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+--- Thread: "stop making grades and scores their measure of self worth" (/showthread.php?tid=34643)
"stop making grades and scores their measure of self worth" - xcriteria - 11-05-2014 05:04 AM
Facebook post:
"Last night another Palo Alto teenager took their life. He attended Gunn - my son's high school. The pressure cooker atmosphere at Gunn (and in our community generally) has to end. We need to move from wringing our hands over it to marching in the streets. Our children are killing themselves. Nothing is more urgent. The change starts with US parents - what messages are we sending and what messages should we be sending? We have to value them for who they ARE and stop making grades and scores their measure of self worth.
They're canceling classes. Everyone is a mess. I'm going over there to support our children. Gunn parents, join me."
https://www.facebook.com/deanjulie/posts/10101352728498043
As one person commented on that thread, it's also students that need to start speaking up. There are so many people who see what's wrong with school-as-usual, but so many students are still stuck in it, not speaking up, and in many cases, parents remain unaware of the larger conversations about what "education" should really consist of.
Thoughts?
"stop making grades and scores their measure of self worth" - GamerGurl - 11-08-2014 09:43 AM
Yes, we need to speak up, but more authority figures need to start being compassionate and agree with us in order for things to change. This is just a general comment and not aimed at anyone in particular.
Hell, sometimes it's the other way around. Sometimes we do speak up a lot, but after we're met with unwavering opposition, we give up. In terms of schooling, there are extremists on the pro-school side. My parents were more or less a part of that opposition. I consider myself one who never gives up, but when faced with the fact that I'd face a judge and the worst-case scenario would be that I could be sent to juvie, what other choice did I have?
The internet is really the only way I can continue my fight against compulsory schooling... for now, and thankfully I'm out of school so I have lots of time on my hands in order to work on the movement, no matter how small our impact may be. Hopefully, sooner rather than later, the size of our impact will expand.