Seeing Through the Public Paradigm
I've been reading the very excellent (though very disturbing) book The Story of Stuff, and in it, author Annie Leonard raises a very important concept that I've never been able to put into words myself: the American paradigm. Leonard maintains that because we see practices so often in our society, we're so familiar with it, and we do not see alternatives, we tend to view these practices as "truth." In reality, these practices vary widely across the globe.
A wonderful example she presents is her experience with a culture in another country, where she was shunned for not showing up uninvited for dinner. This was astounding to me, as if someone showed up uninvited for dinner in America, it's generally considered rude behavior! Of course, we can all point to many variations of this concept. Those of us who've traveled beyond the borders of the United States may even be familiar with customs, beliefs, and values very different from the ones our country holds dear.
I'm not saying that I'm this ultra-savvy, sophisticated global citizen who "gets it;" I'm not. But I do find some comfort in realizing that just because we're being criticized for not wanting to participate in the public education system, that doesn't make us wrong. I can draw up a list of over 100 other issues that my friends and family disagree with me on, finding majority support for them in other areas worldwide.
Our way of life, particularly our decision to homeschool, is simply a different paradigm than the people in my life are used to. When presented with evidence of other so-called unconventional practices in our country--such as reusing shopping bags to avoid plastic, or buying less, or avoiding harmful chemicals in household products, or the even recent studies depicting the harms from purchasing canned goods--some have changed their minds, or at least accepted a new paradigm from the one they've known their whole lives. My hope is that someday, they can accept us, too.
Posted in Philosophy of EducationParenting on May 19, 2010 - 04:43 PM
Now that my little girl is nearly five years old, we've been experiencing some opposition to our choices from some friends and family. While many of them are supportive of our choice to homeschool--in fact, in some cases, they are very supportive, though we are still the first in our family to "officially" do it--some remain quite skeptical, even critical.I've been reading the very excellent (though very disturbing) book The Story of Stuff, and in it, author Annie Leonard raises a very important concept that I've never been able to put into words myself: the American paradigm. Leonard maintains that because we see practices so often in our society, we're so familiar with it, and we do not see alternatives, we tend to view these practices as "truth." In reality, these practices vary widely across the globe.
A wonderful example she presents is her experience with a culture in another country, where she was shunned for not showing up uninvited for dinner. This was astounding to me, as if someone showed up uninvited for dinner in America, it's generally considered rude behavior! Of course, we can all point to many variations of this concept. Those of us who've traveled beyond the borders of the United States may even be familiar with customs, beliefs, and values very different from the ones our country holds dear.
I'm not saying that I'm this ultra-savvy, sophisticated global citizen who "gets it;" I'm not. But I do find some comfort in realizing that just because we're being criticized for not wanting to participate in the public education system, that doesn't make us wrong. I can draw up a list of over 100 other issues that my friends and family disagree with me on, finding majority support for them in other areas worldwide.
Our way of life, particularly our decision to homeschool, is simply a different paradigm than the people in my life are used to. When presented with evidence of other so-called unconventional practices in our country--such as reusing shopping bags to avoid plastic, or buying less, or avoiding harmful chemicals in household products, or the even recent studies depicting the harms from purchasing canned goods--some have changed their minds, or at least accepted a new paradigm from the one they've known their whole lives. My hope is that someday, they can accept us, too.
Tags for this entry:
homeschooling,
public education,
family dynamics,
american education,
judgement
Comments
Jun 02, 2010 - 10:37 AM
Exactly; it’s just too bad that we don’t see it that way. For such a young country, we forget our history so often! Even I once judged homeschooling as a bizarre practice before I researched it further.
Melia Dicker
Jun 02, 2010 - 09:52 AM
“Leonard maintains that because we see practices so often in our society, we’re so familiar with it, and we do not see alternatives, we tend to view these practices as ‘truth.’ In reality, these practices vary widely across the globe.”
So true. We think of day-to-day practices as “the way things are done,” rather than “the way I do them.” Compulsory education in America has only been around since the turn of the 20th century, not much more than 100 years! Before that time, homeschooling was second nature; there wasn’t a separation between learning and life. But we tend not to question traditional schooling because it’s all we have known in our lifetimes, and it’s all our parents have known.
Homeschooling is not a new idea. Relative to the span of human history, it’s classroom education that’s new.