Education

"Whatever an education is, it should make you a unique individual, not a conformist; it should furnish you with an original spirit with which to tackle the big challenges; it should allow you to find values which will be your road map through life; it should make you spiritually rich, a person who loves whatever you are doing, wherever you are, whomever you are with; it should teach you what is important, how to live and how to die."  – John Taylor Gatto

Happy New Year!

"I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me."
~Anaïs Nin

20 Years of Marriage

Kirk and I kept things pretty low key for celebrating our anniversary, we like it that way :-)

We walked to a local restaurant for dinner and just enjoyed some time together. I asked him if it felt like 20 years and he said, yes. I agree, lol. We've gone through a lot of growing pains together and our relationship just gets stronger. Marriage for us is a covenant, not a contract. Our vows did say for better or for worse didn't they? So difficult times are no reason for giving up!

There have been many many good times also. Here's to another 20 years or more!

"Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction." ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Indoctrination

Far from failing in its intended task, our educational system is in fact succeeding magnificently, because its aim is to keep the American people thoughtless enough to go on supporting the system.

~ Richard Mitchell, The Underground Grammarian

Truth

"In the world it is called Tolerance, but in hell it is called Despair, the sin that believes in nothing, cares for nothing, seeks to know nothing, interferes with nothing, enjoys nothing, hates nothing, finds purpose in nothing, lives for nothing, and remains alive because there is nothing for which it will die."

~Dorothy Sayers~

New Quote

I was talking to Kirk about this before he left for work. Then I find this reading email:

"We must learn to accept the fact that during their developmental years children cannot be expected to exhibit adult behavior."

~Robert Mendelsohn, M.D.

More Quotes

“It is as true now as it was then that no matter what tests show, very little of what is taught in school is learned, very little of what is learned is remembered, and very little of what is remembered is used. The things we learn, remember, and use are the things we seek out or meet in the daily, serious, nonschool parts of our lives.”

-John Holt, How Children Fail


"Birds fly, fish swim, man thinks and learns. Therefore, we do not need to motivate children into learning by wheedling, bribing or bullying. We do not need to keep picking away at their minds to make sure they are learning. What we need to do, and all we need to do, is bring as much of the world as we can into their lives; give children as much help and guidance as they ask for; listen respectfully when they feel like talking; and then get out of the way. We can trust them to do the rest."

—John Holt, How Children Learn

Unschooling

"To parents I say, above all else, don't let your home become some terrible miniature copy of the school. No lesson plans! No quizzes! No tests! No report cards! Even leaving your kids alone would be better; at least they could figure out some things on their own. Live together, as well as you can; enjoy life together, as much as you can." -- John Holt

Quote

A friend shared this quote with me and I don't want to lose it. So, I'm putting it here:

"In a nutshell, people whose lives are hard, boring, painful, meaningless—people who suffer—tend to resent those who seem to suffer less than they do, and will make them suffer if they can. People who feel themselves in chains, with no hope of ever getting them off, want to put chains on everyone else."

—John Holt