Some Quickie Stuff
Here are some posts that have caught my eye lately:
Ka-Ching: DC Schools Want to Show Kids the Money - An interesting post over at The More Child about how DC Schools are planning on paying kids up to $100/month for good behavior. I remember not being happy when my parents started paying my brother for his As and Bs because they had never offered to pay me. I think I did manage to guilt them into at least paying me for my As (which I got easily). There is so much that strikes me wrong about this concept, but just check out Alfie Kohn (who I got to see in person a year or two ago) to see it all laid out well. I am definitely not adverse to a little bit of bribery to get some short-term cooperation, but the idea of this as a long term solution strikes me as a little, well, misguided.
Right at Home in School: Homeschooling Gets an A from Some Jews - Features interviews with a couple of VaHomeschoolers members. A very nice article that portrays homeschooling and its flexibility quite nicely. Talks about activities available, flexibility in approaches as well as opportunities for moving on to college.
Mismeasuring Intelligence and Learning - Steph has a great post up over at Life Without School about the limits of standardized testing. She talks about how "the way society tests and evaluates, rather than just being a reflection of prevailing theories of intelligence and learning, shapes our notions of what intelligence is. This is a dangerous trap." We choose to use standardized testing each year to satisfy Virginia's "evidence of progress" requirement. However, I have to say that after six years, testing has yet to tell me anything about my kids that I did not already know nor has it ever been a good reflection of what my kids have learned.
And also, a delayed thanks to Rae and PisecoMom for nominating me for the Brillante Weblog Award. You guys are too sweet and I am sorry it took so long for me to mention it! I am supposed to nominate other blogs, but I am terrible at singling out my favorites (not to mention I am so far behind the curve that many of my favorites have already been nominated!)
