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In a message dated 5/9/2003 8:38:53 AM Central Daylight Time,
bunsofaluminum60@... writes:

>
> Meanwhile, I have changed what I think about the concept of certain
> things being "necessary for a well rounded education." And so, the
> further I can get away from K12-style thinking, the better!
>

There's a great line in David Albert's new book Homeschooling and the Voyage
of Self-Discovery that makes me chuckle every time I remember it: something
like "The What Your _th Grader Needs to Know books are great if you want your
child to grow up to be E.D. Hirsch" It makes me think about how all our our
life experiences make up who we are and what we know and how boring the world
would be if we all had the exact same frame of reference. (Sorry for the
paraphrasing, David. :)
Amy Kagey
Email me for a list
of used homeschooling books!


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Betsy

**how boring the world
would be if we all had the exact same frame of reference.**

This is really true. If a nationwide curriculum was strongly enforced
it could have a narrowing effect on the diversity of ideas found in the
American population. Just like plants need to be diverse and evolving
to create a healthy ecosystem, ideas need to flourish individually and
differently, not be "planted" in a "monoculture" consisting of a single
truth that is the right answer on the test.

If everyone always believed the same "party line" about everything, how
would the knowledge base ever expand and change. I think there needs to
be conflict and competition and destruction for ideas to grow and improve.

Homogenized ideas fed alike into all young citizens is a scary idea to me!

Betsy