a nation of slaves(1).pdf

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a nationof)lave)

A sistrueformostpeopleI know,I'vealwayslovedlearning.Ast\isalsotrueformostpeopleI know,I alwayshatedschool.Why ,isthat?

Theanswer,obviousto~enow,isthatI didn'tlikewhatI waslearning.I don'tthinkmyprimaryproblemwaswiththesubjectsthemselves:I taughtmyselfaboutnumbersbeforefirstgradesoIcouldfollowbaseballstatistics,andI waswritingplays(albeitshort~nes)insecond'grade.It wassomethingdeeper.

Oneof thedifficultieswehavein thinkingor speakingabouttheproblemsofourschoolsystemisthatwepresumetheprimarypurposeofschoolistohelpchildrenlearnhowtoread,write,anddoarithmetic.Thisisanunderstandablemistake,butonewecon-tinuetomakeatourperiLFormoreis atstakein theprocessof

schoolingthanmereboo~learning,or eventhe,developmentofcharacter.Theprocessof schoolinggiveschildrenthetoolstheycan-andoftenmust-useto surviveaftergraduatinginto "therealworld,"andteachesihemwhatit is to bea memberof ourculture.Notoftenenoughaskedarethequestions:Whatsortsoftoolsarethese?and,Whatisit tobeamemberofthisculture?Inotherwords,wemightbewellservedtoaskwhatsorts,of beingswearecreatingbytheprocessofschooling.

My ownprimaryexperienceofschoolwasoneoftedium.Year.afteryearI satin thebackoftheclass,watchingthesecondhandmoveeversoslowly.I can'ttellyouhowmanytimesI calculatedthesecondsuntilschoolwasoverfortheday,theweek,theyear,thusbrandingintomymindtheimportanceof arithmetic.When

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Also byDerrickJensenRailroadsand Clearcuts

Listeningto theLand

A LanguageOlder Than Words

StandupTragedy(liveCD)

The Cultureof Make Believe

The Other Sideof Darkness(liveCD)

StrangelyLike War

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