Catfish: Volumes 41-45

by Andrew Bushard

  Neill, A.S.: edited by Albert Lamb.

  1992:1960:Summerhill School: A New View of Childhood. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.

  Although I surely disagree with Neill on some particulars, his free school inspires me Who knows: I might start my own some day. I am beginning to believe that the free school approach is the best educational approach.

  This book does dispel some of my perceptions of what a free school is. I suppose I have come to think of a free school as something pure in form. Such is not the case. On page xxii, he even talks about expelling children. Ironically something the public schools seem to only do very reluctantly in the worst cases, and it seems especially rare at elementary school.

  There were too many introductions to this edition. They were good but there were a lot of them.

  On page 4, Neill compares school to the military. This made me think of The Servant by James C. Hunter, which said that the military way is fine for war but in everyday situations we need servant leadership.

  His school uses “self government” of the children. I am not a fan of democracy, but one of autonomy. I am loving the free school idea, yet I still despise democracy. On page 18, he did say that democracy in his free school was not 100%, since there needed to be some not so democratic aspects. Sounds good to me. At least he’s sensible enough to realize that. Some people want democracy in everything.

  On page 38 he praised tangents! I am a big fan of them myself. One of the goals of Federation Without Television, which in my book is fairly similar to a free school, is to promote creatively and spontaneity. Federation Without Television allows and even encourages tangents and digressions. We have even had lectures full of only tangents.

  On page 62, Neill says something very similar to what Deborah Tannen said in her book You Just Don’t Understand. Both of these authors argue that those who violate policies, rules, laws, and procedures are often those who cherish authority and power when they receive them, and break the law and rules because they are not in power themselves. I think this is a profound insight.

  Neill praises eclecticism on page 70, something I am also very fond of. Eclecticism is one of the major guiding forces in my existence.

  On page 77, he discusses fasting. Again fasting is something I adore and practice.

  Neill condemns alcohol! I loathe alcohol to the max. He discusses prohibiting alcohol in his free school (81). Some contend that to take away the right to drink is an egregious violation of freedom. Neill does not think so! Nor do many others who have argued against this notion. In my book Evil: the Impact of Alcohol and the Power of Alcohol Industry, I show how taking away the right to drink really has no effect on freedom. At worst, you are taking away one choice; you still have a million choices left.

  In one place, it sounds like he advocates a dispassionate or at least a detached approach. “If you are possessive about people, you ought not be a schoolmaster” (110). I do not think I agree with this.

  He, like many other opponents of the school system, disses teacher certification. “Teaching is an art, not a science. But the law is there, and Picasso would not be able to get a job as an art teacher if he had not trained” (115). I love it! How true!

  Throughout the book he describes his distaste for Latin. He suggests that a big reason for this is because it was rammed down his throat. It’s interesting because I find Latin to be so fascinating. He hates it. For awhile, I found Latin fascinating, and finally I began to study it. I have been studying it for a little less than a year now and it has been so enriching and fulfilling. I have studied it on my own and with my own discipline. I know I do not need a formal course or a Latin teacher. Ironically my love of Latin and his hate of Latin both prove the point that the school system is bad.

  It’s good he is not too pure. “Of course there is a limit to self-regulation. We cannot allow a baby of six months to discover that a lighted cigarette burns painfully” (228). I share this sentiment as in an Autonomy Party position paper I argue that safety is a good parameter for a free school to have.

  While reading page 234,I was struck by how differently he views something that do homeschoolers. On page 234, he describes kids of the same age group being together, while homeschoolers often say it is unnatural and very harmful to organize kids by age and put kids of the same age together. On this matter, I think the homeschoolers are right.

  In one place, he disses what he calls “posterity”. He even quotes someone who said, “Why should I care for posterity. What has it done for me?” I long for posterity. My whole existence is dedicated to making posterity.

  A great book full of emancipation. Such is very rare. Books like this are indeed hard to find.

 

  Petrash, Jack

  2002:Understanding Waldorf Education: Teaching from the Inside Out. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House, Inc.

  Overall, although Waldorf education appears to be an improvement, it still isn’t quite my cup of tea. If I had to pick between Waldorf and regular education I would try Waldorf. This book suggested that among other aspects Waldorf education involves being well rounded, having double periods instead of the shorter ones schools are accustomed to, “block teaching”, “teaching by example”, and “less homework”. Those ideas sound pretty decent to me, but ultimately there is something that doesn’t feel totally right about Waldorf Education to me, at least it doesn’t feel as if Waldorf education is ideal.

  Robbins, Alexandra

  2004:Pledged: the Secret Life of Sororities. New York, NY: Hyperion.

  It was great that Robbins included quotes from Sorority handbooks. I would like to read those handbooks, themselves. Once my dad was telling me that one of my cross country teammates had joined a fraternity and he asked me what I thought of fraternities. I said something along the lines of “Not my cup of tea”, and my dad said the same was the case for him. Sororities are many times cooler to me, and although not a fan of fraternities, I am more intrigued by sororities, and a book on sororities is more interesting to me than a book on fraternities though both are interesting to read about (and never join). The style was a good one and I liked to read about Sabrina and Professor Stone. Robbins even tells us she has updates on these people on a website. I like how she is critical because I too am critical of sororities and fraternities.

  Rupp, Myron (compiled by)

  2000:Quotations of Chairman Jesse. St. Paul. MN: Ruminator Books.

  Almost every quote in her I have read or heard about before. Thus reading it was pretty redundant.

  Snitzer, Herb

  1964:Living at Summerhill: A Photographic Documentary on A.S. Neill’s Pioneering School. New York, NY: the Macmillan Company.

  Most of the libraries it seems do not have books on the free school Summerhill or any free school for that matter. I had to go to St. Paul’s Central Library (probably the 2nd biggest public library in all of the Twin Cities, and perhaps the state of Minnesota itself). I have not read too much about free schools, though they sound extremely awesome and liberating. I am beginning to think I would like to start my own free school some day, (a book on alternative education recommended starting your own school).

  Page 2 describes what sounds like an almost rule less place, though later I find out Summerhill does have rules. My ideal school would have some limits.

  On page 41, it threw me off to read that Neill was scolding kids. I guess I figured that such did not happen at a free school. On page 80, Neill even told a kid to “Shut up”.

  Page 83 describes how Summerhill uses class bells. That is interesting because John Taylor Gatto, an anti school system writer, condemned bells in Dumbing Us Down: the Hidden Curriculum of Mandatory Schooling, because he claimed “that teach kids that nothing is important”.

  I was also surprised to discover on page 110, that this free school doled out fines. On page 123, the chairperson of a meeting threatened to fine those who disrup
ted the gathering. It’s odd that a free school is stricter on something like this than the regular schools. Although surely teachers in the public school system scold kids all the time for disrupting, it’s usually just that a scolding. I work in a public school and for even the worst offenses, the punishments are far lighter than what Summerhill is willing to give for the pettiest offense.

  On page 129, Neill paradoxically says, “So don’t feel you can come here and do as you like.” Isn’t that contradicting the whole point of a free school, which supposedly is that you can do exactly what you like?

  There is a lot of bluntness and jabbing at this school. I don’t think I would always like that so much.

  What I learned from this book is that my conception of a free school was too idealized as in practice, it is a different story.

  Usually, I like lots of photos, but here the photographs overwhelmed the text and since this free school idea is so fascinating, I wanted more text. I did like the verbatim excerpts of what went on at the school. This work gave me a good taste of Summerhill and I do seek to learn more about this ever fascinating free school and free schools in general.

  Teachout, Richard

  2000:Garage Sale Manual For the New Millennium. Oakdale, MN: Teachout Communications.

  I was surprised to see where this book was produced. Oakdale of all places! Not that many books are published in Oakdale from what I gather. Oakdale is where I currently live and the address of the author may not be all that far from my apartment complex.

  Some of the information about pricing might be outdated slightly since six years have passed since the publishing of this book, but the book does give some percentages which can serve as constants.

  Ever so slim, but great. The advice is sound and interesting. Since my mom is super interested in rummage sales, I want to show it to her. I have already told her about it.

 

  Audio

  Barry, Dave: read by Mike Dodge

  1997:Dave Barry’s Book of Bad Songs (abridged). St. Paul, MN: HighBridge Company.

  This was a nice humorous critique of popular music. I needed a good audio book and I did get one here.

  Carver, John

  1992:Empowering Boards for Leadership: Redefining Excellence in Governance. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass, Inc Publishers.

  I really did not know much about “boards” before so this was a good education about them plus his suggestions about how boards better refine their duties and roles seemed smart. I was really impressed that he gave out his home telephone number.

  Covey, Stephen

  1992:Principle Centered Leadership Audio Learning System. Provo, UT: Covey Leadership Center.

  I reviewed an abridged version of this program in an earlier issue of Catfish, which was only one audio tape, while this one is six audio tapes.

  It’s funny that so many people eat up Covey’s word because when you get down to it, Covey is really radical. Radicals tell us “the definition of radical is getting to the root of a problem.” Covey talks about ushering in new “paradigms”, namely his “Principle Centered Leadership” paradigm.

  For the visually minded, there is a condensed booklet which conveys the ideas discussed on the audio tapes in diagrams and words.

  Since I have listened to Covey’s audio tapes before, I already knew pretty much what he said here. The stories were pretty much the same. However, I really have been thinking about his perspective and how it applies to what I do and the environments I am in. Unfortunately, a lot of people still are not following his ways and it would be so much better if they did. I use his ideas and examples and hold them up to the incorrect ways elsewhere. It would be so inspiring if I got involved in some establishment which abided by Covey’s ideas.

  Franklin-Covey bookstore has a branch in the Mall of the America and I would like to check the place out, and see if everyone in the place has a “mission statement” like Covey highly recommends. I think it might be really inspiring to visit that place since I imagine it practices what it preaches. [Edit: Refer to an above review which describes my experience visiting the Franklin-Covey store].

  Dyer, Wayne

  1998:How to Get What You Really, Really, Really, Really Want. USA: Hay House.

  Overall Dyer is great and this shorter work is high quality. Once again he provides us with wonderful stories. He seems to have such an interesting family.

  He mentions Jung’s archetypes of a person’s life and he claims that his life has followed that pattern and insinuates we all follow that pattern. No we all do not. Some people do not. Motivational speakers can make very sweeping statements which often are not entirely true.

  In the Secrets of the Power of Intention, he told a very touching story about his daughter Sky and the soul searching she was going through about her singing passion. In this audio tape, he invited her to sing “Amazing Grace” and indeed her voice is beautiful. I would like to hear more of her singing. She has a terrific voice and seems like an interesting person from what Dyer says about her.

  Dyer, Wayne

  1985:Choosing Your Own Greatness. Chicago, IL: Nightingale-Conant.

  Wayne Dyer’s works pump me up. Little is as motivating as his works.

  I was just thinking about how just about no one seems to understand me. Then I heard Wayne Dyer say, “No one will ever understand you because you’re unique, special” and that makes me feel a lot better about this and it is so very true when you think about it. Dyer often has said, “The right person shows up in your life at the right moment” and he also applies this to ideas and words as well. This would be one example of how it has worked with me.

  Dyer said something along the lines, “The only morality in the universe is that you have total freedom to flail your first until it hits my face” He discussed the idea that you can do whatever you want as long as it does not hurt someone else. This is the Libertarian maxim. The way he exalts freedom makes me wonder if abandoning libertarianism way back when was virtuous.

  In one part he talks about what he calls “ducks” and “eagles”, the former being uninspiring and the latter being everything common imagery has considered eagles. His general point is awesome. He argues that eagles think outside of the box ducks let something get in the way of doing what needs to be done. A very inspirational sentiment to be sure. Unfortunately, he makes his point by saying that customer service personnel who do not bend the rules to accommodate his personal needs are ducks. For example, he claimed that someone who would not serve him food past closing hours was a “duck”. It seems like a rather rash judgment to say someone is a duck just because the person does not want to serve you food after the place has closed.

  He discusses the importance of practicing what you preach. I am all about that all the way. Not enough people dig that.

  On the side “How You Can Become One”, he reads an essay from his earlier work, Your Erroneous Zones, about what a “NEZ [No Erroneous Zones] person” is like. Here he gives context of his inspiration which I do not recall him giving in that book.

  Fabulous. I have already exposed myself to a lot of Wayne Dyer and I still want more.

  Eminem

  2002: Curtain Call: The Hits. Santa Monica, CA: Aftermath Records.

  This collection impresses me. The songs are full of great meaning. A recurring theme in Eminem’s music and in this collection in particular is fame has tremendous costs, prices, and pressures.

  The song “Stan” is a great one which tells the tale of a suicidal fan who adores Eminem but gets no response (for awhile) from his correspondence. Eminem does eventually reply, but it is too late. Perhaps, one of the messages of the song is that fame enables one to touch lives and help people, but the precise timing is of the essence, unfortunately. The song does a wonderful job portraying a star-fan interaction from the perspective of both.

  “Guilty Conscience” is a song with a positive objective which is exact
ly the opposite of what critics say rap and Eminem are all about. The song seems to promote doing what is right.

  “When I’m Gone” is a wonderful song about his beloved daughter full of great passion and emotion. It’s one of the few rap songs that mention the “karma”, and not only that, but mention karma with a sophisticated understanding of it. How can they say Eminem is bad when there are songs like this? The song rhetorically asks is all his fame worth the great cost it puts on his daughter.

  Ivins, Molly with Lou Dubose: read by Anna Fields

  2003:Bushwacked: Life in George W. Bush’s America. Santa Ana, CA: Books on Tape, Inc.

  This seems like a book long version of the NOFX song “The Rationality of Irrationality.” This book is very sad to listen to, and it also touches a person because it so beautifully describes the plight of the common people, enabling you to sympathize.

  The only parts that bothered me were the pro-choice views and the anti-tort reform views. The reason I am bothered by the whole anti-tort reform effort is not because I am in support of business. Rather, I see efforts to block tort reform as a way for lawyers to fight big business for the little people’s money. This book suggests lawyers are great because they help the little people. I do not view lawyers so highly.