Yes, I too laughed and I too cried at this wonderful experience of how it could be for our children. This is the counter to Richard Mitchells "Graves of Acadame" where he says:
It is possible, of course, to keep educated people unfree in a state of civilization, but it's much easier to keep ignorant people unfree in a state of civilization. And it is easiest of all if you can convince the ignorant that they are educated, for you can thus make them collaborators in your disposition of their liberty and property. That is the institutionally assigned task, for all that it may be invisible to those who perform it, of American public education.
Yet Esquith is scorned for his vigor, like a bunch of day laborers ganging up on an over achiever in ditch digging. Every child has the potential to be the next dozen or so Einsteins we need to understand the universe. They may not be college material but they all can be 5th graders. Esquithian ethos is a gem at Hobart, thank you for raising the bar Mel and Rafe.
This great film, don't miss the directors commentary, inspired Rafe's book Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire, where we learn that he is the FIRST teacher to get the Medal of Science for his pedagogy. Here in Texas our principal has bought a copy for every teacher in our school (my biggest coup). A stranger (me) highly recommends this film to all parents with a giant two thumbs up and MUST SEE rating ***** if you want to get out of Mitchell's hell.
It is possible, of course, to keep educated people unfree in a state of civilization, but it's much easier to keep ignorant people unfree in a state of civilization. And it is easiest of all if you can convince the ignorant that they are educated, for you can thus make them collaborators in your disposition of their liberty and property. That is the institutionally assigned task, for all that it may be invisible to those who perform it, of American public education.
Yet Esquith is scorned for his vigor, like a bunch of day laborers ganging up on an over achiever in ditch digging. Every child has the potential to be the next dozen or so Einsteins we need to understand the universe. They may not be college material but they all can be 5th graders. Esquithian ethos is a gem at Hobart, thank you for raising the bar Mel and Rafe.
This great film, don't miss the directors commentary, inspired Rafe's book Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire, where we learn that he is the FIRST teacher to get the Medal of Science for his pedagogy. Here in Texas our principal has bought a copy for every teacher in our school (my biggest coup). A stranger (me) highly recommends this film to all parents with a giant two thumbs up and MUST SEE rating ***** if you want to get out of Mitchell's hell.