tiny grass

This is exactly what life is about. You get a paycheck every two weeks. We’re preparing children for life.

That would be Michelle Rhee, Washington DC’s school chancellor, providing her rationale for pilot program this fall that will pay kids for showing up, behaving and getting good grades.  Apparently this idea is getting increasing support (like in NYC) and it’s reasonable to expect that nothing good will come of it.  After all, rewards don’t work.  And I can’t imagine that kids without bills and mortgages would give a hoot about a paycheck like every adult working a crap job to make a living.

Ms. Rhee, just stop the blather and say the truth: WE GIVE UP.  We can’t figure out how to motivate children to learn and the best we can do is to dangle a financial carrot and hope someone bites.

And frankly, if you think life is about getting a paycheck every two weeks, maybe you should get a job in a payroll department instead of letting your half-assed mind run a school system.

The article the NYT is referencing is, I believe, this.  Mr. Fisher sums up nicely:

School, as Rhee has often said, should not be a grim, bottom-line enterprise. If you can get kids to discover the satisfaction of mastering new material, you have them hooked. Paying them is the ultimate expression of surrender.

Fryer does not claim to have evidence that his program works, though he hints he will have data this fall indicating some success. But early reports from another New York City pay-incentive program show no such luck: High school students offered up to $1,000 if they scored well on Advanced Placement tests were indeed more likely to take the exams but actually scored lower than those who took the test before pay incentives took effect.

Must 3,000 D.C. students really be subjected to this degrading experiment? We live in impatient times, and Mayor BlackBerry and his dynamic schools chief want to get there right now.

Here, kid, here’s a dollar. Now shut up and learn.

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This was fantastic to listen to.  I’ve no idea who Sir Ken Robinson is (and haven’t the time to Google), but he’s right-on.

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Don’t forget that there’s a full lunar eclipse tonight, which should be visible all throughout the Americas. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate for you - it’s iffy for us with ‘Mostly cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing.’ Here are the relevant times with US time zones:

Partial eclipse begins: 1:43 Universal Time (UT) Feb. 21.
For continental U.S. time zones, the partial ecilpse begins the evening of Feb. 20.
8:43 p.m. EST
7:43 p.m. CST
6:43 p.m. MST
5:43 p.m. PST

Total eclipse (totality) begins: 3:01 UT on Feb. 21.
For continental U.S. time zones, totality begins on the evening of Feb. 20.
10:01 p.m. EST
9:01 p.m. CST
8:01 p.m. MST
7:01 p.m. PST

Greatest eclipse: 3:26 UT on Feb. 21.
For continental U.S. time zones, greatest eclipse occurs the evening of Feb. 20.
10:26 p.m. EST
9:26 p.m. CST
8:26 MST
7:26 PST

Total eclipse ends: 3:51 UT on Feb. 21.
For continental U.S. time zones, the total eclipse ends the evening of Feb. 20.
10:51 p.m. EST
9:51 p.m. CST
8:51 p.m. MST
7:51 p.m. PST

from EarthySky.org/kids

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To prepare for the eventual move to Costa Rica, we need to learn Spanish, which rocks since it’s a perfect example of self-directed learning. Why should the kids have all the fun? Our library system has been a great help since we can try different books and resources to see what gels with us. We started with library books for the kids, since it would be a fun way for all of us to learn together.

Our current reading includes Senor Felipe’s Alphabet Adventure, about a photographer whose assignment is to photograph one item for each letter of the Spanish alfabeto. It’s written in English, with Spanish words for each item photographed, and there’s an additional list of vocabulary at the end of the book. We’re also reading El sombrero del tío Nacho / Uncle Nacho’s Hat, which is bilingual, with the story written both in English (sprinkled liberally with Spanish words and phrases) and Spanish. The story follows Uncle Nacho as he just can’t seem to get rid of his old hat that’s full of holes. It’s very helpful for Trish and me to see both versions since the alfabeto book provides a lot of vocabulary but little in the way of verbs. Read more »

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Unschooling isn’t all about the kids - it’s about us too.  Our attitudes and perceptions and, what’s become very apparent to me, our own desire and capacity for learning.  One of my main supporting points for being an unschooler was that I taught myself everything I know for my work.  I realized that I wanted to learn something and followed my desire. I also have memories of enjoying learning in school until it became drudgery.  I like learning, and it seemingly was dulled out of me for years.  Now I find that I’m learning stuff all the time so I thought it would be cool to keep track of things I’ve learned in the past week.  Here goes:

1. Ancient Egyptian kids had a ponytail above one ear with a shaved head.
2. Tadpoles grow REALLY fast, like a millimeter a day.  (We got some toad eggs from our neighbors pond and put them in an aquarium)
3. The poor polar bear at the Bronx Zoo looks super, super bored.  He needs a helluva lot more space than a few hundred square feet, like a few hundred miles.
4. Ducks are smart - ours have been heading into their house at sundown.
5. If a diaphragm develops an ‘odd film’ on it after a year of steady use, it’s probably going to fail at contraception.  (Thanks to a friend’s unexpected tale of pregnancy)

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