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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 1999)
, VA j '" (The (©bseruer B y J ohn T aylor G a tto 'W -'Vum Ain^ Us Down reveals th e ! B d ead e n in g h e a rt o f com pul J Page 7 from th eir chance at co m m u n ity ; in T h e h a b its tau g h t in large-scale o rga equally essential to the developm ent of te rru p t kids w ith bells a n d h o rn s all th e tim e a n d they will lea rn th a t n o th n izatio n s are deadly. O n th e o th er hand, individuality, we a re n ’t really individuals at all. C hil to re-engage children and families in ing is im p o rta n t; for th em to plead for family, a n d com m unity are, by defini d re n a n d fam ilies need som e relief from a c tiv e ly c o n tr o llin g o u r c u ltu r e , th e n a tu ra l right to th e toilet a n d they tion, expressions of singular organiza g overnm ent surveillance a n d in tim ida tion, never of “one-right-way ” thinking tion if original expressions belonging econom y, a n d society. A n E xcerpt: T h e h e art o f th e de will b ecom e liars a n d toadies; ridicule th em a n d th ey will re tre a t from h u on the g ra n d scale. Private tim e is abso to th em are to develop. W ithout these, m an association; sh am e them a n d they lutely essential if a private identity is freedom has no m eaning. will find a h u n d re d ways to get even. going to develop, and private tim e is Dumbing Us Down New Society Publishers;!992 September 15 , 1999 <Focus ^ X sorv State schooling: assu m p fense for the ch erish ed A m erican ide als of privacy, variety, a n d individual- a code o f private values, w ithout which tions and structures that stam p out the self-knowledge, curios ity, concentration and solitude essential to learning. Between schooling a n d television, o u r children have precious little tim e to learn for them selves about the com m unity they live in, or the lives they m ight lead. Instead, they are schooled to m erely obey orders and be com e sm oothly functioning cogs in the industrial m achine. In his 26 years of teaching, Jo h n T aylor G atto has found that independent study, com m unity service, large doses of - solitude, and a thousand dif f e r e n t apprenticeships with adults of all walks of life are the keys to helping children break the thrall of o u r conform ing society. For the ity lies in the way we b rin g up our young. C h ild ren learn what sake of o u r children and o u r com m uni they live. P u t kids in a class ties, J o h n T aylor G atto urges all of us to a n d they will live o u t th eir lives get schools out of the way a n d find ways in a n invisible cage, isolated The Parent’s Guide to Alternatives in Education p rin c ip le s , a n d th e p r a c tic a l Shambhala; 1997 B y R onald E. K oetzsch P h D s tra te g ie s o f e a c h a lte rn a tiv e T o d ay , m an y p a re n ts are se a rc h a p p r o a c h to e d u c a tio n ■ • Profiles o f representative ing for an a ltern ativ e to m ain stre am public e d u ca tio n in th e U nited States. U ntil now , th ere has b e en n o in-depth gu id e p ro v id in g the in fo rm a tio n they n e ed to d ecide am o n g th e som etim es b ew ildering array o f options, in clu d schools based on visits by the a u th o r • L ists o f sources of fu rth er in fo rm a tio n w ith contact ad dresses a n d p h o n e n u m b ers ing h o m eschooling, c h a rte r schools, • A n a n n o ta ted read in g list M ontessori, W aldorf, a n d others. A final sectio n p ro v id es The Parent’s Guide to Alternatives m Edit ch ap ters on how to choose a cation begins with an overview of the school or start your own school. developm ent of public education in the U n ite d S ta te s a n d th e n e x plains some im portanttrendsin e d u c a tio n a l th e o r y to d a y . 1 h e book’s main section contains detailed presen 'ations of twenty- The Parents' Guide to Alternatives in Education Ttw tti.i »« 4tpiS <»I<U I.. <tw I«« « W U .*«••«» >» «littM it" «.».... in» WI.E •*-««»•" » « «¡J* ...................... f „ l I» l > « h l » . r >n«- two leading alter natives to public education. Each chapter in this section covers: • T h e h is to ry , th e p h i lo s o p h y a n d Portland's New Hit Music Station www.jamminfm.com