Comments on: When Left to Their Own Devices

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:36:09 +0000

that is amazing!!!

side note – he sounds like the type of child who would excell in a montessori school setting.

By: ed

ed — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:43:38 +0000

wow!
perhaps you should think about homeschooling your creative little person!
he could spend hours building, designing what he wants and needs to do to learn on his own.
kindly read John Holt’s books for support on why schools don’t really work and trusting your child.
it is not all about tests, to quote Holt, “learning is not the porduct of the teacher (think school here), learning is the PRODUCT OF THE LEARNER”
thanks for the entry!
peace and do no harm

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 03:02:34 +0000

That is so cool. As a teacher I would want to know about this at the beginning of the year. Not the teacher/parent conference 6 weeks into the year, at the beginning. I would want parents to send me an e-mail with a links showing me these projects

I’m advocating for practical hands on assessments for Science in 4th grade this year. We have to have a written portion of the assessment – and I’m making an audio version for those with difficultly reading.

Evidence of projects like your son’s would give me more ammo to fight for these things.

Those of you with problems with the organization of public schools and the focus on tests forced on us by the feds, please tell me you are participating in our democracy and advocating for change. Write letters make calls pressure your elected officials to change things to serve all children. You can bet the companies like Pearson who write the TAKS tests, sell software that raise TAKS scores, and math programs/text books that raise TAKS scores are pouring $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ into lobbying to keeping the TAKS and other tests.

By: Cheri D

Cheri D — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:03:03 +0000

So creative! What a neat kid you have!

By: Erin

Erin — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:14:18 +0000

My husband was/is just like your son. Public school failed him miserably and he had no advocates, but here he is, a grown adult, pretty sucessful in the repairman world, and would never go back to schol. Ever! what are we going to do about school? BTW, I am a teacher, and I would love to see things change.

By: Mean Things

Mean Things — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:20:02 +0000

My son also did poorly in school yet I was amazed at the things he came up with and the rate of speed that he absorbed information. I had him tested when he was 12. His IQ is 147. I took him out of school a few months later and literally left him to his own devices. He now speaks 2 other languages besides English. His grammar and spelling used to be horrible and now its better than mine. He designs video games and is an excellent hacker. All in three years doing things on his own.

By: Kristen's Raw

Kristen's Raw — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:10:21 +0000

That is awesome!

Hugs,
Kristen

By: Terri

Terri — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 01:35:33 +0000

How wonderful and inspiring. Children can be so inventive and creative I love it!