#30
Yesterday's Nice Thing: Cooking pasta over an open fire
I am bone tired. Never ever dancing again during school weeks. Never.
I also need to start reading fiction again. It has been ages. I do so much of research for the main lessons and reading fiction is impossible. I fall asleep after three minutes, sometimes less, in bed.
It was funny yesterday, I told the class we were doing Forest School no matter what and they did enjoy themselves. Some children aren't used to being outdoors and so its hard for them. But it is important they learn that you can do things which are truly fun, enjoy the company of each other, cook things over fires, simple things.
I am amazed at the heat you get off an open fire. We made pasta in a pot with some passata. Next week we are going to have a pita pizza... see they ARE learning new things, I tell myself. For a start that you can put a pot on an open fire.
I got up late today, or I came to the writing late today - because it was so hard to get out of bed - not harder than usual, but for some reason it felt so hard. Right now there is a deep struggle between the dysfunctional but fully operational system...
for instance, I was telling someone about the way history is taught - it is honestly so deceptive. It is like they are trying to kid themselves. What is the entire purpose of not teaching content? It is to avoid talking about the giant elephant in the room - the dreadful history of the monarchy and colonisation. It is amazing what people will do to live the comfortable lie. So they say, we will teach SKILLS and these SKILLS can fit any content. So the content they teach is the following: WWI and WWII, the Vikings, Ancient Egypt .... to PRIMARY SCHOOL children in no particular order. I am not making this up. As a result history is deeply fractured - how can anyone have any analytical skills with these, I have no idea.
And what's more, to me it is patently obvious, is it not, that very small children cannot do history or analysis. But they do understand the narrative and the value of the narrative, which you give them by doing STORIES. And they are given the entire span of world mythology so they can see similarities in huge mythic systems. So they are doing narrative in that manner - and analysis. But in a very subtle way. Not in an obvious I am an adult leading you kinda way.
There is never that relationship to the student in our class. The class teacher stands there as an example of authority - not as the authority. We are there for something which the children aspire to - and we do this by behaving in an upright manner - not by behaving as dictators.
Anyhow, it is time for me to time out. I am sorry I didn't appear sooner. It is tough at this time of the year - and you know what, I am doing ok. Yesterday I did research on Brunelleschi and Humanism. I do feel very inspired by them - by those which believed, truly believed another world was better. that human beings could fulfill every potential within them and gave people the opportunity to do this as well.
Hey you know what, achievement - I have managed to write every single day in my blog this year... well almost. I did it. I saw these writer's block cards and they were to help people fill pages of journals - I never have any problem doing this. I have never any problem writing things - like I said, it is a neurosis. It also makes me think, I am on the right track. So here is to 30 days of being on a right track.
I am bone tired. Never ever dancing again during school weeks. Never.
I also need to start reading fiction again. It has been ages. I do so much of research for the main lessons and reading fiction is impossible. I fall asleep after three minutes, sometimes less, in bed.
It was funny yesterday, I told the class we were doing Forest School no matter what and they did enjoy themselves. Some children aren't used to being outdoors and so its hard for them. But it is important they learn that you can do things which are truly fun, enjoy the company of each other, cook things over fires, simple things.
I am amazed at the heat you get off an open fire. We made pasta in a pot with some passata. Next week we are going to have a pita pizza... see they ARE learning new things, I tell myself. For a start that you can put a pot on an open fire.
I got up late today, or I came to the writing late today - because it was so hard to get out of bed - not harder than usual, but for some reason it felt so hard. Right now there is a deep struggle between the dysfunctional but fully operational system...
for instance, I was telling someone about the way history is taught - it is honestly so deceptive. It is like they are trying to kid themselves. What is the entire purpose of not teaching content? It is to avoid talking about the giant elephant in the room - the dreadful history of the monarchy and colonisation. It is amazing what people will do to live the comfortable lie. So they say, we will teach SKILLS and these SKILLS can fit any content. So the content they teach is the following: WWI and WWII, the Vikings, Ancient Egypt .... to PRIMARY SCHOOL children in no particular order. I am not making this up. As a result history is deeply fractured - how can anyone have any analytical skills with these, I have no idea.
And what's more, to me it is patently obvious, is it not, that very small children cannot do history or analysis. But they do understand the narrative and the value of the narrative, which you give them by doing STORIES. And they are given the entire span of world mythology so they can see similarities in huge mythic systems. So they are doing narrative in that manner - and analysis. But in a very subtle way. Not in an obvious I am an adult leading you kinda way.
There is never that relationship to the student in our class. The class teacher stands there as an example of authority - not as the authority. We are there for something which the children aspire to - and we do this by behaving in an upright manner - not by behaving as dictators.
Anyhow, it is time for me to time out. I am sorry I didn't appear sooner. It is tough at this time of the year - and you know what, I am doing ok. Yesterday I did research on Brunelleschi and Humanism. I do feel very inspired by them - by those which believed, truly believed another world was better. that human beings could fulfill every potential within them and gave people the opportunity to do this as well.
Hey you know what, achievement - I have managed to write every single day in my blog this year... well almost. I did it. I saw these writer's block cards and they were to help people fill pages of journals - I never have any problem doing this. I have never any problem writing things - like I said, it is a neurosis. It also makes me think, I am on the right track. So here is to 30 days of being on a right track.
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