Jan’s Comments (group member since Jul 10, 2010)

Jan’s comments from the Eduscussion group.

I don't believe kids get history because they haven't had enough life experiences yet to understand the past. I remembering being in elementary school and being puzzled about how the pilgrims became cowboys when they moved west. heehee! I wish we (as a society) expected everyone to go to school, not just minors. Wouldn't it be neat to have everyone learn history when they are old enough to care? Maybe in our 30s?

Good way to explain this! I am going to change your quote a bit if you don't mind - "Praising a child for being how he was designed is like critizing a child for his color of skin." That way I don't offend any of my students from China. Not that you meant it that way - I know you didn't. I love your question about how to change kids' expectations about classroom so that they learn with joy and enthusiasm. One thought that comes to mind is what you taught me from the Brain book. Curiosity and exploration are natural drives in being human. How did we squelch that so quickly by the time they make it to your class?