| Americans have been undergoing a systematic | | | | being done for an exterior motivator only; the good |
| process of educational brainwashing. We have all | | | | of the school through the test scores. |
| been led to believe that we must give up our | | | | There is no limit to what can be learned |
| intellectual life to assembly line education. Formal | | | | independently. Teachers do not actually teach |
| education has become an industry that supports | | | | anything. The best ones use the natural novelty of a |
| textbook companies, test writers, psychiatrists, | | | | subject to motivate someone to learn. They can also |
| nutritionists, other aspects of the food industry, the | | | | tutor motivated students. But they cannot actually |
| legal profession, the police, the courts, all employees | | | | cause learning. The worst ones destroy all motivation |
| of the courts, municipalities through the fines | | | | to learn. Bad teaching may cause a child to become |
| collected by the courts, the training professions and | | | | so damaged that the child may come to believe that |
| many other things. | | | | learning is impossible. |
| I am reminded of the military industrial complex | | | | Independent learning's best friend is a good library |
| President Eisenhower warned us about so many | | | | Libraries contain everything needed to facilitate any |
| years ago. I now say to you beware of the | | | | kind of learning. One can locate texts, original |
| education industrial complex that impacts every | | | | sources, serious books on a subject, popular books |
| aspect of our children's existence. Schools now | | | | on a subject, magazines, dvds, videos and computer |
| outsource what used to be counseling, teaching and | | | | resources of all sorts. |
| discipline to the police and the courts. Whole | | | | Follow the question All learning evolves from a |
| industries, bodies of law and regulations are being built | | | | question. Each question leads to many other |
| on the backs of our children. Americans, indeed, have | | | | questions. Following the question leads to the entire |
| been convinced that on the education industrial | | | | world. Develop new questions as you answer other |
| complex can educate their children. | | | | questions. The process works like the internet. |
| Nothing could be further from the truth. The time has | | | | Questioning leads out into a web of learning the will |
| come to take back control of your own or your | | | | only stop when you want to stop. |
| child's educational development. Americans have | | | | Concentrate on the story Subject matter like history |
| bought into the propaganda that would have us all | | | | is best learned by focusing on the story. Dates are |
| believe that learning is hard. And, Americans have | | | | wonderful. But we remember facts in a context that |
| been trained to believe that the only people who can | | | | has meaning. A few years ago I saw the movie "The |
| teach kids are certified teachers; members of the | | | | Patriot". I can almost recite the story. I can also see |
| education industrial complex. On the contrary, learning | | | | the scenes, feel the emotions portrayed and quote |
| is natural, easy, and cannot be avoided. | | | | some of the lines. Facts out of context are almost |
| We are well and truly brainwashed. Eric Weiner tells a | | | | never retained. Facts in context presented in an |
| story in his brilliant book "The Geography of Bliss". | | | | entertaining way contained in a web of connections |
| The story concerns and experiment in which a dog | | | | are almost always retained. |
| was placed in a cage. First, One side of the cage was | | | | Concentrate on the practical use Recently I met a |
| set up to deliver an electric shock. The dog would | | | | young man who had failed algebra miserably. He could |
| then go to the other side of the cage where it found | | | | not make any sense of the use of equations. They |
| safety. Then the dog was put in a cage where he | | | | had no practical purpose in his mind. We started with |
| would be shocked by both ends of the cage. Weiner | | | | something very simple. I had him set up a simple |
| tells us that the dog was returned to the cage | | | | equation to determine how much a fence repair job |
| where he could not escape the shock but there was | | | | would cost. He had to determine how many boards |
| a low fence which provided escape to a completely | | | | would be used, how many nails would be used, and |
| safe cage. The poor dog did nothing. While there was | | | | calculated the cost of the job by setting up an |
| safety on the other side of the cage the dog could | | | | equation. At the end of the session he understood |
| not comprehend it. Americans, the most independent | | | | they why and how of equations. He had a practical |
| creative people on the planet, have accepted their | | | | use for Algebra. |
| educational fate and that of their children. | | | | Teachers can't actually teach anything, they can only |
| The safe ground of independent learning is over that | | | | coach Just forget the idea that anything is taught. |
| low fence. But we have been so brainwashed that | | | | You are the only one who can learn. Every individual |
| Americans have come to think that there is no hope | | | | now has the power to select the way he or she |
| so they stay in losing situtations and appallingly bad | | | | best learns. After thirty-six years I know that I |
| schools. | | | | never taught anyone anything. I did coach and tutor. |
| The time has come for a new "manifesto of | | | | But at best I was an information provider. When the |
| education against the education industrial complex." | | | | era of high stakes testing came into being I knew |
| And so we begin stating the Manifesto. | | | | the joy and fun of learning was over. The next step |
| Formal instruction is not the best way to learn. | | | | in my growth was the realization that no matter how |
| Children in school are held to the pace mandated by | | | | many notes I gave, how brilliant my lectures were |
| the school district whether they are ahead, behind, or | | | | (and were they ever brilliant), or how elegant my |
| right on track. The fact is that we learn best when | | | | lesson plans were I really didn't teach anyone |
| we are developmentally ready to learn. The child who | | | | anything. I realized that my best function was that of |
| learns to do long division at eight and the the child | | | | a coach, guide and tutor. |
| who learns long division at twelve are equally skilled | | | | The world is now the classroom In the not too |
| at the age of fifteen. But the one who learns at | | | | distant past there were few options to learn a new |
| twelve is often labeled learning disabled or slow. That | | | | skill. Now the options are almost limitless. The internet |
| label sticks with the kid. The kid even believes it. The | | | | brings the entire universe of knowledge into each and |
| label then defines the child instead of the actions of | | | | every home. Certainly, you won't learn to perform |
| the child providing the defining characteristics of the | | | | brain surgery from the internet. You learn that from |
| child. | | | | a coach. Formal settings still exist for information best |
| Age means nothing when it comes to learning. Never | | | | learned with a learning coach. Libraries are now |
| believe that there is a single right age to begin | | | | available free of charge in every community. And |
| learning any particular subject or skill. Nothing matters | | | | they are no longer your dad's library. They provide |
| less than if a skill is learned at ten or fifteen. The end | | | | films, cds, programs, computers, classes and a wealth |
| result is the same. But there are children who need | | | | of other resources. New and used bookstores, eBay |
| to start later at something than they could if they | | | | and stores such as Amazon provide access to |
| were in school. Nothing is wrong with them. But, the | | | | anything ever published. And digital projects like |
| education industrial complex will tell them something is | | | | Project Gutenberg provide rare resources that are |
| wrong with them. They will receive the latest label so | | | | difficult to acquire anywhere else. Then there are |
| the school can get a bit more money for that | | | | natural areas like parks, refuges, historical displays and |
| category. | | | | many other things. Yes, the whole world is now the |
| School often destroys the most creative and | | | | classroom. |
| effective people; both teachers and students. | | | | The learning singularity is here now. A singularity |
| We are in the era of the standardized, high pressure | | | | occurs when many different pathways converge on |
| test. Even the most brilliant teachers are told exactly | | | | one point. The pathways to learning any discipline or |
| how to teach, when to teach, and how to teach. | | | | skill represent a spider's web. The center of the web |
| There is no room for creative teaching techniques | | | | is that which you want to learn. The strands |
| because of the pervasive belief that you can force | | | | represent the myriad paths one can use to reach the |
| feed all children the same educational diet at the | | | | singularity which is where and what you learn. Now, I |
| same time. Children are excruciatingly bored because | | | | think I will travel this strand right here. |
| the work is invariably simplistic, unreasonable, and is | | | | |