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["Marie McHarry" <mmcharry AT gmail.com>]

 On Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 9:10 AM,  <Clansgian AT wmconnect.com> wrote:

> This is an important point.  Here there are regular things that need doing
> and everyone knows it.  ....  In fact when one
> child or adult is away, the others fill in the missing tasks without being
> told or reminded.  So there is not breaking into their time or interrupting 
> their
> attention.  They plan that for themselves.

James, you're beginning to sound like a preacher, and like most
preachers, you seem to be overstating the case. Yeah, mostly I did my
chores, but I liked then --and I still do -- to read. Then, as now, I
could get completely lost in a book; doesn't matter if it's fiction or
nonfiction. So, on occasion, Mom would have to shake me out of my
concentration -- she worried if I was out in the dark when I didn't
need to be dragging around buckets of grain and water. I find it hard
to believe that there are humans anywhere, especially junior humans,
who always do what they're supposed to when they're supposed to and
never need gentle, or not so gentle, suggestions from a parental unit.
But perhaps your children are more perfect than any children anywhere.
Of course, you'll say that I've never met unconditioned children. What
can I say? That I have?

>
> I've always suggested this proposition to dedicated schoolers.  You say that
> a student on X grade level should be able to spell a certain body of words,
> for an example, or do math on a certain level.

I've never said that. The whole grade-level achievement paradigm
really is BS. I think that's why the one-room school house was such a
good environment for me: I could work at my own level. Oh, sure, I
could have gotten as good an education at home -- where, in fact, much
of my education took place -- but 50 years ago I would have been one
isolated little kid. I was a loner enough as it was.

Offer the student this option:
> If you can demonstrate during the first week of school that you possess all
> those skills, you can pass all those tasks, you can take the rest of the 
> year
> off.

> 13 years of this and everyone is perfectly willing, in fact determined on a
> gut level, that the norm is to work 40 hours or more a week for as much 
> money
> as you can get.  Nothing you can do about it, ordained by God no doubt.  And
> since you are stuck there until you retire, why not make the best of it and
> spend the money on the things we say you ought to have.

No, shit. That didn't work for me. I have spent my whole life until
the present time where I am consigned to cubicle hell, working in jobs
that have been really flexible, including more than 20 years as a
freelancer. Once I'm 65, should I live so long, I'm going back to
freelancing because my errant way of life has left me without the
lovely pensions that my age-mates at cubicle hell are now retiring to
enjoy. On the other hand, I had all those lovely years of freedom when
I was in my 30s and 40s and should I die before I wake I won't have
regrets. An unfortunately large number of agency employees have
retired at fairly young ages (< 55) and dropped dead within the month.
>
> It is such a different life to say, "I've worked 18 hours this week and I
> have all the money I need so I that's all I'm doing."

A couple of years ago, the division I'm in was way behind in its
workload. Considering that what we do is issue teaching certificates
(hey! somebody's got to do it) caused a certain amount of public
consternation, not to mention bad publicity. So, management bit the
bullet hard and offered us overtime to clear the backlog. We had a
choice of taking the time as comp time or as money. I was the only one
who worked a modest amount of extra time (enough to take off a couple
of weeks in the spring when it was warm enough to start working
outside). Others worked insane hours. One made enough money to buy a
brand new SUV and another paid a semester of tuition at her daughter's
private college. They both got sick.... yeah, you're right. Most
people don't realize that it's their life they're pissing away.

Marie