Question the Answers

Posted in Education PolicyDemEd in Real LifePhilosophy of EducationParenting on Dec 18, 2009 - 01:14 AM

Like many people, I have found fault with plenty of school textbooks. I remember pointing out an error in my Geometry text to my teacher, who smiled and said, "Whoops, looks like they missed that one." Well, an unfinished circle isn't such a big deal; anyone could have made that mistake.

Outright lies and misinformation, however, are another matter entirely. Why weren't we introduced to, say, theories about Shakespeare's true identity, or alternatives to vivisection? Neither of these were lies, of course, but the information we were instructed to memorize was presented as the be-all and end-all, without the possibility of another reality. Wouldn't school have been so much more interesting if we'd been given the opportunity to question so-called facts, ponder over so many gray areas, and really develop our thinking skills?

The most troubling part of my education--academically, that is--was the slow realization that much of the history I was taught was either partial or pure fantasy. From Washington to Lincoln, Christopher Columbus (especially!) to Paul Revere, and basically everything and everyone before, during, and after might as well have been fairy tales. Why call it history when you could have called it theater or storytelling class? History is so much darker, deeper, richer--full of the human experience and all of its imperfections. It's not a Marvel comic where good versus evil is usually so clean cut.

I was sure that there was absolutely no good reason to shelter high school students from the violence of our forefathers, the real heroes of our past (as well as the villains), and the gray areas of every battle, every protest, every event. The only reasons I could think of were sheer laziness, ignorance, or indoctrination. Of course, now I can see another reason that's very clear, though still not good: the following of the curriculum.

The thing is, this practice isn't only in schools. I've been voraciously devouring every book about homeschooling, unschooling, and alternative education I can get my hands on and have discovered that every orchard has its worms. So many of the books I'm checking out--which, by judging their covers, inside flaps, and synopses, were supposed to be secular--are turning out to be filled with religious propaganda and assumptions based on traditional schooling.

I have no problem with religious texts being published. I'm sure they're very handy for parents who wish to raise their children in a Christian setting. But I also think they should be up front about their purpose in the first place. So far, I've witnessed bias against transsexuality, blatant religious reasoning behind many policies or activities, sexism, and full-fledged support of replicating exact school systems at home for the sake of religious instruction within several books that had no indication that they were religious texts in the first place.

As we move through our homeschooling/unschooling journey, we must keep in mind that we are the first and foremost best resources on how to raise our own families. Though we may discover plenty of ideas, tips, and other advice in books, we should remember that these are just books, published by people who often have different opinions, experiences, and expectations than our own. The same goes for any blogs or other resources we run across; I've found some wonderful ideas on the blog of a Jewish homeschooling mom, for example, and I'm not, nor have I ever been, Jewish. Some of these books I speak of have even revealed a few good tips that I can use; some have been nothing but a waste of time.

I know that, like my high school text books, the resources I use are all subject to my own discretion. And if I weren't continually questioning my resources and readings in the first place, I sure wouldn't be the example my daughter needs to develop her own critical thinking skills either, would I?

Tags for this entry:
k-12 education, research, history, critical thinking and analysis, homeschooling and unschooling, questioning, early childhood, textbooks

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