I do believe that this is what many of us educators, through the creation and engagement with our PLNs are doing, whether we recognize it or not.
"The school system today performs the threefold function common to powerful churches throughout history." Illich
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Illich is critical of both traditional schools and progressive schools. While he recognizes the schools of Dewey as being better than their more conservative counterparts they are still schools and still teach the main hidden curriculum that school teaches regarding consumption and caste.
"Only disenchantment with and detachment from the central social ritual and reform of that ritual can bring about radical change." Illichanderscj
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I suspect this is true, but I am not ready to completely write off school. I still think there are things school settings can teach or rather can foster the learning of or prompt the learning of that are necessary for people. I am growing more and more suspect that this needs to be obligatory or that schooling, at least as we know and understand it, is what is best for the underprivileged and poor. It is rich and meaningful experiences and access to networks that separate the privileged and underprivileged in our society in regard to quality and level effect of education.
Herein lies the Educator's Dilemma and explains why it is hard for teachers to view their profession as anything but honorable. It is why we see such bias in formal education toward categorical thinking and concrete-sequential learning. It is what makes it hard for many teachers to see the world any other way than how they see it. The system has always reinforced their way of thinking, their way of doing, their way of understanding therefore their way must be the right way and good students must also learn in this way. This is exactly why I see fault with the statement I often hear well-meaning teachers say, "We need to teach students how to learn."
The Myth of Measurement of Values: "People who have been schooled down to size let unmeasured experience slip out of their hands." Illichanderscj
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"Consumer-pupils are taught to make their desires conform to marketable values." Illichanderscj
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"School either keeps people for life or makes sure that they will fit into some institution." Illichanderscj
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"The discovery that most learning requires no teaching can be neither manipulated nor planned." Illichanderscj
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"@anderscj: "The discovery that most learning requires no teaching can be neither manipulated nor planned." Illich"
Mariana Ludmila
Yaquesita
"Each of us is responsible for his or her own deschooling, and we have the power to do it." Illichanderscj
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This to me is a critical point that I think most Unschooling parents either don't get or misinterpret. It also presents us with somewhat of a paradox. Illich lays the act of deschooling not on the parent but the learner. We have to do this for ourselves, it cannot be "manipulated" or done for us or for our own befit. In fact, since society is so entrenched with schooling and credentialed schooling is necessary for so much in this world it is, in my opinion, irresponsible to not school your child (be it homeschool, public school, private school, charter school, online school, etc.). The child cannot act on their own behalf to deschool themselves when the parent makes that decision for them.
However, if enough teachers, administrators, parents, & lawmakers deschool themselves our schools have a chance of becoming environments of real learning.
Sounds like the high school I went to.
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