Long ago, before my children were actual beings, I imagined afternoons of collecting my kids from school, bringing them home, and listening to at least 5 minutes of chatter relating the events of their scholastic development. Years passed, my kids have actual personalities that are in no way influenced by my earlier visions. In my house, when the kids are done with school, they are DONE with school and don't want to talk about it. I try not to take it personally, but still feel that there needs to be some dialogue about what is happening. So, out of parental desperation, we instituted a family tradition which has prodded them out of their comfort zones, meaning their comfort zone of non-talking. I won't ask them about school all afternoon. If they want to discuss it, that is fine, but I will give them their space, if needed. But while we are at dinner, each child must relate at least 5 interesting that they did or learned that day at school. It has worked out well thus far.
I was a little concerned this year when Savanna was assigned a teacher who tells a lot of jokes and doesn't give homework. But what I have found is that his method of teaching has been a gift. It is contextualizing her learning. Savanna's boundaries between her education and life don't have such clear cut boundaries any more. Savanna actually lights up when she talks about school this year and was brimming with excitement when she was showing me the order of equations the other night. He must be doing something right. I think he treats them like adults and the kids respond well to that.
Emmy received perfect scores on the Washington State Aptitude Tests last spring and has been accepted to attend a more challenging school once a week. She joined the running club and runs 3 times a week, adding an extra hour to her day. She bought a small package of 8 chocolates and savored them for 2 weeks. She has had to memorize poems this year and bursts into tears when we ask her to vocalize them for us. I still can't get her to tell me much.
didn’t even know the name Dave Brubeck until a few weeks ago. I know now thanks to Matt and Trucker Dave (and Brubeck’s website) how important “Brubeck” is. In case you are unfamiliar with that name as well; Dave Brubeck is a legendary iconic jazz pianist and composer from the 50’s and 60’s all the way up too 2009. I can know associate Brubeck with musical class and beautifully constructed pieces.
However, many people's complex contextual references block and isolate the internal mind to the point of stifling and smothering the mental processes. The mind can then only reprocess the same information it has done so in the past. In the end, you derive the same answers to the same problems and end up back at the point you started.
--- Simplifying Your Context ---
On the extreme, over time, rules beget rules until, eventually, we have a complex data filtration system that kicks out anything that remote resembles some idea or information not completely in-line with our systems of belief. The human mind tends to develop such complexity to answer questions for which it is unsure. It creates a web of cross-connected information to prove that our lives and beliefs are justified.
This type of thought process leads to a stifling existence, little creativity, and a biased view of life as a whole. In the end, we end up with self-composed theories about how things are and should be and are unwilling to accept anything else. Eventually we can become embittered, angry, frustrated, envious, and prejudiced.
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