Children and Death

[talktooloose]

For those of you who don't know, Cecilia Zhang was a nine year old girl who disappeared in October, taken from her home. In the first days, it was assumed there would be ransom demands and that she had a good chance of returning alive. But she never reappeared and they found her remains last weekend in a ravine in suburban Toronto.

Snake was supply teaching grade twos on Monday, the first school day after the discovery of Cecilia's body. The excellent principal at the school (one of Snake's favourites) made a serious, no-nonsense announcement about her death in the morning and the children were all very interested and full of questions.

More than any other school activity, Snake loves reading stories to children and has amassed a library of picture books which are both well written and stunningingly illustrated. He does not believe in modern movements which rob children of great literature, including sometimes dark works by the Grimms and others, in favour of illiterate pablum written primarily as propoganda and secondarily as literature. He calls these latter books "Johnny walking down the street in his baseball cap" books because they mostly share the patronizing assumption that children can only relate if the hero of the book exactly resembles them, down to his Gap Kids t-shirts.

Following the announcement of Cecilia's death, he wondered if he should go ahead with his book choice of the day -- Hansel and Gretel -- but in the end decided to read it. The story, about all kinds of adult inhumanity to children, features a brother and sister who, through their bravery, defend themselves against evil. I think he's probably right that this is a good message for the children to hear. Far better than the message they get in these over-shepherded times: you are always in danger! Trust no-one! Live in fear!

Comments

[rfmcdpei.livejournal.com]

I agree entirely, FYI.

[corduroyarmy.livejournal.com]

Seriously, man.
They should be teaching wild abandon in schools, the world would be a cooler place.

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I don't agree with that. Wild abandon? Kids know how to do that. But can they learn to harness the energy of boundless imaginations and build a better world with that energy? School is a potentially positive place for socialization and a good forum for learning about some aspects of the world. It is a place where we can develop good learning and work habits and an excellent place for laying the groundwork of what it means to be a good, questioning, responsible citizen.

Trouble is, school so rarely lives up to these ideals that it is virtually useless. Warehousing, babysitting and policing children for 13 years is a criminal waste of potential. But school reform cannot exist except in a context of societal reform. In real communities, there is a caring network, safe places for play and then chances for kids to volunteer and apprentice with adults who are concerned about their development. Ahh, utopia.

I've done a lot of reading on unschooling and the chance to bring up a kid according to these ideals almost tempts me to adopt one.

[corduroyarmy.livejournal.com]

Really? That would be quite the experience.
I'm hardly being flippant at all when I say that they should teach wild abandon- I think taking risks should be encouraged, and not safe risks (not safe as in danger, but rather risks with repercussions). We've grown into a generation of bean counters and couch sitters, and have made a world where there is tons of adventure and not enough adventurers.

madeup word

[briseur.livejournal.com]

> school reform cannot exist except in a context of societal reform.

You meant social reform. When you use words like societal, people think you are an illiterate liberal.
-the Grammar Fascist

Re: madeup word

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

You mean an "illiberal?"

Brutal.

__________________

And...

I forget to give Sam zarabell's underwear and your Burlington map when he was at my place. Damn.

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Assuming that your "really" refers to adopting and raising, yeah it would. I don't think it'll happen, but maybe the puppy's just a warm-up.

I read a book at 34 which I wish I had read at 16. It's called The Teenage Liberation Handbook, by Grace Llewellyn, subtitled "How to Drop Out of School and Get a Real Education". This book had a profound effect on a lot of my thinking about institutions and society. Did you know that Tolstoy was an advocate of "unschooling" and ran a free school in Russia where nothing was mandatory?