The bottom line is education

This weekend I'd wonderful insightful chats with a friend about the Irish economic crisis (I know, I know how exciting - but don't worry I'm not adding to all the despairing news already out there - we have solutions, well kind of!).

We concluded that people in general (and us included) just don't know how to think for ourselves. In certain areas of our lives we just seam to follow the crowd or do as we're told. It is frightening how we are influenced by the media and so subliminally we are not even aware of it.  The lady serving me in the bank the other day all of a sudden exclaimed "how did we find ourselves in this situation", right in the middle of our polite conversation about the weather and our children.  She went on to say how we all did as we were told, studied hard, went to college, got the good pensionable job, bought the house to get on the property ladder and now look where we are, heavily in debt and stressed out.

When did we lose our autonomy? Why are we so under the influence of the media? Do we put too much faith in the Systems to guide us: the government, the church, the education system and the banking system? Have these establishments lost their way? A book I'm reading puts it nicely, "our arms have gotten so long we don't know what our hands are doing". Things have gotten complicated.

My thoughts could get very busy around all these questions and all I'd end up with is a great buzzing headache! I must remain focused and my focus is the education system. Which I believe is where it all starts and ends. If we can foster our children to be happy, independent, motivated and creative human beings, what a bright future this world would have.

Ireland (well the world too) needs a massive overhaul, change needs to happen and the only real place to start is the education system as our children really are the future. I came across the race to nowhere website. So inspirational, I've my name down to get the dvd when they release it. If there's enough people interested we could have a showing in Cork (so let me know). Although it is based in America, it absolutely applies to Ireland. Actually I believe the Irish education system is even more intensive. When I was 7 we lived in California for a year, so I went to primary school there. I had to jump two grades because they were so "behind" us! So when they talk about "stealing our children's childhood" and "training from a script" it can be completely applied to Irish mainstream education.     

The more I read about Maria Montessori (and I'm no expert), the more I realise she really has serious answers to many of our problems today.  What a visionary. I liked this little video for talking about educating the whole child.

Here's another link to an article in the Times about FInaland's educational success. I really like the idea that the teaching profession is a well paid and sought after job. In Finland only 9.8% of applicants get on to the intensive five year training course to become a teacher. Because these teachers are so well trained in the philosophy of the whole child they are then given freedom to teach rather than having to adhere to strict curricula and tests. 

"Their teachers are much better prepared to teach physics than we are, and then the Finns get out of the way. You don't buy a dog and bark for it," says Dan MacIsaac, a specialist in physics-teacher education at Buffalo State College who visited Finland for two months. "In the U.S., they treat teachers like pizza delivery boys and then do efficiency studies on how well they deliver the pizza."

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2062419,00.html#ixzz1MiGMi1et

So from my conversations during the past week I can see I am definitely passionate about the changes that need to occur in our education system. Someone just needs to half mention recession or consumerism and like a woman possessed I'm off on my rant about education (I might have to reign myself in a little!). But I need to start walking this talk as I'm no closer to the montessori school in Cork from when I started this blog.

Any thoughts, ideas, links or further information I'd love to hear from you ...  

The wonder of words

"Speech is the mirror of the soul; as a man speaks, so he is." - Publilius Syrus

I think one of the many gifts of having a young child is rediscovering the magic in the mundane. Things that we take for granted but they are exploring for the first time: as they stand up on their little legs and take their first steps; or the great contortions of their face as they taste new foods; and the wonderful strings of vowels and consonants that soon will form real words.

If you really think about it language is fascinating, how it came about and evolved. Maria Montessori describes it as an expression of agreement among a group that certain sounds mean certain things. Language embodies the uniquely human capacity to learn - an ancient, elegant and forward thrusting continuum of evolution. And I think the way the child learns language really shows how they absorb everything, we don't teach them, nature is their greatest teacher. 

That is why it is so illuminating to follow the teachings of nature, because nature is a teacher, and it teaches the child the most arid part of language. It is a real school with methods . . . One should applaud [the child] but no one takes any notice of him. Much later when he is at the school we have chosen for him, he is given a medal [learns the alphabet] and we say "what a clever teacher he has" - Absorbent Mind, Maria Montessori 

To think from the first trimester of pregnancy, according to Sharifa Oppenheimer, the embryonic brain is responding to the stimulus of the tones of the mother's voice. And when the baby is born, Maria Montessori describes it so eloquently: how language, like a divine music penetrates the baby's soul with everlasting effect. At around 4 months the child perceives that this mysterious music that surrounds him and touches him so deeply, comes from the human mouth. And by 1.5 years they can understand a whole conversation even if they don't have the words to respond. 

Experiencing this first hand with the little lady is so fascinating and also really scary. What sponges little children are, as they learn and grow and create their future and the future of humanity. This evolution feels so vulnerable because it is dependent on me as a parent. What a responsibility! 

Yet I find myself caught in the trap of just wanting a "good" child. A child that behaves and makes my life easier as I'm rushing around to get things done. How short sighted. My mindless "good girls" and "well done" and constant no's" and "stop that" etc. etc. These common phrases are so embedded in my psyche they're automatic and yet so powerful. These phrases are constant reinforcements to our children to look outside of themselves for approval or disapproval. These phrases put conditions on our love for our children. Alphie Kohn in Unconditional Parenting explains that: 

"as a result of praise, children become less able or willing to take pride in their own accomplishments - or to decide what is an accomplishment. ... Even as adults, they continue to rely on other people for validation, feeling thrilled or crestfallen depending on whether a spouse, a supervisor, or someone else in whom they have vested power tells them they've done a good job"  

Another great book is Children: The Challenge written in the seventies, Dreikurs noted we have evolved beyond the autocratic system of a patriarchal society and yet our words have not. He describes the subtle difference between praise and encouragement. I think that encouragement takes more presence of mind and separates the behaviour from the child. But I need to look into this a bit more and really work on being mindful of my words, after all the future of the human race depends on it! I'll keep you posted. 

So yes language is fascinating and when I think about it, it's not just the wonder of how our children acquire words, but also how powerful our words are for them.