Global Village Voice

Michael Preston was Global Village School’s first graduate. He is an activist, writer, traditional dancer, college student, and son of the spiritual leader of the Winnemem Wintu tribe. Mike co-produced and narrated this radio show (http://www.radioproject.org/archive/2009/1909.html) that details the recent history of the Winnemem Wintu, their relationship to the federal government, their struggles to protect their sacred sites, and their quest for justice.

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Posted under Activism, Culture, Politics, Students and Alumni

by Pam Allyn

All of life is a journey, a journey away from home and a journey back. All of great literature too is about journeys: characters set off on expeditions and adventures, only to find that supper’s still hot when they return, whether it’s Homer’s Odyssey or Where the Wild Things Are. Here is the longing inside all of us: that we are fearless enough to embark upon those adventures, but that as we go we are inspired and propelled by a sense of home waiting for us at the other end. In great children’s literature, we see countless examples of children on their own. From Harold, who brandishes the purple crayon in his pjs and creates new worlds with it (Harold and the Purple Crayon), to Eloise who rides up and down the elevator in the Plaza (Eloise) to Madeline all alone in the hospital (Madeline) to Harry and Hermione and Ron conquering the Death Eaters (Harry Potter), there is something truly poignant, heartbreaking and profoundly courageous about these characters. They resemble the children we know, or the children we were or the children we hope to be.

The bunny in Goodnight, Moon recounts the objects around him to stave off that darkness. The badger Frances in Bedtime for Frances pads into her father’s bedroom to be sure he’s still there. Children seek the strategies that will carry them into the alone times with fortitude.

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Posted under Current Events, Education

by Jerry Mintz

Many parents don’t realize that the education world has changed drastically since they were in school. Schools and class sizes used to be smaller, dropout rates lower, in-school violence almost unheard of, and teachers weren’t terrified of showing affection to their students, or of discussing moral values. Of course, even then, school was far from perfect, but at least the teachers—and usually the principal—knew every student by name, something that is increasingly rare today.

Because our public school system has deteriorated considerably, many parents, teachers, and individuals have taken it upon themselves to create public and private alternatives to that system; and it is important for parents to know that they now have choices.

So how do you know that it’s time to look for another educational approach for your child? Here are some of the signs:

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Posted under Current Events, Education

by Richard D. Erlich

I became aware of the problem early in my teaching career, in 1967 or so. We were doing a standard-definition exercise in a composition class, and a student was reading aloud her brief definition piece that began, “In the United States treason is” — and then merrily gave her own definition.

“Whoa!” I said, “Time out!” and made the “time-out” gesture. “If ‘treason’ is the word you want to define, you can argue for all sorts of definitions, but if you start a sentence ‘In the United States treason is,” you have to finish the sentence with the definition in the Constitution.”

(It’s Article 3, section 3, but I just looked that up; I couldn’t have given the citation from memory in 1967, and didn’t. But back to the story).

Blank stares from the class.

“It’s the one crime defined in the Constitution.”

More blank stares.

“You’ve got to know this!” I said; “You’ve all just passed an exam on the Constitution.” And indeed they had.

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Posted under Current Events, Education

THE Obama administration is planning some big changes to how we measure the success or failure of schools and how we apportion federal money based on those assessments. It’s great that the administration is trying to undertake reforms, but if we want to make sure all children learn, we will need to overhaul the curriculum itself. Our current educational approach — and the testing that is driving it — is completely at odds with what scientists understand about how children develop during the elementary school years and has led to a curriculum that is strangling children and teachers alike.

In order to design a curriculum that teaches what truly matters, educators should remember a basic precept of modern developmental science: developmental precursors don’t always resemble the skill to which they are leading. For example, saying the alphabet does not particularly help children learn to read. But having extended and complex conversations during toddlerhood does. Simply put, what children need to do in elementary school is not to cram for high school or college, but to develop ways of thinking and behaving that will lead to valuable knowledge and skills later on.

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Posted under Current Events, Education