002014-04-23T19:30:27.175-07:00I have to disagree about Montessori being a form o...I have to disagree about Montessori being a form of "play." At least the way it is interpreted in the USA, there is precious little emphasis on imaginative, fantasy-based childhood experiences. The materials are a means to an end, with a very specific purpose. Instead of materials being a "prop" for social and spiritual connection, a way to build relationships, they are there to teach a very specific skill. How does that fit in with models such as Reggio or even Waldorf?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932919.post-78680615735562917052014-04-23T07:52:38.260-07:002014-04-23T07:52:38.260-07:00I personally find Montessori's way of calling ...I personally find Montessori's way of calling children's play "work" quite useful in reminding us to respect the drive of the child. When you describe the 'play' that your kids do, we see it is the same manifestation of focus, repetition and satisfaction that Montessori describes. Too often our definition of 'play' ( the image that comes to mind) has been shaped by consumerism and the media images that promote it. When a deeply happy child can sometimes be quiet, even with their brow furrowed, when they have found a work/play worthy of their attention.Mignonchanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08686891691223651375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932919.post-9127034913154013662014-04-23T06:30:15.358-07:002014-04-23T06:30:15.358-07:00@lifeistheteacher . . . Free schools, Reggio, Mont...@lifeistheteacher . . . Free schools, Reggio, Montessori, Waldorf. There are a number of models out there that are child-centered and play-based.Teacher Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14606781724784785338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932919.post-81028684833979623852014-04-23T05:58:32.015-07:002014-04-23T05:58:32.015-07:00Great thoughts on play-based education! Now I'...Great thoughts on play-based education! Now I'm curious... are you in favor of democratic free-schools? Or what kind of education do you find best for children as they get older?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com