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Peggy, thanks very much for your clear and soothing words on my arrogance
question.

In a message dated 11/10/02 11:23:53 AM, peggy@... writes:

<< Since it isn't provable at this point beyond personal experience, why
should
the teaching theory that advocates using the carrot and a stick method hold
more weight than the personal experience of individual families who have found
that the carrot and the stick approach distorts and limits the potential of
the human mind to learn? >>

I nearly cried, and this isn't even about "true love" or particular pain.

Perhaps I am influenced by political correctness. Perhaps I am arrogant to
choose a politically correct stance and cling to it with feeling.

Here's my thinking:

I HAVE seen families with shit for brains, and while I feel sorry for my
kids, I wouldn't want my kids to hang around with them, nor to marry them,
nor to work with or for them, nor to live in their neighborhoods. [Some of
those families are my blood relatives, which might be about to cause my
current theory (not belief, not conviction) to bite its own tail.]


<<I believe not taking a stand when one
believes that harm will come from keeping silent is evil.>>

I do too and have been in trouble more than once in this lifetime, starting
at a young age, for saying "That's not right" to people who were my social
superiors.

<<A stand that forces others to bend their individual will to
others point of view against their individual experience would have the
potential for great evil. >>

The only times I've had that power were when I was teaching 12-15 year olds
in a public school, and when I became a parent. I think perhaps my many
years of being in the decision making seat with great evil on one side and
what I saw as my duty on the other have made me arrogant.

SO... mathematicians and programmers here, please: What are our number of
options here? Let me not suggest a model that's as pig-ignorant as "either
evolution or six day creation."

How many combinations of factors are we considering, just in a simple summary
of current options? I'm not a logician and I might have duplicates, and
they're not probably arranged perfectly.

born in sin / innocent

spanking / no spanking

inbred intelligence / empty vessel

attachment parenting / techno parenting by the clock

adversary / partner

breastfeeding or attempted / unconcerned with even trying

daycare / no daycare

preschool / no preschool

school / homeschool

curriculum / no curriculum

teaching / natural learning

rules / principles

more control / less control

I think it's a bad set of criteria because there are some (many?) which will
exclude or prevent others. Maybe that's just the way multiple sets of
criteria go.

===============


<<"I believe and so must you unthinkingly," is different from "I believe this
and I want you to think about it too.">>

I never even did that when I was teaching.
Maybe I haven't been so close to evil as my conscience sometimes thinks I
have.


Sandra