| NEW Alfie Kohn Book: The Myth of the Spoiled Child: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom about Children and Parenting |
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Alfie Kohn's talk at the AERO conference last year was his first presentation based on this new book he was writing at the time. It's a very important thesis, refuting the idea that children should experience "bad things" to "toughen them up" Homeschool leaders in the audience were excited by these ideas and couldn't wait to get the book. Now, here it is!
Somehow, a set of deeply conservative assumptions about children-what they're like and how they should be raised-have congealed into the conventional wisdom in our society. Parents are accused of being both permissive and overprotective, unwilling to set limits and afraid to let their kids fail. Young people, meanwhile, are routinely described as entitled and narcissistic...among other unflattering adjectives.
In The Myth of the Spoiled Child, Alfie Kohn systematically debunks these beliefs-not only challenging erroneous factual claims but also exposing the troubling ideology that underlies them. Complaints about pushover parents and coddled kids are hardly new, he shows, and there is no evidence that either phenomenon is especially widespread today-let alone more common than in previous generations. Moreover, new research reveals that helicopter parenting is quite rare and, surprisingly, may do more good than harm when it does occur. The major threat to healthy child development, John argues, is posed by parenting that is too controlling rather than too indulgent.
With the same lively, contrarian style that marked his influential books about rewards, competition, and education, Kohn relies on a vast collection of social science data, as well as on logic and humor, to challenge assertions that appear with numbing regularity in the popular press. These include claims that young people suffer from inflated self-esteem; that they receive trophies, praise, and As too easily; and that they would benefit from more self-discipline and "grit." These conservative beliefs are often accepted without question, even by people who are politically liberal. Kohn's invitation to reexamine our assumptions is particularly timely, then; his book has the potential to change our culture's conversation about kids and the people who raise them.
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| Register for AERO Conference TODAY! |
| Just for those of you who somehow missed last week's early bird deadline we are offering you a coupon this week (coupon expires after April 12th) which will give you 10% off the registration price of adult and student fees. Enter "april10percent" when paying your fees to receive the discount. If you have any trouble, let us know!
including the tentative workshop schedule, here.
Schedule, Reserve Workshops
Last year some of the workshop spaces were overcrowded so this year we are generally limiting them to 40 participants with only those who have reserved in advance getting the last few seats. So check the tentative schedule now and let us know which workshops you'd really like to be sure to go to. You must be registered to reserve them.
Don't forget to register this week and use the coupon!
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| Exit Stage Left: The National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools (NCACS) |
Editor's Note from Jerry Mintz: As you can see in the article below, the National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools has just announced its closing. I was involved with the NCACS for many years.
In some ways this stems from the meeting a few of us had with Jonathan Kozol in a church basement in Boston around 1974. We talked about creating a national organization of alternatives. The NCACS was created a few years later but the original organizers then dropped it a few years after that. Pat Montgomery of Clonlara then resurrected it.
I learned a lot from the NCACS after getting involved again in the 1980's and this helped in the creation of AERO, which in some ways continues its work.
Exit Stage Left by Pat Montgomery
Thirty six years ago the National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools opened its doors as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. Its members are people who founded and/or staffed alternative schools and programs or home schools. They were then, and still are, dedicated to the precepts of the NCACS by-laws:
- empowering youngsters and adults to actively and collectively direct their own lives;
- placing the control of education in the hands of the learners-students, parents, teachers; and
- developing tools and skills to work for social justice.
These commitments marked the NCACS at the outset as one-of-a-kind. Over the years, more and more individuals and groups embraced the same beliefs to the point where, today, more people the world over practice and promote empowerment, self-directed learning, and social justice. The networking skills of Jerry Mintz, for example, have spread the word throughout the world. People in every clime who work for social justice and empowerment have coalesced. The forum of IDEC allows like-minded people to meet in person, to visit schools and programs in various parts of the globe, and to share. The work started by NCACS continues and reverberates through these and other similar efforts.
One of the treasures of the NCACS was its annual conference - from 1978 through 2009. In these assemblies, students of all ages, staff members from schools and programs, and parents presented workshops, seminars, and dramatic presentations, living and playing together for a week or so. All participated. The only restrictions to attending were in the regulation passed by those assembled at the Arizona gathering in 1983: no banned substances, no alcohol, and no objects which could be construed as weapons were permitted at any conference site, throughout the duration of the event. Youngsters from all over the U.S., from Canada, Japan, Columbia and from several other countries, were able to form friendships and stay in touch during the year. Talented youngsters - like Isaac, Takatomo, Angela, Eric, Webb and Josh and Kim (to cite but a few) - grabbed the banner of active participation in one's own learning processes and ran with it.
On April 1, 2014, the National Coalition quietly closed its doors with a tip of the hat to all of the AEROs and IDECs and IDEAs and others that carry on. Long may its principles prevail!
Pat Montgomery
April 2, 2014
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List of schools taking in students who opt-out
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As we did last year, Monty Neill of FairTest has strongly endorsed the idea of AERO network schools offering their schools and programs as places to go for people opting out of the tests. Of course this could also work well for them as people discover our alternatives.
If you can offer refuge to people opting out of the test, please email me at [email protected] so we can add you to the list. People will be asked to contact you first to see if you have space. We will automatically include your school's name on this year's list if you were previously included as a courtesy. If you'd prefer not to appear on the list this year, please let us know.
We already have almost 50 schools on the list, but the link below will bring you to a continuously updated list. If you are a parent and don't see an AERO school near you, write to us directly and we'll suggest one. Generally almost all of our schools would be willing to help with this.
From FairTest: We have a new, action-oriented website that provides resources you can use: http://www.resistthetest.org. It includes a mapping tool that makes it easy for parents, students, teachers and community organizers to post and find local actions anywhere in the United States. We invite you to use this website to build your campaign and connect with likeminded people across the nation. We can post your event to the event map if you prefer, or help you do so. (Contact us at [email protected].) |
| A 12-Year-Old's Anti-Testing Poem |
April used to be poetry month,
Where we'd learn about rhythm and rhyme,
But now that standardized tests have set in,
They tell us we just don't have time.
There was 'Poem in Your Pocket' day,
Where you share your unique voice,
But now creativity's gone away,
Now it's nothing but multiple choice.
They say tests show how smart you are,
And teach you all you know,
But how does filling in circles,
Help anyone learn and grow?
In class, when we could be thinking,
Learning how we can go far,
We're categorized by the grades we get,
Like those numbers are all we are.
- Eliya Ahmad, age 12 (written on back of ELA testing booklet, April 2, 2014)
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Do you have a news or resource item you think Education Revolution newsletter readers would find useful? Send it to [email protected].
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Thank you for your ongoing support. With your help, we will make learner-centered alternatives available to everyone!
Sincerely,
Jerry Mintz
Executive Director
Alternative Education Resource Organization
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The Ten Signs You Need to Find a Different Kind of Education for Your Child
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Many parents don't realize that the education world has changed drastically since they were in school. Schools and class sizes used to be smaller, dropout rates lower, in-school violence almost unheard of, and teachers weren't terrified of showing affection to their students, or of discussing moral values. Of course, even then, school was far from perfect, but at least the teachers-and usually the principal-knew every student by name, something that is increasingly rare today.
Because our public school system has deteriorated considerably, many parents, teachers, and individuals have taken it upon themselves to create public and private alternatives to that system; and it is important for parents to know that they now have choices.
So how do you know that it's time to look for another educational approach for your child? Here are some of the signs:
1. Does your child say he or she hates school?
If so, something is probably wrong with the school. Children are natural learners, and when they're young, you can hardly stop them from learning. If your child says they hate school, listen to them.
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News, Resources, & Calendar
