Episode 66: Dumbing Us Down - Part 4 - Chapter 3
This is our fourth book club episode of the provocative and inspiring book by J.T. Gatto, Dumbing Us Down. We discuss the author’s life experiences and how they influenced him, as well as his early teaching experiences. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question, “What are your favorite charities?”
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Show Notes
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Scoop on the Coop
Mandi injured herself with a scalpel when dissecting a pig heart, a fitting organic learning experience when studying the human body! Jessica gives an update on her daughter’s writing progress. She is writing a chapter book and is ready to work with a close adult friend and writer for editing her book. Mentoring by experienced friends in a passion that your child and friend share is truly the organic learning experience that brings us so much joy.
Dumbing Us Down
Chapter 3:
John Taylor Gatto grew up with autonomy to make his own choices and observe to his heart’s content. He learned about work by being allowed responsibility and viewed adults as his laboratory to explore his curiosities. If this type of free rein interests you, check out Ben Hewitt’s book, Home Grown: Adventures in Parenting off the Beaten Path, Unschooling, and Reconnecting with the Natural World.
His experiences as a child as well as being a substitute teacher and a young teacher gave him the learning experiences he needed to become an out-of-the-box thinker. We get to discuss those unique experiences and see how he actually assigned students to go away from school for a day to develop their passions and interests.
It seems for Gatto, the best childhood learning experiences were experimenting and learning from adults with free rein and autonomy. Many educators, including homeschoolers, consider these experiences “extra” or “enrichment,” but not necessary. We dive into that idea in this article, The Real Curriculum is the Extra Stuff.
Other tidbits he shared:
Students assigned to a level are sometimes stuck at that level
Substitute teachers and new or young teachers often do not have a strong voice with administration
One adult can make a big impact in a child’s life trajectory - good or bad
Coop Q & A
What are your favorite charities?
Operation Christmas Child (Samaritan’s Purse)
Tips for Picking a Charity
Check the messaging to see if it fits you (or your group).
Credibility matters! There are websites that evaluate all the charities. Look for high scores and good reviews.
Let your child research a few charities to see which ones pique his interest. (Some charities, like human trafficking ones, might be beyond your child’s development.)
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