New read for me. A highly regarded book within self-directed circles. Looking forward to highlighting a few pieces from it.

#readwithphilip If you’ve read this already I hope you’ll share some of your favorite insights from the book. Were there any aha moments for you?

Finally cracking this one open today. It is time. I’ll likely share quotes from this book as I get through it. I wonder if it would be better to share in a single thread or would they better stand on their own?

If we want to reduce the level of anxiety parents feel about child benchmarks we may want to shift from a "learn xyz by age lmnop" to "age lmnop could be a great time to explore xyz."

I seriously feel less anxious just typing it. This problem isn’t just in one area. Pediatricians implant this anxiety a little. Then seeing your brother’s child walk earlier causes more.

Before you decide the best way to pour liquid from one vessel to another first ask yourself, "Do I absolutely need to do this?"

"is there risk of causing damage to the vessel?"

"Will all the liquid fit?"

"Is the vessel leaky?"

vessel=student
liquid=instruction I want to clarify this metaphor because I wrote it poorly. The key I was focusing on is, "is this absolutely necessary?"

Using sharp utensils and traffic safety are absolutely necessary. I need to be able to pass down at least some of my instruction on such topics.

"Ready for primary education" is an overused phrase.

We don't need to get kids ready for us. We need to be ready for them.

And of course, none of us are ever ready! Implying students need to come ready to learn betrays a subtle yet powerful belief: Learning isn't natural; learning is done through teaching.

Successful company to customer: “what problem are you having and can our product or service help solve it?”

Successful educator to student: “what problem are you having and can any of my instruction or advice help solve it?” Close friend to another friend: “what problem are you having and is there any way I can help?”

Caring parent to child: “what problem are you having and is there anything I can do to help?”

Out of his decades of counseling experience William Glasser in 1998 wrote, “The vast majority of family unhappiness is the result of well-intentioned parents trying to make children do what they don’t want to do. And in search of freedom, children, resist their parents efforts.” He goes on to emphasize a key principle or axiom of his approach to counseling:

We can not control the behavior of another person, even a child; the only thing we can do is give them information.

"children with high ACE scores often have difficulty learning."

Instead of "learning," we might say, "subjecting themselves to adults' educational whims."

If we accept the first sentence then we're propagating the myth that learning only happens at school. Here's the article that inspired this rant, which is totally going to continue below...theatlantic.com/education/arch…

Kids will volunteer when they know things; they normally won’t be quiet about it.

This makes quizzes and tests in schools seem ridiculous.

Once my son learned the stove was hot he told me it was hot every time I used it for a month.

I don’t wonder if he knows it anymore. He also tells his younger sister anytime she seems to have forgotten some safety issue or if she’s forgotten the difference between a backhoe or an excavator.

I have no preference for private, public, charter, or homeschooling.

I prefer those who respect children.

If you’re a homeschooling parent who treats your child with contempt, we are enemies.

If you’re a public school teacher who treats children with respect, I’m your ally. I’ll gladly funnel my tax dollars to support public education that fully honors and respects children.

I’ll gladly donate money to a family who homeschools and fully honors and respects children.

Watching educators debate about classroom management, assessments, and lesson plans is like watching someone try to lift a box that’s too big and too heavy.

I have a contraption that will make moving the box relatively easy but they’ve never seen it so they doubt it works. The thing is, it’s nothing new. This contraption is old.

I’m speaking of the power of self-directed education broadly and in many forms.

What are the most commonly used adages of the controlling and/or ineffective parent? "because I said so!"

I've spent so much time thinking about how much I want to help parents and teachers understand the importance helping kids meet their own needs that I haven't taken time to do an honest inventory of how I'm meeting my own.

I'm going to be focusing that more every day. I think it starts with a framework. What do I actually need?

William Glasser's framework is good but I'm open to others.

Glasser wrote that each of us need power, freedom, fun, love and belonging, and survival.

I don't even know how to decide how much I need of each.

#wednesdaymotivation

Parents: The one thing that will matter when the sound of children is gone from your home is your relationship with them.

Instead of Googling, "How do I get my kids to do xyz"

Google: "How do I build a strong relationship with my child?" Here's the top result:
care.com/c/stories/4828…

A Parent Thread:

What would we save in time, resources, and intangible relationships if our kids really could be trusted to guide their own education?

In our home we do trust them and the savings are a lot.
Zero seconds spent telling them it's important to practice counting. Zero seconds looking for homework or reminding them to complete it.

And they both count...a lot.