HiveComb

Maybe the harmonica would have been better for Smallsteps, (not the $5 toy types) but recorder is still okay. I think this present school will aid her educational development more. Environmental conditioning is very important for academic growth and development since we are influenced by what goes on around us whether we know or not. This what James Clear hammers on in his book Atomic Habits. I hope Smallsteps stays longer at the new school.

We have a bunch of new school board members this year and they are picking apart everything. I think a lot of it isn't that what we are doing it wrong, they just want to give the impression to the public that they are getting things done. When really they are just making it worse for everyone. I guess I don't know how that actually relates, but it made me think of it while I was reading your post.

I wish I'd learned to play an instrument when I was young ! Learning the recorder isn't so bad. If she was learning to play the trumpet or drums, now that might be another matter.....

It sounds like Smallsteps has really found a classroom that fits her, and that makes such a big difference.
I liked what you said about how the environment shapes learning. It is true for kids and for adults too. When I want to focus on something new, I usually try to clear away distractions and make it easy to get started, even if it is just keeping a book on my desk or a guitar within reach. The setup really matters more than we often realize.

We have 5 more days of school holidays left. It's so nice to spend them cheerfully. I remember how I wanted the school holidays to last as long as possible.

Time is changing, and people are changing with it. When you were in school and now is actually different in the sense that most of the things that were in vogue then are not considered necessary, although the part that learning is a continuous process make it more important. It is good to see that you were a bit nostalgia and felt the urge to have those instruments to play with as your daughter has the opportunity now.

As a teacher, I can relate to what you said about school as being a jail of some kind as there is no freedom for a child to do whatever they like. However, we can't really allow them to do what they like at all time if they are to learn what is necessary for them to grow.

This actually makes me remember the poem 'the school boy' by William Blake. The poem actually stated in his poem that he takes delight in nature rather than going to the school that he equates to the four walls of the classroom to prison. But how else can we help the students to learn what they want to learn. At least we all go through the same route and become what we are today.

It is good to see Smallsteps in a place where she can really concentrate and do well in her studies :) The recorder might look like an easy option, but as you mentioned, it helps kids learn important skills from the very beginning.

I read this that you Mr. Tarazkp write, and it reminds me that when we think that we finally control the level of our children, they decide to move to the next level, and there we are the parents, without manual and with fewer lives, supporting them in everything that generates well-being for their lives.🤗

Congratulations on the choice of your daughter, now she is going to enjoy learning to play the recorder. I assure you, that makes her smile.

As a home-schooled student, I had far more opportunity than most to pursue my own interests. I was able to learn the core subjects at my own pace, instead of being tied to some artificial clock and calendar schedule. I could rip through things I found easy, and take my time if a subject was challenging. It may not be fore everyone, but it was ideal for me.

It also fostered a certain self-sufficiency I saw a lot of my fellow college students lacked later on. I knew how to use reference books and library resources. I knew how to plan my time for study. Most seemed to expect someone else to do that for them.

The bloody recorder is the most annoying instrument ever. Terrible sound.You never hear anyone saying "That's the recorder player's Porsche." Don't know why they don't start with a keyboard.

Teacher committees could be a better option to make decisions. People who have actually been there, done it, know what is important and what is not. Who actually have the skill to allocate funds in the most effective way, and don't need shiny things to show off - just kids that remain their interest in learning. But having real experts instead of appointed experts is just too obvious to work, right?

Happy to read that Smallsteps is keeping up with music, and learning something new! My mom gifted her old recorder to Lily when she was 3 years old. That thing is hidden since. But I'll probably dig it up these days, to play it while she plays the piano or something. We'll see.

The purpose of school is to adapt people to the system from childhood. Here, the public good is not the sole concern; whatever is necessary is done to benefit the system, the family, or the company. This is true in poor African countries, as it is in the United States, one of the world's most powerful nations. This system must change immediately. If it doesn't, we must act in ways that are incompatible with the system.

In today's world, there's no need for schools or teachers anymore. A smart intelligence app is enough for that. :)

In fact, as you mentioned, today's school is seen as a prison that forces learning. Instead of choosing a subject stream to suit the wishes of the children, children have to apply themselves to different subject streams prepared by the Department of Education. This creates a future generation with theoretical knowledge related to the subject, while a creative generation cannot be created without practical knowledge. This can be clearly seen in the school education of our country. One can only choose a subject stream of their choice at the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level. By then, the child has reached the age of 17, so the innate talents that were present in childhood cannot be brought out.

Great post i loved the part about the recorder and how it's used in schools to teach kids about music. It's true that the school system often prioritizes averages over individual potential, which can be limiting for some students.

Maybe you are trying to learn an instrument, maybe looking to lose weight

Right now I am once again going to the day hospital. One girl who is also going there is really hot. This inspired me to exercise more(just push ups and pull ups for now). The problem is that I still have not taken the main step by asking her out.🤦Also yesterday I was running after the bus and fell. That fall ripped of my pants and slightly hit both my hands and legs. So I will not be able to exercise for a few days. Lesson learned In the future I will only chase my goals and dreams and not buses.

The inclusion and other public school crap are part of the reason we sent our daughter to a private school for the last two years... And she doesn't think it is jail despite a very challenging curriculum. She actually likes going to school now.

Ahhh the immense satisfaction of hitting a learning environment that matches your style :D Good find with that school, it's obviously a great match for her!

because the teacher isn't chasing around the half of the students that would run amok, like in her old class

I keep saying ad nauseum that schools in general are not the best fit for a lot of kids.

they focus on the impression it gives

Ugh this is the worst and I hate it. If previous work experiences are anything to go by it probably makes things unnecessarily difficult and convoluted for the people on the ground while the people making the decisions are congratulating themselves on a job well done and studiously ignoring the people that have a clue telling them that they're idiots and then they try to blame the people on the ground when everything inevitably falls apart.

_{I'm not bitter I swear XD and I am also conflating industries}

But what it should teach them is the way to learn anything that they choose to learn

Unless you're lucky enough to get a teacher like @hanshotfirst this doesn't seem to happen.

And then if you're anything like me a great teacher would have made school suck less but it would have still sucked because I quite simply don't have the complementary learning styles. Think I would have done much better homeschooling but I don't think my parents would have known where to start with that and I think at that point in our lives they both needed to work.

it would be interesting to hear about how people set up their personal environment to support the outcome they are looking to achieve

My environment would make all the people that can't function unless everything is perfectly spotless and everything in its place fall apart ^_^; I basically just have everything I need for anything immediately either on my computerr or on my desk and nobody touches it as that's when stuff gets lost.

_{I think I have posted enough pictures of or including my desk just not in recent history XD}

Anything that I need easy but not immediate access to is in the same room somewhere. I tend to forget anything outside of the work room doesn't exist, like my guitar which I would like to play more but it lives in the bedroom and I can't transfer it in here as it would be a trip hazard x_x

_{I need to remember to press the reply button}