2011 - Talk Birth

Government schooling is somehow seen as the better way for children to spend childhood instead
of letting children develop, grow, and learn in the actual world in which they will live as adults.
I also had saved a quote about natural learners from the book, [1]Providence, by Daniel Quinn. Quinn is
the author best known for his philosophical novel [2]Ishmael, which I read as a young teenager. I remember
considering it to be a life changing and fascinating read, but it has been a LONG time since I read it—my primary
memory of it is how he challenges the very human conception that we are the ”end” result of evolution.
That’s it, evolution has finished, we’re here now. Anyway, [3]Providence was less illuminating/interesting.
It was primarily an autobiography with an emphasis on how the author developed [4]Ishmael (which went
through more than 6 versions over a period of like 13 years) as well as an exploration of his religious development
(which includes some time spent in a monastery and ends with animism).
While he was writing his book, he worked in educational publishing and I appreciated his remarks about
education:
One of the great, persistent myths of education in our culture is that children become reluctant
learners as they grow older. In fact, what they become reluctant about it going to school, where
they’re bullied, regimented, bored silly, and very effectively prevented from learning...We know
what works for children up to the age where we ship them off to school: Let them be around you,
pay attention to them, talk to them, give them access to as much as you can, let them try things,
and that’s it. They take care of the rest. You don’t have to strap small children down and teach
them to speak, all you have to do is talk to them. You don’t have to give them crawling lessons
or walking lessons or running lessons. You don’t have to spend an hour a day showing them how
to bang two pots together; they’ll figure that out all by themselves–if you give them access to the
pots. Nothing magical happens at the age of five to render this process obsolete or invalid.
1. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553100181?ie=UTF8&tag=stonehaven-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=
0553100181
2. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553375407?ie=UTF8&tag=stonehaven-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=
0553375407
3. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553100181?ie=UTF8&tag=stonehaven-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=
0553100181
4. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553375407?ie=UTF8&tag=stonehaven-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=
0553375407
Have you met Pachamama? (2011-10-07 20:52)
I have a friend who was taking a mythology class in college this session. She sent me an email titled, ”have
you met Pachamama?” and included this great little picture:
I just love her! Love her serene little face and the yin-yang type of background.
310