From: max demian (oikoumenist@hotmail.com)
Date: Wed Apr 06 2005 - 00:57:04 BST
Hi Sam and all,
I don’t have kids yet. But, I have been thinking about it for awhile now,
and frankly, the prospect scares me to death. I have thought a lot about it
as we prepare for it in the best ways we know how. I don’t doubt (but maybe
I should) that my wife and I have the capacity to raise a happy, healthy
child; however I do doubt society’s ability to raise a child. I also wonder
what schooling is best. Thinking about it has led me to some ideas about
what is most important. Intellectual, emotional, and social parts of the
individual kid must be nourished, as well as the ability to work
individually and as a collective. In my composition class I stress the need
for my students to be able to join in the conversations that surround them
in society. My goal is to try to teach them to write, of course. I have no
choice but to teach the class as a group with the same standards. That much
is set in stone. I take certain pleasure in the successes of each student
when they reach those standards, but what really makes me happy is when a
student realizes it isn’t about composition but about having a voice and
joining the greater discussion.
In James Joyce’s _Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man_ Joyce develops an
aesthetic ideal that may be worth mentioning. His “3 phases of aesthetic
apprehension” are Integretas, Consonatia, and Claritas. Integretas is
understanding the “is-ness” of the art. Consonatia is understanding its
place with Art. Claritas is the “ah-ha!” It seems to me that a child needs
to have “ah-ha!” experiences in order to live a dynamic life. While school
provides (more or less) the student with academic knowledge, it doesn’t
necessarily provide the “ah-ha!” experience. Personally I think this is the
most important. It seems that when this happens the rest takes care of
itself. How often do you read how an intellectual was a poor or average
student until someone opened their eyes at which point they were suddenly
addicted to learning? I think that as parents we need to provide our
children with as many possible opportunities to experience this “ah_ha!” It
happens in small ways but it has to happen.
I don’t know if anyone has heard of a book called _Sophie’s World_. It is a
about the ‘history of philosophy’ for adolescents. It’s about this 15 year
old girl who this odd-ball philosopher takes under her under his wing. It is
an interesting story, for its target audience of course, about how this
philosopher who opens Sophie’s World. One day she is just another young girl
in public school and the next day this guy has her thinking for herself
about the history of philosophy. (It has a cool plot too)
Good luck making your decision
Max
>From: "Sam Norton" <elizaphanian@kohath.wanadoo.co.uk>
>Reply-To: moq_discuss@moq.org
>To: <moq_discuss@moq.org>
>Subject: MD home schooling
>Date: Sun, 3 Apr 2005 21:14:14 +0100
>
>Hi all,
>
>My wife and I are considering home educating our children, and I was
>wondering if there was anyone on the list who had gone down that route
>already, or if anyone had particular thoughts on the matter. It would seem
>to be a natural progression in one sense from Pirsig's arguments in ZMM.
>
>Sam
>
>
>
>
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