I love that they have a module on starting a home business and emphasis critical thinking skills.  I also like that they maintain neutrality on religion which gives it a broader appeal.

I first came across Peter Gray’s work in a Psychology Today column. He’s a brilliant psychologist and unpacks the value of play and unschooling using solid research.
This talk once again reinforces to me how much I’ve been brainwashed by the education system.
Schools today have shaped most of our thinking…to our detriment and to the detriment of society as a whole.

Here’s a few articles worth reading if you have ADHD swinging from your light fixtures.  

The first one is an article entitled Why French Kids Don’t Have ADHD.  It’s an interesting read and points out some of the cultural differences that drive the ADHD industry (or not.)  One thing I don’t necessarily agree with though is the inference that if you just control your home environment, your hyperactive wonder will settle down.  And even if you *did* have the perfect home environment, our schools and culture are a HUGE factor in facilitating gnat-like attention span.  

I’ll say it again: I don’t believe ADHD is a disease.  BUT…I do believe that some kids are wired in such away that they are at odds with box that is imposed on kids at younger and younger ages.  So to suggest that parents just do as the French….well, these parents are already grappling with enough guilt and feelings of inadequacy.  

The other article, Inventor of ADHD’s Deathbed Confession: ADHD is a Fictitious Disease caught my attention for a few different reasons.  First, the enormity of the power of social engineering that is at work.  

The other thing that never fails to take my breath away is the conflict of interest with the brains behind the DSM and their connections to big pharma.  There’s a lot of money to be made in the ADHD industry.

What do you think about these articles?

I met Lisa on Facebook, she is the founder of an unschooling group there and I encourage you to connect with her there.  You can also find her at the Innovative Educator website.

One of the greatest things about the internet age is the ability to connect with like-minded people .  The unschooling community, in times past, has been considered a bit of a fringe group.  But no more.

When I read Lisa’s brilliant distillation of what’s going on in the world of education, not only do I learn from her, I am greatly encouraged that we unschoolers really are on to something!  The unschooling pioneers understood this and now we have the benefit of not only their testimonies, but solid research too.

What about you?  Anyone you care to give a shout out to?  Leave a comment!

Common Core is part of the No Child Left Behind package that sounds better than it really is.  It goes something like this:

Teachers will teach from one master plan from sea to shine sea so if Johnny’s family moves from San Diego to Freeport, ME, the class in Maine will be studying the same stuff he was studying in CA.  Or so goes the theory.  Truth is, our kids and classrooms are being used as a big lab experiment…only the rats are leading the experiments.

The stuff I’m reading, from people far more versed in this stuff that I’ll ever be, is not sweet on Common Core.  Teachers and administrators alike are very concerned.

Here’s one little tidbit from this article:

President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan often say that the Common Core standards were developed by the states and voluntarily adopted by them. This is not true. They were developed by an organization called Achieve and the National Governors Association, both of which were generously funded by the Gates Foundation. There was minimal public engagement in the development of the Common Core.

It disgusts me that it seems a lot of what’s driving “reform” is the two usual players- money and power.  There’s a LOT of money to be made in this industry, especially by the test makers and educrats touting the benefits of reform.  The conflict of interest is staggering.

Professionals with hands-on experience with kids see this for what it’s worth. It sickens me that this whole system reduces gifted teachers into test givers.  And I’m sure if parents haven’t observed this already, the pressure on kids for high stakes testing has only just begun.

If you have a child in public school, it’s important for you to have a little familiarity on the topic.  And if you’re a home educator, this should serve as another reason to NOT do “school” in your home.

I asked her if he had considered simply moving to Germany for a year or more to get fluent?  He could earn money, learn German and understand the culture better.  Not to mention help him sort out what he’d like to do.

I could almost hear the gate crashing down and the key being tossed aside. DON’T go there!

It was clear she was unable to see past the “you must get a college degree to be successful” thinking.  Even though she was connecting the dots with the debt with which this kid was getting saddled, she just couldn’t let go of her paradigm.

Believing is seeing.

When we settle on a belief…be it the moon is made out of green cheese or you must have a degree to be successful…we will find ways to substantiate that belief.  Even if it’s unreasonable.

And no, I’m not against college.  For some kids, it IS a vital part of their education and preparation for their career.

But all too often, parents overlook some very important alternatives.  This article from a Tennessee news station illustrates my point.

Here’s a few tidbits:

Nearly 30% of Americans with associate’s degrees now make more than those with bachelor’s degrees, according to Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. In fact, other recent research in several states shows that, on average, community college graduates right out of school make more than graduates of four-year universities….

A two-year community college degree, at present full rates, costs about $6,262, according to the College Board. A bachelor’s degree from a four-year, private residential university goes for $158,072.

There are lots of great options!

But first…you might have to examine your beliefs.

The question?

 What curriculum do you use?  

GAH!!! Even Captain Picard finds that question exasperating.

For starters, the scope and sequence which defines any curriculum is arbitrary.  I mean think about it….who the hell decided all 10th graders should take geometry?

Furthermore, how it’s all diced up and compartmentalized, removes most (all?) learning out of its natural habitat.  Is it any wonder the kids are disengaged from school?

It’s not a sign that the kids need incentivizing, it’s a sign that the blasted system is irrelevant and broken beyond repair.

Folks, set aside the curriculum catalogs.  And instead of asking your self “which curriculum?” a better question is, “How is my child bent?”

And then go from there.

An extra note for parents of preschoolers-  Read, read, read.   Take nature walks.  Get a magnifying glass and microscope.  Turn off the TV.  Snuggle.  Bake cookies.  Enjoy your little one.  And fer-cryin-out-loud…stay away from curriculum!  YES!  Even those funsie looking books at Costco.

I hope I wasn’t unclear.

Here’s the best part that you get to do:

 Rediscover the wonder of learning through the eyes of your child.

I highly recommend this book. Martin Kidston is a wonderful writer and brings Cromwell’s remarkable story to life.

At the age of 13, Cromwell Dixon was regarded as a mechanical genius.  I found his story fascinating because he reminded me of my Daniel.  From the age of two, Daniel’s prowess for mechanics was apparent.  And we encouraged his interests- meaning his floor was usually littered with electrical components, experiments and projects.

The big difference between our Daniel and Cromwell Dixon was that Cromwell grew up at the beginning of the 1900’s.  And his passion was airplanes.  As a young boy, he dreamed of flying and studied everything available on the topic.  His free time was spent rigging motors and learning.  Always learning.

His mom, a widow, accommodated her son’s unusual interests.  And I’m not talking about bringing him to the library or offering an anemic “That’s nice, dear,” once in awhile.

Oh no.  She did much more than that.  She cleared the trees in their backyard so Cromwell would have a clear space to tinker with his plane.

At the age of 19, Cromwell entered the history books when he became the first pilot to fly over the Continental Divide…not to far from where we live.

Tragically, Cromwell died three days later flying in Spokane, WA.

Or was it tragedy?  He died pursuing his passion, daring greatly and leaving a mark on this world.  Isn’t that what all of us want to do?  None of us are going to live forever on this planet and in the scheme of things….19 years or 90, it’s all a speck on the timeline of life.

I’d rather live fully alive.  And I want my kids to do so to.  Even if it means clearing some trees for them.

The school system can only quantify the first question.  And while a teacher may recognize a certain spark or gifting in a child, the system ties her hands from asking the second.

It’s a shame.  Academics is a sport at which only a few children excel.  The rest- the gifted artist, the boy who works well with his hands, the reflective poet, or the budding chemist who pushes the boundaries- these are often left feeling like they’re stupid.

The more I think on these things, the more insulting I find the whole system.  The subjects are arbitrary, the grading system punitive and the individual dehumanized.

As a parent, it is more important than ever to help our kids develop their inborn giftings and talents.

Asking that second question is a good place to begin.

This is a good place to start if you’re curious about mindfulness training.

Nearly 10% of all school aged children are being diagnosed with ADHD.  Throw in the likelihood that mom and/or dad have ADD or ADHD and whoa!  That’s a lot of squirrelly brains running around.

I first started reading about mindfulness  for help in dealing with my own anxiety tendencies and I can say – it has been very effective.  (I can get through Wally World without feeling like freaking out by the produce department now…but that’s another topic.)

Here’s an article about a mindfulness school that teaches their program to kids and teachers.  It has proven to be effective in improving the classroom environment.

For kids with ADHD- here’s an interesting sound bite that was included in today’s newsletter from Attention Research Update.

** Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and their Parents **
*****************************************************************************************************************************

Mindfulness training is an approach for enhancing mental health and alleviating mental health difficulties that is based on eastern medication techniques. The focus of mindfulness training is to increase one’s awareness of the present moment, enhance the non-judgmental observation of one’s surroundings, and decrease impulsive and automatic responding to events. Research on mindfulness training with adults has shown benefits for depression, anxiety, chronic pain, and eating difficulties. Preliminary research on mindfulness training with children and adolescents has also yielded positive findings, including several non-controlled pilot studies of youth with ADHD.

A study published recently in the Journal of Child and Family Studies provides a more extensive examination of the possible benefits of mindfulness training for children with ADHD and their parents [S. van der Ord & S. M. Bodgel (2012). The effectiveness of mindfulness training for children with ADHD and mindful parenting for their parents. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21, 139-147]. Participants were 22 8-12 year old children diagnosed with ADHD and their parents. The study was conducted at an outpatient mental health clinic in the Netherlands.

Children and parents were randomly assigned to receive mindfulness training or to a wait-list control condition; the majority of children were already receiving treatment with stimulant medication and remained on medication during the study. Mindfulness training consisted of 8 weekly 90 minute group sessions – the child group included 4-6 children and the parent group included the parents of these children. Children and parents were given structured assignments to complete between the sessions that focused on practicing the skills they had learning in each group meeting.

One friend has been using mindfulness techniques for over eight years and she reports:

“We have learned to slow down, be quiet, give processing time, scaffold the thinking process understanding where the child is developmentally is important so you are working within his zone of proximal development,” Penny, mom to a child on the spectrum.

I wish I had learned of this when my ADHDer was little- it would have been very helpful.

I think it’s clear that we can all benefit from taking a deep breath and learning mindfulness!