(Anti?) Education Quotes

I have begun to notice that the stores are gearing up for the start of school. With that in mind, I thought it would be a good time to re-read some old familiar quotes:


It is... nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom; without this it goes to wreak and ruin. It is a very grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching can be promoted by means of coercion and a sense of duty. ~Albert Einstein

I was happy as a child with my toys in my nursery. I have been happier every year since I became a man. But this interlude of school makes a somber grey patch upon the chart of my journey. It was an unending spell of worries that did not then seem petty, and of toil uncheered by fruition; a time of discomfort, restriction and purposeless monotony.
~Winston Churchill

Schools have not necessarily much to do with education... they are mainly institutions of control, where basic habits must be inculcated in the young. Education is quite different and has little place in school.
~ Winston Churchill

Meanwhile, education--compulsory schooling, compulsory learning--is a tyranny and a crime against the human mind and spirit.Let all those escape it who can, any way they can.
~John Holt Instead of Education

Schools and schooling are increasingly irrelevant to the great enterprises of the planet. No one believes any more that scientists are trained in science classes or politicians in civics classes or poets in English classes. The truth is that schools don't really teach anything except how to obey orders.
~John Taylor Gatto

My schooling not only failed to teach me what it professed to be teaching, but prevented me from being educated to an extent which infuriates me when I think of all I might have learned at home by myself.
~George Bernard Shaw

My grandmother wanted me to have an education, so she kept me out of school.
~Margaret Mead

Men are born ignorant, not stupid; they are made stupid by education.
~Bertrand Russell

The purpose of Compulsory Education is to deprive the common people of their commonsense.
~G.K. Chesterton, 1929

I'm sure the reason such young nitwits are produced in our schools is because they have no contact with anything of any use in everyday life.
~Petronius (d. circa 66 CE) The Satyricon.

A tax supported, compulsory educational system is the complete model of the totalitarian state.
~ Isabel Paterson

The education of all children, from the moment that they can get along without a mother's care, shall be in state institutions at state expense.
~ Karl Marx, "The Communist Manifesto"

Unconscious Mutterings

I seem to have little time to post anything worthy lately......but I always have time for mindless fun!

1. Intimated :: announced
2. Brush :: off
3. Masquerade :: ball
4. Procedure :: medical
5. Tattoos :: cool
6. Square :: knot
7. Tuck :: nip?
8. Boyfriend :: girlfriend
9. Badass :: badlands?
10. Thousand :: million

Want to have some mindless fun? Unconscious mutterings

Nightline

A child, like all other human beings, has inalienable rights.
~Lucretia Mott~

In case anyone missed Nightline tonight, or if you don't watch Nightline, this is one that needs to be seen: How To Buy A Child In 10 Hours.

It's very sad to see how children are still treated around the world. My 13 year old watched this with me and was shocked. She asked how come the children had no say in what was happening to them. I didn't know how to answer that. Because people don't care? Because poverty can be so overwhelming people can't see the big picture? Because children have no value in these environments?

There is so much talk about Parental Rights in the US right now. I know many people are against the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. But how can one be against allowing these children some rights? Do these parents have a right to sell or give away their children to be abused and used as slaves? I don't' think so.

I'd like to know what everyone else thinks.

I am so glad I allow my children to have rights and to have a say about what happens in their lives.

Children do not constitute anyone's property: they are neither the property of their parents nor even of society. They belong only to their own future freedom.
~Mikhail Bakunin~

I Think I Need To Move....

......to where it is perpetually summer. I'm having so much fun enjoying my summer, I only have time to post stupid quizzes to my blog : ) You Belong in Summer

Energetic, creative, and very curious about the world... You're not going to let anything hold you back, especially a cold day. Whether you're chilling out at the beach or partying all night, you live for the warm weather.

What Season Are You?

I Didn't Need A Quiz To Tell Me This.......

You Are a Summer Person

You are energetic, outgoing, and active. You love to be out and about... hanging out with friends or getting things done. Summer is the perfect time for you to be as hyper as you want to be. In fact, during the rest of the year you feel half-asleep!

Are You a Winter Person or a Summer Person?

The only part I might disagree with is the energetic and outgoing part. My favorite summer activity is lying in a lounge chair lake or poolside. Not sure that requires any energy or outgoing-ness : )

It's That Time Again!

Get your mutterings on:

1. Notification :: Letter
2. Cheat :: Openly
3. Top Ten :: List
4. Draft :: Notice
5. Unbelievable :: Weight Loss
6. Cheap :: Thrifty
7. Spontaneous :: Combustion
8. Harass :: Provoke
9. Lipstick :: Dipstick?
10. Transpire :: Perspire?

I tried to do this early today.....maybe I should let my brain wake up first next time!

Want to try? Unconscious Mutterings

Don't Blink!

I was thinking again today about the passage of time. I was thinking back to when my 2nd daughter was born. Boy was that tough. My oldest was just two, and I had a newborn. That first year seems like a whirlwind. I remember just trying to make it through each day. A nursing baby and a busy toddler who never slept. I couldn't wait to go to bed at night.

We watched some old home movies a few weeks back. Darn if my kids weren't so darn cute! I do remember thinking how cute they were at the time, but it was always a fleeting thought as mindless tasks would begin to fill my mind instead: They need their diapers changed, they never ate lunch, Carley shouldn't watch so much Barney, Catherine needs to nurse, AGAIN! It seems there was always something I had to do FOR them. I didn't spend enough time just being WITH them. I mean I was with them all day, everyday, but I wasn't really present. I was in survival mode. I'm sorry about that now.

My girls are now 11 and 13 and I am enjoying the heck out of them. I know to a lot of people this is a horrible age, especially for girls. But I think this is why I am enjoying it so much. I was just like them. Their little snarky comments, the rolling of their eyes, the look that I must just be so dense, how could they have a mom like me? They make me laugh. Plus, as their bodies change, and they become more like me (a woman instead of a girl) we have more in common and more to talk about. I can try to share some wisdom in those rare moments when they actually want to listen to me. I really feel like I am PRESENT with them at this time. I like to go places with them and I like to do things with them. I am relishing these moments because I know they will be gone in the blink of an eye. Just like when they were 2 and 4 and I was so wishing they would just get a little older, a little faster, so my life would be a little easier. Well they did get older, and it came a lot faster than I expected. All of a sudden my little toddlers have become bright, beautiful young women.

I look forward to watching the future unfold for them. I wait in anticipation to see what they choose to do with their lives. But I don't wish for it to come too quickly. I want to stretch out this time with my girls as long as I can. It is time I will never get back, so I better not miss it.

A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future.

~Author Unknown~

RANT!

I need to rant. It won't be pretty, call me what you will.

I just got home from the grocery store. Before I begin, let me tell you we have many shopping options in our town for groceries. There are 2 major grocery chains which focus just on groceries. Jewel and Dominick's. Jewel is owned by SuperValu (used to be Albertson's) and Dominick's is owned by Safeway. Then we have Wal-Mart, Target, and a fairly new local grocer, Joseph's, whose main focus is on ethnic foods, fresh produce and deli. They have pretty good prices on most things.

I was at Jewel. I have done my research and Jewel is tied with Dominick's as having the highest prices around. I try to shop at Wal-Mart for most of my groceries, they are by far the cheapest. But I just can't get everything I want at Wal-Mart, particularly "Jewel Chef's Kitchen" frozen pizza. My youngest DD's favorite kind. So I had to go to Jewel today because I needed to get more frozen pizza's.

As I was checking out, a Hispanic man came in line behind me. He had food stamps or whatever it is they call it nowadays. He was buying cereal, milk, juice, bread and some meat. All of which I know is almost 1/2 the price at Wal-Mart vs. Jewel. Then he had a 12 pack of beer he was paying cash for. Too poor for groceries but we have money for beer? He left the store behind me and I saw him get into a very nice, fairly new model, Ford Taurus. He wasn't old, probably in his twenties.

So now to the rant: First, as I watched this man, who looked very able bodied (and could very well be working for somebody "off the books") paying for his groceries with food stamp money, I began to wonder why he was on them in the first place. He probably could have paid for everything except maybe the meat with the money he used for the beer. It enrages me to realize how I now need to keep close track of what I can spend at the store, and have begun to forgo things as food prices have risen. And yet, this man was getting his food for free off my dime. Off your dime too. And the kicker was he didn't even have the sense to go to the cheapest store in town so his free money could stretch farther. I guess when you are living off someone else's dime you don't need to worry about stretching your money further. You'll be getting another check next month.

I don't even want to get started on the fact that he could be here illegally.

I am disgusted by what we let go on in this country.

I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.

~ Ben Franklin~

Another Quiz!

These quizzes are amazing, lol, who knew answering just a few questions could completely determine who you are?

Actually, they are pretty close!

You Are An ISFJ

The Nurturer You have a strong need to belong, and you are very loyal. A good listener, you excel at helping others in practical ways. In your spare time, you enjoy engaging your senses through art, cooking, and music. You find it easy to be devoted to one person, who you do special things for. In love, you express your emotions through actions. Taking care of someone is how you love them. And you do it well! At work, you do well in a structured environment. You complete tasks well and on time. You would make a good interior designer, chef, or child psychologist. How you see yourself: Competent, dependable, and detail oriented When other people don't get you, they see you as: Boring, dominant, and stuck in a rut

What's" Your Personality Type?

Who Knew?

I'm a Dodge Viper!

You're all about raw power. You're tough, you're loud, and you don't take crap from anyone. Leave finesse to the other cars, the ones eating your dust.

Who knew a little quiz about cars could describe me so well? : )

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.