New film "The War on Kids
JanH
Just found this Huffington Post interview with Cevin Soling, director of the new film "The War on Kids": http://alturl.com/r6yt
Here's the first paragraph:
"The War On Kids, a documentary by Cevin (pronounced "Kevin") Soling, goes inside the American public school system to reveal some unsettling truths - that our public schools have become prisons, where kids are medicated against their will, treated like prisoners under strict Zero Tolerance policies, and have most of their civil rights summarily stripped away. While conditions for kids have been worsening over the decades, the film argues that the root of these problems isn't school shootings or budget cuts, but the institution of school itself, which is inherently authoritarian, oppressive, and fails on most levels to fulfill its number one goal: to educate. The tagline of the War On Kids (which was named Best Educational Documentary by the New York International Film & Video Festival) is "School is the Enemy." Kind of says it all."
Jan
Jan Hunt, M.Sc., Director
Natural Child Project
http://www.naturalchild.org
"Children reflect the treatment they receive."
Here's the first paragraph:
"The War On Kids, a documentary by Cevin (pronounced "Kevin") Soling, goes inside the American public school system to reveal some unsettling truths - that our public schools have become prisons, where kids are medicated against their will, treated like prisoners under strict Zero Tolerance policies, and have most of their civil rights summarily stripped away. While conditions for kids have been worsening over the decades, the film argues that the root of these problems isn't school shootings or budget cuts, but the institution of school itself, which is inherently authoritarian, oppressive, and fails on most levels to fulfill its number one goal: to educate. The tagline of the War On Kids (which was named Best Educational Documentary by the New York International Film & Video Festival) is "School is the Enemy." Kind of says it all."
Jan
Jan Hunt, M.Sc., Director
Natural Child Project
http://www.naturalchild.org
"Children reflect the treatment they receive."
Julie van der Wekken
Last night a fellow unschooling mom and I saw a screening for another school documentary titled 'Race To Nowhere':
http://www.racetonowhere.com/
Very thought provoking and emotional at times to hear the children talking about how much they hate school and how much stress their under and how they have no time to enjoy their childhoods:(
Also some wonderful interviews that stressed the importance of children following their passions and learning to be critical thinkers and problem solvers, something schools aren't teaching. It also stressed the importance of being happy in life vs. making lots of money.
Julie van der Wekken
http://lerendzonderschool.blogspot.com/
http://www.racetonowhere.com/
Very thought provoking and emotional at times to hear the children talking about how much they hate school and how much stress their under and how they have no time to enjoy their childhoods:(
Also some wonderful interviews that stressed the importance of children following their passions and learning to be critical thinkers and problem solvers, something schools aren't teaching. It also stressed the importance of being happy in life vs. making lots of money.
Julie van der Wekken
http://lerendzonderschool.blogspot.com/
--- In [email protected], "JanH" <jan@...> wrote:
>
> Just found this Huffington Post interview with Cevin Soling, director of the new film "The War on Kids": http://alturl.com/r6yt
>
> Here's the first paragraph:
>
> "The War On Kids, a documentary by Cevin (pronounced "Kevin") Soling, goes inside the American public school system to reveal some unsettling truths - that our public schools have become prisons, where kids are medicated against their will, treated like prisoners under strict Zero Tolerance policies, and have most of their civil rights summarily stripped away. While conditions for kids have been worsening over the decades, the film argues that the root of these problems isn't school shootings or budget cuts, but the institution of school itself, which is inherently authoritarian, oppressive, and fails on most levels to fulfill its number one goal: to educate. The tagline of the War On Kids (which was named Best Educational Documentary by the New York International Film & Video Festival) is "School is the Enemy." Kind of says it all."
>
> Jan
>
> Jan Hunt, M.Sc., Director
> Natural Child Project
> http://www.naturalchild.org
>
> "Children reflect the treatment they receive."
>
Deb Lewis
***...that our public schools have become prisons, where kids are medicated against their will, treated like prisoners under strict Zero Tolerance policies, and have most of their civil rights summarily stripped away.***
This reminded me of a chapter in "What Do I Do Monday" by John Holt. I know Sandra doesn't want to focus on school on this list but thought this also tied in with the importance of special consideration for the needs of children in the "mom's needs first" thread. If anyone would rather not read about school, stop here.
From "The Killing of the Self" (chapter 9)
"Indeed, the limits we put in many schools on freedom of speech, movement, and even facial expression are far more stringent than anything we would find even in a maximum security prison. In many classrooms children are not only required for most of the day to sit at desks, without any chance to move or stretch, but they are not even allowed to change their position, to move in their chairs. If they do, they are quickly chastised or ridiculed by the teacher. This would be very effective punishment if meant as such. But the child is forbidden to think of it as punishment, or to ask why he should submit to this inhuman treatment. He is forbidden to think that these people who are doing these things to him are in any way his enemies or that they dislike or fear him. He is told to believe that they care about him, that what they do, they do for his sake, his good. He is made to feel that if he resists these orders not to speak or move, or even to change the expression on his face, or turn his head away from the teacher for even a few seconds, that if he even resents or questions these things, he is somehow bad, wicked, and really deserves harsher punishment, such as a physical beating, which many teachers and schools are still only to ready to give him."
And then:
Most of our schools convey to children a very powerful message, that they are stupid, worthless, untrustworthy, unfit to make even the smallest decisions about their own lives or learning. The message is all the more powerful and effective because it is *not* said in words. Indeed - and here is the double-bind again - the schools may well be *saying* all the time how much they like and respect children, how much they value their individual differences, how committed they are to democratic and human values, and so on. If I tell you that you are wise, but treat you like a fool; tell you that you are good but treat you like a dangerous criminal, you will feel what I feel much more strongly than if I said it directly. Furthermore, if I deny that there is any contradiction, and say further that if you even think there may be such contradiction, it proves that you are not worthy of my loving attention, my message about your badness becomes all the stronger, and I am probably pushing you well along the road to craziness as well."
And earlier in the chapter:
"In "The Underachieving School" I said, as I have here to some extent, that schooling destroys the identity of children their sense of their own being, of their dignity, competence, and worth. I now feel the damage goes still deeper , and that the schooling of most children destroys a large part, not just of their intelligence, character , and identity, but of their health of mind and spirit, their very sanity."
"What Do I Do Monday" was published in 1970.
Deb Lewis
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
This reminded me of a chapter in "What Do I Do Monday" by John Holt. I know Sandra doesn't want to focus on school on this list but thought this also tied in with the importance of special consideration for the needs of children in the "mom's needs first" thread. If anyone would rather not read about school, stop here.
From "The Killing of the Self" (chapter 9)
"Indeed, the limits we put in many schools on freedom of speech, movement, and even facial expression are far more stringent than anything we would find even in a maximum security prison. In many classrooms children are not only required for most of the day to sit at desks, without any chance to move or stretch, but they are not even allowed to change their position, to move in their chairs. If they do, they are quickly chastised or ridiculed by the teacher. This would be very effective punishment if meant as such. But the child is forbidden to think of it as punishment, or to ask why he should submit to this inhuman treatment. He is forbidden to think that these people who are doing these things to him are in any way his enemies or that they dislike or fear him. He is told to believe that they care about him, that what they do, they do for his sake, his good. He is made to feel that if he resists these orders not to speak or move, or even to change the expression on his face, or turn his head away from the teacher for even a few seconds, that if he even resents or questions these things, he is somehow bad, wicked, and really deserves harsher punishment, such as a physical beating, which many teachers and schools are still only to ready to give him."
And then:
Most of our schools convey to children a very powerful message, that they are stupid, worthless, untrustworthy, unfit to make even the smallest decisions about their own lives or learning. The message is all the more powerful and effective because it is *not* said in words. Indeed - and here is the double-bind again - the schools may well be *saying* all the time how much they like and respect children, how much they value their individual differences, how committed they are to democratic and human values, and so on. If I tell you that you are wise, but treat you like a fool; tell you that you are good but treat you like a dangerous criminal, you will feel what I feel much more strongly than if I said it directly. Furthermore, if I deny that there is any contradiction, and say further that if you even think there may be such contradiction, it proves that you are not worthy of my loving attention, my message about your badness becomes all the stronger, and I am probably pushing you well along the road to craziness as well."
And earlier in the chapter:
"In "The Underachieving School" I said, as I have here to some extent, that schooling destroys the identity of children their sense of their own being, of their dignity, competence, and worth. I now feel the damage goes still deeper , and that the schooling of most children destroys a large part, not just of their intelligence, character , and identity, but of their health of mind and spirit, their very sanity."
"What Do I Do Monday" was published in 1970.
Deb Lewis
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]