Joe Jackson (shoeless@erols.com)
Sat, 5 Feb 2000 20:17:17 -0500
> There's a real tendency in this group to view any attempt to
> advocate change
> from within the current system as somehow "tainted" and those who try this
> method are really unwitting pawns who are deluded to boot.
Well, that's probably because all attempts from the inside of our mainstream
educational institution to recognize our children as whole human beings have
resulted, at best, in abject failure. It's probably because most of the
people in this movement have tried to do it, and only ended up getting
burned.
Good people working from the inside to make little gains only adds strength
and legitimacy to the system. I therefore have trouble congratulating
folks, even though their efforts are motivated by pure altruism, for being
what can _only_ be described as unwitting participants in the process.
> This
> is going to
> be tough enough, and it's important enough, that *any* step in the right
> direction should be encouraged.
I don't think I'm _discouraging_ steps in the right direction, I just think
that my going to and saying my piece at public school board meetings (for
example) just adds legitimacy to the mainstream system, which I consider a
joke. That's just my opinion :) I don't discourage mainstreamers from doing
anything, and I don't try to "recruit" people. I can only speak for myself,
and I would rather discard conventional schooling from my life altogether,
and nurture Fairhaven School so that it and all the other schools grow and
become stronger, so they are there whilst the mainstream implodes.
Me wasting my time "polishing a turd" only gives the impression that I think
the turd is worth polishing.
(ok, so not exacly a pearl of wisdom there...)
-Joe
BTW, I think slavery is an incredibly apt analogy - only thing is, you have
to believe that children are being denied fundamental human rights to agree
that it's apt.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Tue Sep 26 2000 - 14:58:26 EDT