collapse

Author Topic: Thoughts About Teaching Children  (Read 22517 times)

Offline Amaterasu

  • The Roundtable
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6713
  • Gold 276
  • Information Will Free Us
    • T.A.P. - You're It
Re: Thoughts About Teaching Children
« Reply #30 on: October 12, 2014, 06:00:06 pm »
Amy, have you heard of Steiner Schools?  They share some of your ideas.

Nope, Pim, but I will look into Them.  Thanks.  I do think that as long as We have the "elite" running the show through money, such efforts will never be fully effective - but better than the state-sanctioned BS that actually discourages the desire to learn.
"If the universe is made of mostly Dark Energy...can We use it to run Our cars?"

"If You want peace, take the profit out of war."

Offline petrus4

  • Iconoclast
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2373
  • Gold 623
Re: Thoughts About Teaching Children
« Reply #31 on: October 12, 2014, 06:14:33 pm »
I wrote the following, three years ago:-

I'm most likely not going to be having children. If I was going to have a child in the current time, I would want to raise them in a very remote place; perhaps northern Western Australia, or a secluded place in the Northern Territory. Their mother and I would be the only two people they would interact with, until they were at least 18 years old. There would be no Internet access.

They would be given an informal classical education, in accordance with the principles described here. I would give them Vivaldi and Beethoven, among others, to listen to from an early age. I would take them to the sea soon after they were able to walk, and walk along the beach with them. I would research the various types of trees, plantlife, and shells there, so I could teach the child their names. I would want the child to have a very strong appreciation of Nature.

There would always be books present within the child's reach, and they would begin to be taught to read at whatever age they began to demonstrate the ability. Aesop and Grimm would be among the earliest authors they would be exposed to, as well as abridged/appropriately simply translated stories from the Hindu epics; the Devi Mahatmaya, and the Ramayana. They would not be exposed to the majority of the mainstream Bible, but there would be some of its' books that I would consider acceptable; Proverbs primarily, and certain elements of the New Testament, such as the Sermon on the Mount.

They would learn about Jesus Christ from the Gospel of the Holy Twelve, and Thomas primarily; and they would learn about him, Ma Durga, and Lord Rama as non-authoritarian examples of positive morality, rather than someone who they would be sent to Hell for not accepting. No choice of Ishta Devata would be made for them; but they would be encouraged to choose one for themselves when they felt ready, although no set timeframe would be put on that, either.

They would never fear monsters under their bed or in their closet, as I would teach them the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram as soon as they were old enough; possibly even at the age of five, depending. The LBRP in my mind is really not difficult.

There would be no exposure to atheism, to the degree that I would ensure that the word was not even known to their vocabulary. In place of Darwinian evolution, they would learn about Kropotkin's theory of mutual aid. The scientific method would later be described, and its' use encouraged; but a warning would also be given to never disregard the value of individual experience.

They would probably begin learning very basic numeracy at around the age of six, beginning with the multiplication tables, up to a coefficient of 12. At the age of around ten, the concept of the Golden Ratio or Phi would be gradually introduced; merely by encouraging them to recognise that things were divisible by three at first, rather than going into the real mathematics.

Also at around ten, they would be started on Tolkien's works; first The Hobbit, and then gradually The Lord of The Rings. They would also be given The Neverending Story, and discussions would be had about the importance of maintaining imagination and visualisation abilities. A couple of years later, perhaps, I would also given them David Eddings' cycles about Sparhawk, as well as Dragonlance. The works of HG Wells and Jules Verne would also be made available, again with initial screening to avoid explicit exposure to atheism.

At the earliest age they were capable of understanding such, (probably 10-13, I suspect) they would also be given explicit exposure to the principles of both permaculture and the UNIX design philosophy; which would reinforce and clarify the earlier emotional value of nature which I would have attempted to instill while they were a toddler. Added to this later, would be The Art of War, The Prince, Casanova's Memoirs, perhaps some Ovid, and the Tao Te Ching. There would, however, have been more simplistic discussions of related topics occurring at relevant times throughout their childhood.

10-13 is also about the age that they would slowly be introduced to the concept of computer-based network engineering, including the practical use of UNIX and the older Internet protocols. It would be at about this age, that the question would probably arise about why they had not been permitted access to mainstream society. The answer given to them would be that that would come, in time; but that I wanted to make sure that I had first given them a sufficiently strong sense of themselves and their integrity first, so that when they went into the outside world, they would have a much better chance of maintaining their physical, mental, moral and spiritual health than the majority of others that they would encounter.

10-13 is probably about the age at which they would begin to be exposed to Greek or Hellenic philosophy as well, such as Aristotle and Plato, but this would be carefully screened in order to ensure continued avoidance of any mention of atheism. At around this age, or perhaps earlier, instruction in such things as sewing/textiles, knot tying, and cooking would begin. It would be emphasised that these were critical survival skills, to be practised regardless of gender. Other early elements of Survivalist philosophy would possibly also be conveyed at this time. Algebra and the Cartesian co-ordinate system would also begin to be taught at around this time, depending on whether or not they were perceived as ready for it.

At 14-16 or so, we would together begin working through Cicero's Golden Dawn self-initiation course, which would of course begin to cover astrology and related topics; as well as an extended study of their own natal chart. There would also be instruction given in Ayurveda, as well as both of us learning together, the manual or older means of discovering our individual doshic profiles, and from there determining appropriate dietary patterns. After some research on my part, we would possibly each craft a bow and arrows together, and go kangaroo hunting; with a successful kill perhaps being viewed as an initiatory experience.

At the age of 18, I would give them leave to make contact with the outside world with my blessing, if such was their desire. I would warn them that contemporary mainstream human society was more degenerate than it had ever been, to the degree of threatening our extinction as a species; and that for the sake of their own survival, they should never, ever forget any of what I had tried to teach them.
"Sacred cows make the tastiest hamburgers."
        — Abbie Hoffman

Offline Wrabbit2000

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 223
  • Gold 53
  • Just a fun loving kind of Rabbit.
Re: Thoughts About Teaching Children
« Reply #32 on: October 13, 2014, 12:55:47 am »

I think school should teach how to study and the importance of studying and learning, not force information on the children's heads. For example, I have seen many boys without any interest in mathematics but interested in playing games. If the teachers told them (and show them) that math is the basis for almost any computer game maybe some would start to study math with the idea of creating their own games.

There is a lot of truth in that. I was sitting nearby a conversation in the hall a year or more back at the college between an instructor and the graphics dept head. They'd been talking about the game design program they used to have and were considering bringing back. I got the impression they weren't going to, and for the same reason they'd dropped it in the first place.

They had no shortage of people who wanted to be game designers, but could find few who even understood the fact that high level math as a natural ability had to be a given to succeed. It ultimately gave them many failed students in debt, but few to make it worth the resources. The disturbing thing is, the remedial English, comprehension and math classes are adding sections and growing, as a rather sad statement on the job public schools are managing.

Kids are graduating as functional illiterates while being told and coming to believe they are actually average or better. Hand a majority of them a comprehensive skills test from an 1890's grade school standard and I'll bet hard cash that 50% or more fail it to spectacular levels, and not many pass comfortably.  The result among college students wasn't that much better that I saw from in-class experiments.

Offline ArMaP

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13171
  • Gold 770
Re: Thoughts About Teaching Children
« Reply #33 on: October 13, 2014, 02:50:24 am »
Their mother and I would be the only two people they would interact with, until they were at least 18 years old. There would be no Internet access.
Basically, they would have to live in a censoring dictatorship. :)

Offline Pimander

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4994
  • Gold 368
Re: Thoughts About Teaching Children
« Reply #34 on: October 13, 2014, 03:33:26 am »
Petrus, please don't have a child!

Isolating a child would not be a good thing at all.  Some of your reading material is great (esp Eddings, Tolkein and Dragonlance) as is the music but a balanced person must have strong people skills.  You don't get them from only communicating with your parents.  In fact communication with your parents is abnormal compared to that with others.

Offline petrus4

  • Iconoclast
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2373
  • Gold 623
Re: Thoughts About Teaching Children
« Reply #35 on: October 13, 2014, 09:28:01 pm »
Basically, they would have to live in a censoring dictatorship. :)

I believe that mainstream society is degenerate to the point where it is very possibly going to lead to our extinction as a species.  So, yes; if I had a child, minimising their exposure to it would be a major priority.
"Sacred cows make the tastiest hamburgers."
        — Abbie Hoffman

Offline ArMaP

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13171
  • Gold 770
Re: Thoughts About Teaching Children
« Reply #36 on: October 14, 2014, 01:22:55 am »
I believe that mainstream society is degenerate to the point where it is very possibly going to lead to our extinction as a species.  So, yes; if I had a child, minimising their exposure to it would be a major priority.
That's close to what the fascist dictator that ruled Portugal for more than 30 years used to say.

Offline petrus4

  • Iconoclast
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2373
  • Gold 623
Re: Thoughts About Teaching Children
« Reply #37 on: October 14, 2014, 02:16:59 am »
That's close to what the fascist dictator that ruled Portugal for more than 30 years used to say.

I thank you for this; it is a valuable reality check for me.

So the next question becomes, what do we do instead?
"Sacred cows make the tastiest hamburgers."
        — Abbie Hoffman

Offline Amaterasu

  • The Roundtable
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6713
  • Gold 276
  • Information Will Free Us
    • T.A.P. - You're It
Re: Thoughts About Teaching Children
« Reply #38 on: October 14, 2014, 02:36:29 am »
Um...  I think that was what the OP addressed?  Maybe I misread it.  [smile]
"If the universe is made of mostly Dark Energy...can We use it to run Our cars?"

"If You want peace, take the profit out of war."

Offline Pimander

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4994
  • Gold 368
Re: Thoughts About Teaching Children
« Reply #39 on: October 14, 2014, 02:52:45 am »
I believe that mainstream society is degenerate to the point where it is very possibly going to lead to our extinction as a species. 
If this is true, isolating all individuals likely to change society will not help at all.

Offline ArMaP

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13171
  • Gold 770
Re: Thoughts About Teaching Children
« Reply #40 on: October 14, 2014, 05:19:30 am »
So the next question becomes, what do we do instead?
I don't have the slightest idea. :)

Offline Wrabbit2000

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 223
  • Gold 53
  • Just a fun loving kind of Rabbit.
Re: Thoughts About Teaching Children
« Reply #41 on: October 14, 2014, 06:35:28 am »
I thank you for this; it is a valuable reality check for me.

So the next question becomes, what do we do instead?

I think the best approach is the one most quickly tossed out these days, and one that takes more work than what IS being done to failure.

We need to re-introduce a concept that has largely been removed and replaced today. Critical Thinking. It isn't useful to teach someone about a thing, then dictate the way they should also feel about it, perceive it and communicate it to others. It's far more useful to have a person who can learn about a thing, draw their own conclusions and then defend them by their OWN logic, without needing to quote from others on that basic thinking.

Of course, these days? Our kids aren't taught critical thinking. That is considered failure to comply and obey, which brings punishment and penalty. That even ends with entire dedicated armies of police, entirely focused on delivering that message by their full time presence inside the school house, across the nation.

Critical thinking would have the student body asking why such things like that are necessary, and in more than a passing acceptance of the status quo. That would be too dangerous to tolerate, it seems.

 


Wal-Mart.com USA, LLC
affiliate_link
Free Click Tracking
Wal-Mart.com USA, LLC

* Recent Posts

Re: kits to feed your family for a year by Shasta56
[March 17, 2024, 12:40:48 pm]


Re: kits to feed your family for a year by space otter
[March 16, 2024, 08:45:27 pm]


Re: kits to feed your family for a year by Shasta56
[March 16, 2024, 07:24:38 pm]


Re: kits to feed your family for a year by space otter
[March 16, 2024, 10:41:21 am]


Re: Full Interview - Lance Corporal Jonathan Weygandt (1997) by RUSSO
[March 12, 2024, 07:22:56 pm]


Re: Full Interview - Lance Corporal Jonathan Weygandt (1997) by RUSSO
[March 09, 2024, 03:25:56 am]


Re: Full Interview - Lance Corporal Jonathan Weygandt (1997) by RUSSO
[March 09, 2024, 02:33:38 am]


Re: Music You Love by RUSSO
[March 09, 2024, 01:10:22 am]


Re: The Man Who Built UFOs For The CIA (Not Bob Lazar!) by RUSSO
[March 09, 2024, 12:14:14 am]


Re: Full Interview - Lance Corporal Jonathan Weygandt (1997) by RUSSO
[March 09, 2024, 12:08:46 am]


Re: A peculiar stone in DeForest by Canine
[March 03, 2024, 11:54:22 am]


Re: The Man Who Built UFOs For The CIA (Not Bob Lazar!) by kevin
[March 03, 2024, 11:30:06 am]


Re: The Man Who Built UFOs For The CIA (Not Bob Lazar!) by kevin
[March 03, 2024, 11:21:15 am]


Re: The Man Who Built UFOs For The CIA (Not Bob Lazar!) by kevin
[March 03, 2024, 11:16:05 am]


Re: Music You Love by RUSSO
[March 02, 2024, 07:58:09 pm]


Re: Full Interview - Lance Corporal Jonathan Weygandt (1997) by RUSSO
[March 02, 2024, 07:50:59 pm]


Re: The Man Who Built UFOs For The CIA (Not Bob Lazar!) by RUSSO
[March 02, 2024, 07:43:03 pm]


Re: The Man Who Built UFOs For The CIA (Not Bob Lazar!) by RUSSO
[March 02, 2024, 07:41:30 pm]


Re: The Man Who Built UFOs For The CIA (Not Bob Lazar!) by kevin
[March 01, 2024, 11:54:23 am]


Re: The Man Who Built UFOs For The CIA (Not Bob Lazar!) by kevin
[March 01, 2024, 11:34:15 am]