Copasetic Flow

The book is  well organized, well researched, and a quick read... if you already believe in the argument: At least 30% of the value of school (if not far more) is in signalling that you are intelligent, can work hard, and can conform. If you too have already arrived at that conclusion as many unschooling parents have, this book holds two values.  One, to act as a balm for your battered alternative education soul.  Two, to provide statistical research to argue your alternative education views. Sadly, the chances of the book spurring real change in our world, which I strongly believe it should are small.  We would all benefit greatly from changing education to be less about signalling.  However, trusting our fellow citizens to go along rather than take the chance to signal louder is a hard risk to take.  I'll point out one of my own college classes as an anecdotal example.  One professor offered a linear curve which when extended to a highest gr...

An excellent thought-provoking book that's fun to look at and to hold. Yes, I'll steal the size of this book for my homeschool travel book, and well, that was one of the points! Austin Kleon who serendipitously came to live in Austin, TX wrote this book of http://austinkleon.com/steal/ missives on how to best experience being creative. The book covers more of the how than the what I'd say. Some of the advice Austin offers filtered through my reading: 1. Think of your heros' lives, not just their creative input. Let their lives inform yours. 2. Dress for the job you want. Keep being a kid, keep pretending. 3. Get bigger pockets if you need to but keep a journal(s) on you at all times. 4. Who influenced the people who influence you? 4.a. Who does influence you anyway? 5. Don't worry about your ideas being stolen. 6. Everything that needs to be said has been, but no one listened. 6.a. Say it again. 6.b. Say it your way. 7. Write not what you know, but what...

Number 3, our 1 year old, looked up at me, her eyebrows arched in shock and sadness, then she curled up into a ball and sobbed. We'd been joking around about the current political farce, excuse me, 'election season', and I'd said something to the effect of "...pssht kissing babies... No More Kissing Babies..."  Number 3 had been playing happily at my feet throughout the conversation, and also, unbeknownst to me: listening. I tried to tell her that I was talking about something else, and that I hadn't meant it with regard to her.  She was inconsolable.  Finally, I picked her up, and gave her a smooch, and said, "See babies still get smooches!"  She immediately calmed down, climbed off my lap, and went back to playing.   For months I've known she understands almost all of what we say on a day to day basis.  A few weeks after she started to walk, I handed her a piece of paper towel, and asked her to put it in the compost bag in the ...