Readin', Ritin', and Rythmatic. Oh, and Recess too!

I can't believe it took a scientific study to realize that kids need to play.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/health/24well.html?em

What a bunch of maroons!

A scientific study mentioned in this article "found out" that kids in school that were able to have at least an age-long 15-minutes of recess behaved better in class, and learned more.

If you read further, you'll find out that rats that were not allowed to play, were not able to mate. (Oh my!) There's a few politicians and world leaders to whom I'd like to deny play time, brush clearing and so on.

Perhaps the law should be: No Child Left Behind on the Playground

Judges Sentence Juvies to Jail for Kickbacks

This makes me sick.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/us/13judge.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/28/us/28judges.html (updated story March 28)

Read it. Make sure you have a bucket handy -- you'll be sick, too!

I hope these two judges spend a month of time in real jail (not white collar jail) for every month they sentenced these kids for. If it is for the rest of their lives, well, they've made their bed, let them sleep in it with their new prison boyfriends. What a couple of motherfuckers!

This is an example of two people who should get double what they dished out. They should be ruined in every and any sense.

Outrage? Yeah, I got it.

What's even worse? They sentenced some 5,000 kids during the past 6 years, and some of them no doubt deserved it, but now they'll all be cleared of any wrong doing. Talk about getting off on a technicality!

From the article: "If the court agrees to the plea agreement, both judges will serve 87 months in federal prison and resign from the bench and bar. They are expected to be sentenced in the next several months. Lawyers for both men declined to comment."

Declined to comment? I bet those lawyers are as disgusted as I am... 7 years, 3 months in jail. That's a start. Loose their pensions, too? Better. What else?

Do you smell that? You do? That's the smell of 5,000 lawsuits!

Now -- if you're an unschooling family, and you find yourself in front a juvie judge... well, make sure you have legal counsel!!

Islanders Suck! You're Suspended.

Tonight the Rangers play the Islanders. Certainly one of the best hockey rivalries around. Lot's of action: hits, fights, goals, penalties and attitude (why did we trade Avery?). These match ups never disappoint.

This morning on the way to work, my most (and only) favorite hockey song came on my iPod, as if it knew about tonight's game: Johnny Got Suspended, by the Zambonis.

Johnny is a Ranger fan, and he wears an "Islanders Suck!" t-shirt to school. His teacher sends him to the principal's office, who quickly suspends him and calls his mother. His mother is shamed and in a "state of disarray", but she also brings a message from his father: "Your father says he's proud, and the Rangers Rule!". Johnny Got Suspended for wearing an Islanders Suck t-shirt. Oh yes he did.

So what am I getting at? I remember school. Despite being a Rangers fan, I'm also an Islander's fan, and I'd (probably) never wear such a t-shirt. I was a HUGE Islanders fan when I was young. Winning four Stanley cups in a row helped! I wore an Islander's jersey to school all the time! I did not get into trouble. If I had worn an Islanders Suck t-shirt, I doubt I would have been suspended, but I probably would have been beaten up.

Despite all this, and my objections to standardized education, I still am nostalgic about things of this nature. Not the education, but the camaraderie, pranks and fun that can be had in school. I'm almost disappointed that I'll never be called to the principal's office to pick up my child for doing something daring and fun (that I'd be proud of) despite any rules, regulations and/or feelings that my son broke, hurt or bent.

I remember once in the fourth grade putting tacks on a substitute teacher's chair. I've never seen a fat lady move so fast. Her yelp alone was worth it! I was hero to my classmates and a pariah to substitutes. I'm sure my parents got a good laugh out of it, too. My dad got a good laugh when I reminded him of it recently.

And who wouldn't, really? I had to write a two page essay on why that was a bad idea. (the essay was a bad idea!) I got into further trouble by double-spacing my lines. But as I pointed out at the time, they didn't say it had to be single-spaced. That's how you piss off a principal! Good times.

Anyway, I don't think I'll have any of those proud moments. Aside from not going to school, my son is a Penguin fan.

Unschooling with 2 working parents

Lately, we've been playing a computer game called "Crazy Machines: The Wacky Contraption Game." It's a neat game in which you can either solve puzzles or experiment with gears, explosives, electricity, gravity, etc. The puzzles are goal-oriented contraptions with fixed elements, and you have to select objects from a given set that will satisfy the goal, e.g., using steam power to roast a sausage, launching nails from catapults to pop balloons, etc.

The puzzles in this game, and puzzles like Sudoku and crossword puzzles, fall into a set of mathematical problems known as "constraint satisfaction problems." The challenge is to find a solution that satisfies the limitations that define the problem space.

Everyone lives with constraints in their lives (time, physical, financial, legal, etc.), and we can either choose to view our constraints in a negative, limiting light, or we can seek out creative solutions that enable us to thrive within those constraints. And there's plenty of people out there working towards loosening their constraints or perhaps eliminating some altogether.

Here's an example: sometimes local homeschoolers grumble about having to submit quarterly and annual reports in our state. But an unschooling mom I know has turned it into a positive experience -- her almost grown children enjoy reading through their old reports and reminiscing about the things they did, places they went, all they learned, etc.

For my family, we could choose to sell our house and move to a place with a lower cost of living, which would loosen the financial constraints we have. We've discussed this possibility, and currently there are more pros than cons to staying put.

There's another constraint we are unwilling to loosen -- our commitment to unschooling. For us, we've been able to strike a balance -- my husband works full-time outside the home, and I work from home part-time for the same company I worked for pre-child. My son has had an amazing nanny the past few years who (along with her son) have greatly enriched his (and my) life. They are busy having fun while I can be heads-down for a few hours a day, yet still be available if they need me for anything. And the rest of the day, my son and I spend together doing whatever strikes our fancy. Sometimes I'm bothered by our inability to be truly spontaneous, but it's a passing feeling. Things have fallen into place so well for us that I am in no position to complain. Even if we were to move and I didn't "have to" work, I probably would still work a little, whether doing what I'm currently doing or trying something totally different -- it's a mental and interpersonal outlet that provides me with opportunities for learning and personal growth. And the financial benefits allow us to do things like provide ourselves with a fun and comfortable "nest," and travel to unschooling conferences :).

Sometimes on unschooling lists people ask about working and unschooling -- are they mutually exclusive? I don't think so. If we can open ourselves up to unschooling as the best path for our children, we can open ourselves up to finding creative solutions to our own "constraint satisfaction problems."

Hunting, Gathering and Unschooling

Next, a novel by Michael Crichton, dealing with genetic manipulation, gives some insight into schooling, and how it may actually prevent us modern humans from maturing. Read this excerpt:

... human beings now take longer to reach mental maturity — and many never do so at all.

Dr. Charlton believes this is an accidental by-product of formal education that lasts well into the twenties. "Formal education requires a child-like stance of receptivity," which "counteracts the attainment of psychological maturity" that would normally occur in the late teens or early twenties. He notes that "academics, teachers, scientists, and many other professionals are often strikingly immature."

Earlier human societies, such as hunter-gatherers, were more stable and thus adulthood was attained in the teen years. Now, however, with rapid social change and less reliance on physical strength, maturity is more often postponed...

Thus [Charlton] says, "in an important psychological sense, some modern people never actually become adults...

... he added that modern people "lack a profundity of character which seemed commoner in the past."

Hmmm.... so is he saying that school is holding us back? Does this explain why I love cartoons, video games and farting? Were Cro-mags and Neanderthals more mature than me? (no doubt!)

Actually, if I read into this way too much, George Bush's "No Child Left Behind" act is working! Everyone is a child. Sweet. Credit where credit is due.

Interestingly, while I write this, there's an interesting blog post on the times right now about whether or not rewarding children is helpful. (Not really, apparently). And now for executive pay...

Thus the late, respected, well-known author, Michael Crichton, was perhaps an unwitting advocate for unschoolers. Who knew?

Watch out for those dinosaurs.

Sawing Wood

How much wood can a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck chucks a lot of wood?
A lot, if it's got a Japanese saw.

All my life I always complained how it was a pain in the ass to use a hand saw. Pushing this thing through logs or boards, with the blade buckling despite the thickness meant to prevent it. Complain, complain, whine and complain, but of course, never thought about inventing a pull saw. Luckily, someone did it for me many, many moons ago.

A few years ago I took a wood working course in which my instructor introduced us to the Japanese-style pull saw. Yes -- PULL! This was frickin' amazing. What a wonderfully easy and user friendly way to saw wood. Why didn't I think of this before ... (ahem).

I now use that saw for everything! It's like cutting melted butter with a Ginsu.

But the main thing, between using a Japanese-style saw, and learning kung fu, is that I've begun looking at the world quite differently. It's akin to looking at an object and the shadow it casts, and then standing in the shadow and looking at the object and the light source. It puts everything in a brand new light (however dim, you are after all, in a shadow now).

The east tends to work with it, as opposed the west's fix it or get around it or pave over it attitude. Neither on their own complete the picture, but both philosophies together offer the world the best solutions possible.

I can't abide by people who always know what's best (including myself). Those people tend to stay out of the shadows and never look at the light. They can't possibly know what's best.

You can't tell me your grass ain't greener until you've seen it from the greener grass over there.

How do you know until you've tried?

SPAMOTICA

Ok, so you've all seen the spam:

• Enlarge your p e n 1 s
• Rolex watches
• prescription drugs from Canada

But this is new to me, in spam and content!

Now I want you to pay attention to the picture...

If you're trying to stop this sort of thing, wouldn't you think about dead and rotting puppies or something, rather than a nice pair of hooters? No wonder this guy needs help.

Just thought I'd share.
Peace, love and (woops, there it goes again, sorry honey, I tried to hold it back) ... cleavage.

PS: the best part of this spam? I'll be thinking about this guy's thoughts all day.
PPS: If you're looking for your own copy, the subject line was "Discover the Secret" from WWW news.