Rethinking Education

and ruth speak.....

Is our current form of mainstream education a form that will take us into a future?

I would say yes if the Earth's sustainability was dependant on economy.

However on some level (i hope) we all know that it's not and never has been. Yet since the beginning of the 19th century and coinciding with the industrial revolution, formal mainstream educational institutions have existed. And the interesting part is why were these formed?

Ironically, and thanks to my
left-wing, liberal lecturers
and professors,
the beauty of my mainstream education at university meant that
I learned the sociological imagination
and the implications of schooling
thus leading me to learn the freeing nature of
unschooling.
Universities are different places, they are definitely more conducive to encouraging responsibility for your own learning,
if you choose.
A contrast from the high school I went to.
I learned about my self and my place in the world and what it meant for me.
University was a real learning experience rather than a rite of passage.
What I chose, (the arts), are not placed of high importance in today's society because of current marketforces. A Bachelor of Arts (B.A) for some stands for Bugger All.
What I think is more important is that I chose subjects for myself that I was interested in and not with a job at the end in sight.
Learning how to learn
for the first time in a
long, long time
was the best part.
What is more important in education, education that educates one for a particular type of work or education that creates
excitement about learning,
education that fosters following your bliss,
creativity,
adaptability,
responsibility,
possibility?

This from Chris Corrigan's website. Quotes from a speech by Sir Ken Robinson who believes that creativity is just as important as literacy in education.

All kids have tremendous talents, and we squander them.

Creativity is as important as literacy and we should teach it with the same status.

Kids will take a chance…if they don’t know, they’ll have a go. They’re not frightened of being wrong…If you’re not prepared to be wrong you’ll never come up with anything original…We stigmatize mistakes.

We don’t grow into creativity, we grow out of it, or more precisely we are educated out of it.

I believe our only hope for the future is to adopt a new conception of human ecology…we have to rethink the fundamental principles upon which we are educating our children.

We may not see this future but [our children] will, and our job is help them make something of it.

quote of the day

Why we have no fixed dates/times/plans/answers. Anything is possible. Everything is constantly changing. Nothing is permanent.
As quoted from the physicist, Richard Feynman, from Whiskey River:

"You see, one thing is, I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it's much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong. I have approximate answers and possible beliefs and different degrees of uncertainty about different things, but I am not absolutely sure of anything and there are many things I don't know anything about, such as whether it means anything to ask why we're here . . . I don't have to know an answer. I don't feel frightened not knowing things, by being lost in a mysterious universe without any purpose, which is the way it really is as far as I can tell. It doesn't frighten me."

Temo's latest trick

The group of neighbourhood kids that live next door (Temo's possie) just turned up on the doorstep with this. Great, for 2 euro I can see an original play practically on our doorstep.

little cook.

colours of summer in the pan

and similar to the irish flag.

A picture of summer

Strawberries that Temo and I picked this morning.

Let it shine

There is always something magical about a person who embraces their spirit, love, passion. Odetta is one of these people. She is 75 and an amazing performer of blues/gospel/folk music. She came from the U.S where she is very much adored, to Clonmel to perform last night as part of the Junction Fest. A very moving experience. She quoted this by Marianne Williamson near the beginning of her set:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Freshly picked basil from the window sill.