Living Alternatively = Living Dangerously?

An interesting case has been in the news lately about an Arkansas family who had their 7 children placed in state custody over concerns from neighbors and from the state.

Now, I don't know much about this situation, and they may very well need to have their children in state protection.

...BUT....

It's also possible that choosing an alternative lifestyle, that is not understood or approved of by mainstream culture, is a dangerous way to live, and will bring you into the scrutiny of the law.

None of the following examples pertain to the story, but are thoughts and concerns I've had as I've read and wondered about various aspects of Alternative Living for myself.



- IF you decide to have your babies at home, rather than in a hospital, COULD you be accused of endangering your child, or failing to provide necessary medical care?

- IF you decide to use alternative health measures such as herbs, vitamins, prayer, or whatever, or refuse a certain treatment, or seek a second opinion, COULD you be accused of medical neglect?

- IF you decide to raise your children religiously, COULD you be accused of teaching them intolerance/prejudice/inequality?

- IF you decide to homeschool your children, COULD you be accused of neglecting their education?

- IF you have a family farm, garden, or homestead....or IF you have your children help with vehicle maintenance, home repair, etc. COULD you be accused of violating child labor laws?

- IF you grow, can, ferment, dehydrate, and prepare a significant amount of your own food, or drink your own raw milk, or make your own raw yogurt and cheese, or if you butcher your own animals for food, COULD you be accused of exposing your child to an "unsafe" food supply?

- IF you practice living off the grid and securing your own water and electricity, or if you build your home and/or outbuildings out of alternative materials such as tires or cob, COULD you be accused of allowing your children in an "unsafe" environment because they aren't up to code?

- IF you have compost worms under your sink, or grow meal bugs for your chickens, or use your own compost or even humanure on your plants, COULD you be accused of having your children live in a dirty environment?

- IF you allow your children to play outside without your supervision, COULD you be accused of neglect?

- IF you decide to teach your children how to handle a firearm, COULD you be accused of child endangerment?

- IF you discipline your children through spanking, COULD you be accused of child abuse?



My point is that really, if it's not what everyone is doing, if you decide to live in a different manner than the norm, (regardless of the actual or perceived risk involved) you are essentially painting a target on your back, especially if you have children. Even if you've evaluated the risks and feel that you are living your alternative lifestyle in a safe and responsible way, you have no control over how your neighbors and law enforcement will view your decision.

And that is a dangerous way to live. 

Kindergarten Standards for the Common Core

I read an article this morning, talking about the Kindergarten Common Core Standards. The authors have concerns that they may not developmentally appropriate for some children. This is particularly the case with learning to read. They have concerns that the high stake testing environment and requirements will be detrimental to those who aren't yet ready.

I understand the need and desire to have common standards educationally. I can understand how it would make things more consistent and reliable (and easy for those who transfer between states). However, it seems that it is practically impossible to implement such standards without a large amount of testing and oversight that is not beneficial to the learning process itself.

Also, while I can appreciate the philosophy that there are some things that everybody needs to know, I'm not sure I buy into it 100%. If we are all trained to think the same, where will our future innovation come from?

I was in High School when the No Child Left Behind program went into effect. Our high school was probably one that was not quite up-to-par with where the powers that be thought we should have been. As a student, I could feel the immense pressure from the teachers on our need as students to perform well on these tests, probably under the threat of our school being on probation or whatever. Immediately the rate of testing and practice testing increased substantially. It was an interesting effect to say the least. Personally, I didn't mind as I somewhat enjoy bubble testing, but I don't believe this was the case for most of my peers.

I can only imagine the structural changes that would have had to have taken effect with even more stringent Common Core requirements in place. I don't believe that type of testing and pressure should be taking place for 5 and 6 year old children.

In regards to the particular standard that Kindergarteners be required to read, I feel it's unnecessary. Of course they should be practicing and learning at whatever rate they are comfortable with. I'm not saying we hide all the alphabet letters away in the closet or anything. But reading is such an important part of learning, and I believe it should be pursued in an enjoyable way, not as a dreaded task. Kids who are willing to read voluntarily will do better later on than those who were forced to acquire the skill when they weren't ready because of a set of misguided standards that may not be developmentally appropriate.

I'm currently working my way through The Read Aloud Handbook, by Jim Trelease. I love his approach. If there was more reading aloud to Kindergarten children, they would experience more of the love and joy and FUN! that comes through reading, and desire to learn for themselves. More so than comes from doing worksheets anyway.

Anyway, it is a concern of mine. Of course I would be thrilled if my 5yoS met the reading standards by the end of Kindergarten. Of course we work on sounds and letters. We're even doing reading lessons, because he was interested in it. But I'm not going to bust both of our butts and smother his love of books in the process just because some bureaucrat sees children as commodities rather than individuals. 

Here's a video on the topic:

Anyway, I'm a firm believer that, for my kids at least, it's better to take a break and come back to a topic if they're just not ready to learn it. This is actually our third attempt at starting this set of reading lessons. If I had persisted when he wasn't ready for some of the tasks (specifically the ability to rhyme) I'm certain he would have hated the process immensely.

Unfortunately, when you're a teacher with 30 kids, you don't really have the option to do this with your classroom. Things need to be taught on a certain date, and that's really just the way it is.

As a side note, I remember this causing me some duress in 3rd grade when I wasn't quite ready to learn my multiplication tables but was required to anyway. I was under a lot of psychological stress at the time, as I had just moved into a new family. To this day, I still don't multiply well, and I'm sure it's probably because I only did what I had to to get by for the tests. Also you can imagine how this one experience made math more difficult for me for the rest of my education. I'm not sure if it would have made a difference to have taken a break from the multiplication tables and came back to it in a month or two, but perhaps it would have been beneficial to at least give it a try.

Back to Work!

It's a New Year, a new semester, and for my Sexy Man, a new job. He was required to take on an internship for his degree, and he was lucky enough to find one that is paid.

Last semester he worked locally as a handyman fixing up a house for a prospective flipper...you know, someone who is hoping to flip a house. It was local, which was super nice because he was able to come home and have lunch with us. This job is NOT local. He has a bit of a commute, but we're hoping to make the best of it by recording his textbooks so he can "study" while he drives.

We're also planning on sending meals to help curb the fast food bills.

I got this beautiful piece of equipment for Christmas one year....or was it my birthday?? Anyway, it is fabulous for making freezer meals.

Today I packaged 6 Sweet Chili Chicken meals consisting of rice, chicken, and stir fry veggies topped off with sweet chili sauce. I also made 5 packs of fried rice. It was a simple recipe with just ham, scrambled eggs, rice, and garlic with soy sauce.

Anyway, I'm pretty excited to be able to send him off with homemade healthy(ish) meals and snacks for his work day. Here's to hoping this job is a good one!

On Learning

On my Facebook feed, I saw a link to a short video that talks about curiosity and science. Curiosity feeds scientific exploration, yet the way science (as a subject) is sometimes taught tends to kill that vital element.

Here it is, short and sweet:

 

It reminds me of a classic TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson. He talks about creativity rather than curiosity, but he makes the same assertion that the educational system has the capability to kill it as well.

Whether or not I decide to homeschool or to take advantage of the public school system, curiosity and creativity are vital qualities in my children that I want nurtured. I do not want them to lose these capabilities because I believe that any meaningful and long-term learning will come through curiosity and interest in the subject. I also believe that the problems of the future will require more creativity than memorization.

I believe keeping this alive in my children may be more difficult (but not impossible) in the public school system, and that if that is the decision we make, it will take more effort and involvement to prevent the loss of these important abilities.