Claiming studies without proof
Sandra Dodd
I use google to find my own stuff, because there’s so much of it out there, so sometimes I come across mentions of me, or links, elsewhere. I found something very sweet, about a family changing their practices after the parents heard me speak. I’ll quote some of that in a minute, but I looked at some of the comments. I shouldn’t have, maybe, but I found this:
__________
Lo Shmo says
August 30, 2012 at 9:23 AM
I am not going to set my children up to only have the choice of being a cartoonist. If they are passionate about making cartoons, fine. If they are vegging out, slack jawed and bored, not Ok. And whats’s wrong with cartoons? Studied have proven negative mental impact of certain cartoons, but you had already mentioned the quality difference so we may agree on that point.
One response:
Lisa C says
August 30, 2012 at 5:14 PM
what study?
_________
And there it has sat for four years.
When a family believes that “studies have proven” something, and they limit their children based on that, that’s more than a single problem.
If a parent reads something actual, true and thoughtful, based on experiences, and extrapolates from that that watching TV and being on the internet can prepare children for nothing but to be cartoonists, and that those without a passion to be cartoonists would be “vegging out, slack jawed and bored,” it seems to me to be fear overlaid on willful ignorance of the writer’s own children, of the nature of boredom, and of a harsh justification of the need to belittle and to control children.
That looks harsh, but I think perhaps I’m being kinder than some parents deserve. Perhaps not this very parent. And maybe "Lo Shmo" has changed her mind.
The blog post said this, about my part in the changes in the family. The post referenced was an HSC conference in California:
_________
A few years ago, my family and I attended the Adventures in Homeschooling conference. We had such a blast. It was my second time to go with my daughter, Kate, but this time I brought my husband Seth and my inlaws, Ed and Nancy (both former schoolteachers, they can’t stop raving about the conference).
At the conference, we got to hear Sandra Dodd speak. Sandra is the author of Sandra Dodd’s Big Book of Unschooling.
I’d heard about unschooling prior to the conference but I was skeptical. Deep down I thought unschooling was just a bunch of lazy parents who did not want to take the time and energy to properly homeschool their children. I thought these parents were just not strict enough to enforce bed times and schedules. I was pretty certain that unschooled kids would end up not properly educated.
Sandra Dodd changed my mind. My husband’s too. We were absolutely blown away by her lecture, and we left the conference, a copy of her book in hand (which is amazing), 150% committed to unschooling.
UPDATE: It’s been 4 years now since I wrote this post, and unschooling was the best possible choice we could have made. At the end of this post, I will explain why unschooling and not limiting my daughter’s screen time has made her smarter, happier and just the most amazing kid!
__________
The author lists the arguments against “screentime” and then states what she has learned and seen, for each. It’s a good blogpost, by Ann Marie MIchaels, at Cheeseslave.com
http://www.cheeseslave.com/why-we-dont-limit-screen-time
Sandra
__________
Lo Shmo says
August 30, 2012 at 9:23 AM
I am not going to set my children up to only have the choice of being a cartoonist. If they are passionate about making cartoons, fine. If they are vegging out, slack jawed and bored, not Ok. And whats’s wrong with cartoons? Studied have proven negative mental impact of certain cartoons, but you had already mentioned the quality difference so we may agree on that point.
One response:
Lisa C says
August 30, 2012 at 5:14 PM
what study?
_________
And there it has sat for four years.
When a family believes that “studies have proven” something, and they limit their children based on that, that’s more than a single problem.
If a parent reads something actual, true and thoughtful, based on experiences, and extrapolates from that that watching TV and being on the internet can prepare children for nothing but to be cartoonists, and that those without a passion to be cartoonists would be “vegging out, slack jawed and bored,” it seems to me to be fear overlaid on willful ignorance of the writer’s own children, of the nature of boredom, and of a harsh justification of the need to belittle and to control children.
That looks harsh, but I think perhaps I’m being kinder than some parents deserve. Perhaps not this very parent. And maybe "Lo Shmo" has changed her mind.
The blog post said this, about my part in the changes in the family. The post referenced was an HSC conference in California:
_________
A few years ago, my family and I attended the Adventures in Homeschooling conference. We had such a blast. It was my second time to go with my daughter, Kate, but this time I brought my husband Seth and my inlaws, Ed and Nancy (both former schoolteachers, they can’t stop raving about the conference).
At the conference, we got to hear Sandra Dodd speak. Sandra is the author of Sandra Dodd’s Big Book of Unschooling.
I’d heard about unschooling prior to the conference but I was skeptical. Deep down I thought unschooling was just a bunch of lazy parents who did not want to take the time and energy to properly homeschool their children. I thought these parents were just not strict enough to enforce bed times and schedules. I was pretty certain that unschooled kids would end up not properly educated.
Sandra Dodd changed my mind. My husband’s too. We were absolutely blown away by her lecture, and we left the conference, a copy of her book in hand (which is amazing), 150% committed to unschooling.
UPDATE: It’s been 4 years now since I wrote this post, and unschooling was the best possible choice we could have made. At the end of this post, I will explain why unschooling and not limiting my daughter’s screen time has made her smarter, happier and just the most amazing kid!
__________
The author lists the arguments against “screentime” and then states what she has learned and seen, for each. It’s a good blogpost, by Ann Marie MIchaels, at Cheeseslave.com
http://www.cheeseslave.com/why-we-dont-limit-screen-time
Sandra
sukaynalabboun@...
Those nebulous research quotes get to me, too. Also, parameters and lying with statistics, bending things to get a result you wanted beforehand. I am pretty cautious- and I look first and foremost at my real family and our surroundings- before I think I've got some proof or truth.
I do know that having principled beliefs, keeping an open mind for change and better things coming along, and actively following the path leading to joy and peace and well being has enriched our lives and learning immensely, and in unforeseen ways. I know we are happier, kinder individuals, and I know my marriage and my relationships ( kids, spouse, friends) are better for me having learned about radical unschooling. You've got to do the work of living this way, though, for a bit before you get little surprises or aha! Moments.
I don't believe anything without first thinking it through, measuring up to my own real life experience. Sometimes, Even the best studies are flawed in my opinion. I try to take what is useful, and maybe leave what isn't. If it was useful but I wasn't ready for it, it will usually percolate up to the surface when I have gleaned enough knowledge, experience, whatever to get it. I spent enough time writing grant proposals at University to know about fluff and getting funds,and how "research" usually flows, to be a little critical about what I read or refer to.
You've got the best selection of real life research pertaining to unschooling at your sites, Sandra. I am truly grateful every day for being allowed unfettered access and having been challenged to re-think so many things I thought I knew about relationships and families. Thank you for still devoting so much of your time and energy to safeguard that wealth of experience for the rest of us, and those who may follow long after our children have grown.
On Jan 15, 2017, at 7:08 PM, Sandra Dodd Sandra@... [AlwaysLearning] <[email protected]> wrote:
I use google to find my own stuff, because there’s so much of it out there, so sometimes I come across mentions of me, or links, elsewhere. I found something very sweet, about a family changing their practices after the parents heard me speak. I’ll quote some of that in a minute, but I looked at some of the comments. I shouldn’t have, maybe, but I found this:
__________
Lo Shmo says
August 30, 2012 at 9:23 AM
I am not going to set my children up to only have the choice of being a cartoonist. If they are passionate about making cartoons, fine. If they are vegging out, slack jawed and bored, not Ok. And whats’s wrong with cartoons? Studied have proven negative mental impact of certain cartoons, but you had already mentioned the quality difference so we may agree on that point.
One response:
Lisa C says
August 30, 2012 at 5:14 PM
what study?
_________
And there it has sat for four years.
When a family believes that “studies have proven” something, and they limit their children based on that, that’s more than a single problem.
If a parent reads something actual, true and thoughtful, based on experiences, and extrapolates from that that watching TV and being on the internet can prepare children for nothing but to be cartoonists, and that those without a passion to be cartoonists would be “vegging out, slack jawed and bored,” it seems to me to be fear overlaid on willful ignorance of the writer’s own children, of the nature of boredom, and of a harsh justification of the need to belittle and to control children.
That looks harsh, but I think perhaps I’m being kinder than some parents deserve. Perhaps not this very parent. And maybe "Lo Shmo" has changed her mind.
The blog post said this, about my part in the changes in the family. The post referenced was an HSC conference in California:
_________
A few years ago, my family and I attended the Adventures in Homeschooling conference. We had such a blast. It was my second time to go with my daughter, Kate, but this time I brought my husband Seth and my inlaws, Ed and Nancy (both former schoolteachers, they can’t stop raving about the conference).
At the conference, we got to hear Sandra Dodd speak. Sandra is the author of Sandra Dodd’s Big Book of Unschooling.
I’d heard about unschooling prior to the conference but I was skeptical. Deep down I thought unschooling was just a bunch of lazy parents who did not want to take the time and energy to properly homeschool their children. I thought these parents were just not strict enough to enforce bed times and schedules. I was pretty certain that unschooled kids would end up not properly educated.
Sandra Dodd changed my mind. My husband’s too. We were absolutely blown away by her lecture, and we left the conference, a copy of her book in hand (which is amazing), 150% committed to unschooling.
UPDATE: It’s been 4 years now since I wrote this post, and unschooling was the best possible choice we could have made. At the end of this post, I will explain why unschooling and not limiting my daughter’s screen time has made her smarter, happier and just the most amazing kid!
__________
The author lists the arguments against “screentime” and then states what she has learned and seen, for each. It’s a good blogpost, by Ann Marie MIchaels, at Cheeseslave.com
http://www.cheeseslave.com/why-we-dont-limit-screen-time
Sandra
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Posted by: Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...>
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Sandra Dodd
-=-You've got the best selection of real life research pertaining to unschooling at your sites, Sandra. I am truly grateful every day for being allowed unfettered access and having been challenged to re-think so many things I thought I knew about relationships and families. Thank you for still devoting so much of your time and energy to safeguard that wealth of experience for the rest of us, and those who may follow long after our children have grown.-=-
Thank you. I’m going to put that on my feedback page. :-)
Also, trivia but might be worth more than just amusement to some: The page this topic is about wasn’t found with me looking for anything about unschooling. I was looking for something I had written about sticks hung on the wall in twisted twine, in historical Korean dramas. I had another picture to put with that post, wherever it is. I’ll still find it. But when I searched, there was a post that had both my name and "North Korea," and it wasn’t on my own site, so that’s the one I went to. :-)
Sandra
Thank you. I’m going to put that on my feedback page. :-)
Also, trivia but might be worth more than just amusement to some: The page this topic is about wasn’t found with me looking for anything about unschooling. I was looking for something I had written about sticks hung on the wall in twisted twine, in historical Korean dramas. I had another picture to put with that post, wherever it is. I’ll still find it. But when I searched, there was a post that had both my name and "North Korea," and it wasn’t on my own site, so that’s the one I went to. :-)
Sandra
sukaynalabboun@...
HA! My girls are showing me some of their favourite Korean music and reality shows as I receive this email ( trivia and not really in the posting guidelines, but ironic and cool!)
You are welcome, I meant every word- you can delete this post if you like, I realize it's not particularly helpful.
You are welcome, I meant every word- you can delete this post if you like, I realize it's not particularly helpful.
> On Jan 16, 2017, at 12:52 AM, Sandra Dodd Sandra@... [AlwaysLearning] <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> -=-You've got the best selection of real life research pertaining to unschooling at your sites, Sandra. I am truly grateful every day for being allowed unfettered access and having been challenged to re-think so many things I thought I knew about relationships and families. Thank you for still devoting so much of your time and energy to safeguard that wealth of experience for the rest of us, and those who may follow long after our children have grown.-=-
>
> Thank you. I’m going to put that on my feedback page. :-)
>
> Also, trivia but might be worth more than just amusement to some: The page this topic is about wasn’t found with me looking for anything about unschooling. I was looking for something I had written about sticks hung on the wall in twisted twine, in historical Korean dramas. I had another picture to put with that post, wherever it is. I’ll still find it. But when I searched, there was a post that had both my name and "North Korea," and it wasn’t on my own site, so that’s the one I went to. :-)
>
> Sandra
>
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> Posted by: Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...>
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> Yahoo Groups Links
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>
>