When people are young and very small, when their appetites are most ripe for learning, we tell them “now these are the important books that responsible people read.” Then we proceed to rob them of the most important components of reading: getting to be the one who chooses the book, getting to be the one who chooses when reading should be done, and getting to be the one who decides what parts of the book are worth remembering.
Tag: world
Schooling Was for the Industrial Era, Unschooling Is for the Future
The trouble is that we have left the Industrial Era for the Imagination Age, but our mass education system remains fully entrenched in factory-style schooling. By many accounts, mass schooling has become even more restrictive than it was a century ago, consuming more of childhood and adolescence than at any time in our history.
Take a Knee. Take a Seat. Take a Chill Pill.
If it bothers you to the point of distraction that some people are, by your lights, insufficiently respectful of the Stars and Stripes, your priorities are way out of whack. And if the flag does indeed stand for freedom, you’re part of the problem, not part of the solution.
Yalta Bibliography II
A man of many talents, Charles Mee was also a historian. He took on the formidable task of identifying 7 of the more important crossroads in human affairs. He believed that Yalta was one of those most salient events.
Almost Everyone Misunderstands Rational Choice Theory
Of course economics never seeks or claims to explain motives, or why people have the preferences, information, incentives, or constraints they do. It only seeks to demonstrate that, given these, their behavior is rational.
Why a Radical Libertarian Can Enjoy a Show About a British Monarch
Here I am, a radical libertarian, enjoying a show whose protagonist is the monarch of one of the world’s brutal and oppressive empires. How do I square that circle?
One Thing We Shouldn’t Import from China: Its Education System
We should be careful that America does not become a society of obedient “little soldiers,” abdicating our individual liberty to the powers of the state under the guise that it’s good for us. High test scores may be commendable, but not if they come at such a high price.
Bitcoin: Should the Functions of Money be Separate, or All-in-One?
Money is a lot of things. Predominantly a unit of account, a store of value, and a medium of exchange. We’re quite used to these functions being split up and handled by different tools.
The Devil’s Dictionary for Business: “Corporate”
In 1881, American writer Ambrose Bierce began work on a series of short satirical definitions eventually published together as The Devil’s Dictionary. If you’ve never read the entries, you’re in for a sarcastic, cynical treat.
Unschooling and Workbooks
Just as we have crayons and paper, books and computers, yarn and playdough, magazines and watercolors, we have workbooks. They are nothing fancy–just the ones you can pick up at a local store or online (my gang seems to like Brain Quest)–but they are scattered around our home. These workbooks are available to the kids, just like all other tools and supplies, to use and explore as they like.