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I’m writing this post to reach out to mommy bloggers in an effort to start a conversation. If this conversation is going on elsewhere, could someone please direct me to it? I’ve been looking to join that conversation for a while. I’m politely asking permission to crash your party.
If I can figure out how to do the elusive trackback, I’m going to trackback this post to as many mommy bloggers as I can. I don’t know how else to reach out to the mommy bloggers, and I have no marketing budget or programming skills.
I’ve never done this before, and I promise not to do it again in this mass way, but I’m a school teacher in a public school, and we have to talk. My blog is not monetized. As yet. Like you, I wouldn’t mind trying to make money if I thought I could do it honestly, but I’m not really after that right now. All learning is profitable in one way or another.
We, parents and teachers, need to talk about schools. We need to do it here online, without the media or the government. Before it’s too late.
We need to talk about what you want for your kids, what kind of society you want them to live in, what learning really means, what goals schools should be trying to accomplish, and how to achieve those goals. Those on the ladder above us are smoking something.
Seriously. We cannot rely on them anymore.
I don’t have kids myself, so I’m not a regular visitor to mommy blogs, although I now see that as a grievous mistake. I wrote a Letter to American Parents. But only teachers read teacher blogs. And only a few teachers read mine.
I promise to try to do better with participating in mommy blogs, but navigating a whole new segment of the blogosphere, as you know, is daunting. So I may be slow to learn from y’all. If you’ll have me, I’ll do my best.
Please read my letter. Then, find some other teacher bloggers to read. The teacher bloggers on my blogroll are a good start, although far from a comprehensive list. Read! Comment! Blog! Take pictures! Make graphs! Respond! Forge collaboration between parents, students, and teachers where all parties can speak freely. Let’s try to solve this thing before it costs your children too much.
We really need your input.
UPDATE: Apparently it’s too late to do trackbacks. Plus the fonts are different in this post for reasons I don’t understand. Not my best “meet the parents” step forward. I know you understand.
7 responses so far ↓
1 Kit // Dec 30, 2007 at 8:10 pm
There is considerable discussion on educational goals and method in alternative education and homeschooling listservs, blogs, and websites. I’m not sure if any of these would be of interest to you, but feel free to contact me.
2 Taylor // Dec 30, 2007 at 8:19 pm
@Kit of course! But there’s no link on your name and I don’t know how. Please, help.
3 Kit // Dec 31, 2007 at 12:20 am
You don’t see the email? kitfinn@cox.net
4 Kit // Dec 31, 2007 at 12:46 am
Here would be a place to start.
http://lifewithoutschool.typepad.com/lifewithoutschool/
5 Dawn // Dec 31, 2007 at 12:31 pm
You know though Kit, even in alternative education and homeschooling (my thing) circles we really don’t reach beyond those circles to engage the wider public in discussion. At least in my homeschooll blogs circles we’re content to talk to each other and not reach beyond. I’ve been like that.
Dawn’s last blog post..A Weird Look From the Atheist Spouse
6 Mama Podkayne // Jan 3, 2008 at 7:23 pm
I found this through someone’s blog and I was curious. I read your letter. I, too, am an educator- but I teach at a jr. college. I teach Freshman Composition and Children’s Literature (for teachers).
1) Most of my classes are multi generational and yet most of them cannot read or write at the level of a 3rd grader. Yet, they all (’cept the highschool students circumventing AP classes by taking real college courses) have a high school diploma. How? How is this possible? Most of them that are just out of HS are brain dead zombies with no ambition and no ability to make decisions. Yet, they can rock the myspace hard core- whatever that means.
2) The Kid Lit class for teachers is an awesome course BUT sometimes the students scare me. A lot. Most are already teachers updating their requirements. They think little of parents and less of children. The others are about as literate as my freshman comp students. AND….
when they find out their professor homeschools….. they call my provost to complain. WTF.
Not only have I turned my back on public schools, but also on the methodology. I have taken up “unschooling”. How Children Fail, by John Holt is an awesome book. I take many of his philosophies to my classroom (which is my the students who cannot make decisions or think for themselves struggle).
Anyway. Nice letter.
Mama Podkayne’s last blog post..Final Release
7 Lisa // Jan 9, 2008 at 7:43 pm
If you haven’t yet visited Kitchen Table Math it’s definitely worth a vist. Lots of mommy (and daddy) bloggers discussing education. Please crash the party, your perspective would certainly add value to the conversation.
http://kitchentablemath.blogspot.com/
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