Freedomain Radio

My condolences on your grandfather's passing, absolutely, we can do this anytime later this week, just let me know...

Yeah, I am a piano teacher, and not too young a one, either, so I sincerely send my condolences, eflon. See you in time.

Hi everyone! Sorry it's been a while. I was hoping Greer would respond. I think we've exhausted the thread as far as her specific case is involved, especially without her input. Most of the thread was of a more general topic anyway, dealing mostly with education and morality, so maybe we should start a new thread if anyone else is interested. It could involve:

• the morality, ignorance, intentions discussion (Isn't not knowing better the primary reason why people make bad decisions?)
• teachers, their moral responsibilities, and how they rationalize things (public and private)

Let me know if you have any ideas. I'll be watching for updates~

Hi eflon,

I am going to start a thread on teaching. I am a private-lesson piano teacher, and I've tried out one or two ideas I got from FDR on my "clients" and the whole topic is one I need to work out anyway, for psychological reasons as well as financial, and mainly because of topical interest.

- Scot

I'd still be interested in hearing that conversation Stef offered, I'm sure others here would find it very productive as well...

eflon:

Hi everyone! Sorry it's been a while. I was hoping Greer would respond. I think we've exhausted the thread as far as her specific case is involved, especially without her input. Most of the thread was of a more general topic anyway, dealing mostly with education and morality, so maybe we should start a new thread if anyone else is interested. It could involve:

 

• the morality, ignorance, intentions discussion (Isn't not knowing better the primary reason why people make bad decisions?)
• teachers, their moral responsibilities, and how they rationalize things (public and private)

Let me know if you have any ideas. I'll be watching for updates~

This child needs to get out of that school before they destroy his/her mental development - and this is from experience. I know what it's like to be the smartest kid in the class - and also the most badly behaved one. All you get is "why are you so bad? You must learn to obey the rules of our prison, er, school."

Public schools demolish the intelligent. The letter was astoundingly well written for a 12-year old. Shining talent...

Magnus:

Well, I get up at 5:30 every morning, because I want to.  Because I choose to.  No one forced me to do this.  No one trained me to do this.  I only started doing it AFTER I had already started to become mentally free, after I had begun eliminating the influence of my parents and teachers from my thinking.  "Discipline" is something you use to control slaves and animals.  People have the power of choice.  You don't need "self-disciplne" to be self-directed.  We are all born self-directed.  Saying we need self-discipline is like saying we need self-slavery. Which is exactly what it is.

Treating people like slaves and animals doesn't make them responsible or teach them to think about their long-term costs and benefits.  It only has one purpose -- to break their will.

Magnus, I really like your post -- it speaks volumes to me. Thanks for that!

Hajnal:

 

Magnus:

Well, I get up at 5:30 every morning, because I want to.  Because I choose to.  No one forced me to do this.  No one trained me to do this.  I only started doing it AFTER I had already started to become mentally free, after I had begun eliminating the influence of my parents and teachers from my thinking.  "Discipline" is something you use to control slaves and animals.  People have the power of choice.  You don't need "self-disciplne" to be self-directed.  We are all born self-directed.  Saying we need self-discipline is like saying we need self-slavery. Which is exactly what it is.

Treating people like slaves and animals doesn't make them responsible or teach them to think about their long-term costs and benefits.  It only has one purpose -- to break their will.

 

Magnus, I really like your post -- it speaks volumes to me. Thanks for that!

Ditto

My thoughts are alike: why don't the parents change the school? All public schools are bad, but some of them are better than the others. I know that they both are probably working, so they can't teach at home and therefore homeschooling is barely an option. Of course, if you really want, you can find a way.

This kid sounds really clever, it's sad that he needs to live in this enviroment...

Aw. Thanks so much for your concern. Oh, Im a girl by the way. haha. Sorry for the late reply. 

Im not going to public school next year, so hopefully things will be better.

-Greer

Whoa, you are the girl we're talking about?! That's awesome!

Welcome to FDR!!! :)

Maybe the kid should voluntarily submit to a drug test in exchange for the right of expression.  Not ideal, but it's better than keeping quiet and growing bitter.  "I don't do any drugs and I can prove it, but I believe in legalizing all drugs" is the only socially acceptable way for a 12 year old to argue for the legalization of drugs, sadly.

RHT808:

Maybe the kid should voluntarily submit to a drug test in exchange for the right of expression.

Even if she came up clean, she would never be allowed to express a dissenting opinion in a public school. They are trying to instill a certain mindset that the government is the only solution to all the problems anyone could possibly have. It would also expose the hypocracy of the schools in that they require certain students to be on drugs as a requirement to be in their schools, and you cannot choose not to be in their schools. I know from my own experience, and I see it required of more children than ever before.

eflon:

So your advice is essentially telling the student to shut up?

It would be negligent for the celebrity owner the largest philosophy website in the world to recommend a twelve year-old child throw herself under the steam roller of a state school. 

This is a small child we are talking about (no offense Greer).

Encouraging her to avoid conflict at this time and continue the study of reason was good advice.  She can do battle later when her armor is harder and tools sharper.  Not now.

I don't think that we should expect a 12-year-old girl to fight our battles for us. She should enjoy being a kid as much as possible, we adults should do the heavy lifting.