Parents at Summerhill
Whereas inside the school there are “weak distinctions between public and private spaces” and boundaries in general are often rather weak, an example for which is that students of different age groups have lot more contact with each other than they do in regular schools6. A different example for weak boundaries in Summerhill is the close relationships between staff and students, pupils state “you know them as well as you know another child” .
When it comes to boundaries between the school and for instance student’s parents, it is handled quite contrarily. Parents are allowed to visit on specific visiting weekends, but apart from that, they are usually not involved in their children’s school life . If a child wishes his parents to remain uniformed about his curricular performance, the school may deprive the parents of their child’s reports . It is part of the school’s philosophy to allow children to live their own life without depending on their parents .
As a result, if all schools would follow the philosophy of Summerhill, British children would not only be separated from their parents as they visit a boarding school, the school’s philosophy would put an even greater distance between the relationships of parents and their children, which I believe to be incredibly problematic for many parents, as they wish to have a close relationship with their children. Plus, the idea most people have of a family, parents and their children living together and being united , would be distorted.
Accordingly, putting the Summerhill concept into practise throughout the country would increase the distance between children and their parents, which is undesirable for parents as well as for children and would cause major chang...
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...of the Relational Touch at Summerhill School, In: American Educational Research Journal, March 2008, p.13
Ian Stronach, Heather Piper: Can Liberal Education Make A Comeback? The Case of the Relational Touch at Summerhill School, In: American Educational Research Journal, March 2008, p.34, “ ‘it disrupts the whole life of the community to have people coming and going’ “ http://www.summerhillschool.co.uk/typical-summerhill-day.php, 26/02/14 “We do not send reports to parents unless they are needed for college or school recruitment. Children will be involved in this process.” http://www.summerhillschool.co.uk/the-very-basics.php, 21/02/14 http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/family, 21/02/14 http://www.summerhillschool.co.uk/the-very-basics.php, “we do have day pupils”, 25/02/14 http://www.summerhillschool.co.uk/the-very-basics.php, 25/02/14
If they are taught correctly, liberal arts classes have the potential to help “students cross social boundaries in their imaginations. Studying a common core of learning will help orient them to common tasks as citizens; it will challenge or bolster… their views and, in any case, help them understand why not everyone in the world (or in their classroom) agrees with them,” explains Gitlin in his article “The Liberal Arts in an Age of Info-Glut.” By exposing students to this in high school, they will be more prepared when this moment occurs in their careers. I, along with many students throughout the country, have been exposed to incorrectly-taught liberal arts classes. Students taking English, for instance, must read specific novels while assessing a theme that is already pointed out to them.
Reading Mike Rose’s book Lives on the Boundary one can benefit from his efforts as a student and educator. It is a tool that can be used to motivate teachers to produce interesting lesson plans and to be aware of their students in all aspects. The book provides concrete examples of good and bad teaching all related through the author’s personal history. Finally, the book-as an account of one man’s personal struggle – reflects on the inner psyche of the marginal student and prompts the reader to be more attentive to each and every learner.
hooks, bell. "Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education." The Presence of Others. 2nd ed. Andrea Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. 85-95.
In the article “The New Liberal Arts,” Sanford J. Ungar presents the argument of why liberal arts schools are still competitive and useful today. The beginning of the article immediately addresses the problem that Ungar is defending, “Hard economic times inevitably bring scrutiny of all accepted ideals and institutions, and this time around liberal-arts education has been especially hit hard.” The author provides credibility through his time of being a liberal arts presidents, applies statistics about the enrollment and job security outside of liberal college, he addresses the cost factor and how a student may find compensation, and that a liberal arts college is not preparing students for success. The article “The New Liberal Arts,” addresses
Sanford J. Ungar, a journalist and president of Goucher College, is one of those faculty members actively trying to disprove the accusations against liberal arts colleges and educations. In his February 2010 article from the academic journal The Chronicle of Higher Education, Ungar gives readers many examples of common misunderstandings about liberal arts and then informs them why those examples are incorrect. Appropriately titled, Ungar’s “7 Major Misperceptions About the Liberal Arts” is an easy go to guide when a person wants to learn more about liberal arts. These readers, mainly students and parents looking towards a higher degree of education, can read Ungar’s essay and find new knowledge about the liberal arts discipline.
Laurence, L (1967). Politics in Education. New York, NY: The Center for Applied Research in
In today's school system, there have been uproars about the student's privacy and safety at the schoolhouse. Some parents feel that their child's safety is more important because of the rules that the school has set forth to maintain a safe environment. Others feel that their child's privacy should be taken seriously because they should be treated more like an adult. In recent news, there has been concerns about the student's safety that cause some to get injured or killed; while, student's privacy has cause the police to get involved. The school system should be concerned as well as, aware about the student’s privacy and safety at their prospective school.
Hooks, Bell. "Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education." The Presence of Others. Eds. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. 85-96.
...more from life and not truly understanding their purpose. Undoubtedly, in our conventional society, family is important for a variety of reasons. We depend on our families to teach us almost everything we know. They help us to understand social interaction and to create the things we consider to be our values. Our family starts our education and most importantly provides a sense of stability and support that can help in every kind of challenging situation. When a family fails in the raising of a child, it is clear in many aspects of the child’s behavior, which goes to show how truly important this family system is. Since the idea has never been used, it is hard to say what would actually happen if the plan was played out, but from the experience that we do have, communally raised children usually suffer negative effects in their ability to form emotional attachments
...onomy. Day care can be a positive option for parents seeking help with child care. It is self-assuring for many parents that are struggling to raise a family while balancing job security, to know that there are a variety of options out there for the watching of children. As with any difficult task, the monitoring of child safety concerns should stay primarily as a parent’s number one responsibility and concern. Today there is government help and assistance by providing mandatory safety and ethics requirements that are enforced through safety-regulatory agencies and through inspections for compliance for the purpose of licensing approval. It is a welcome thought for parents to know that they may be doing their children a favor in using a day care, by helping their young ones become better prepared for kindergarten and giving them an opportunity to learn new skills.
After reading the book “Summerhill- a radical approach to child rearing” I came to know that Summerhill school is most unusual school that I have ever heard of. This school is different than others because it is a democratic school and has a unique system of teaching the children which means students are let free to do as they please. There is no any strict rules and regulations or punishments like we do have in other schools. Here, children learn more through their experience. Reading this book was exceptionally indulging, because every word in this book made me feel that the author really cares and want to help children to be happy. Happy in a sense that children can find his interest in which he can spend their whole life that he can adore.
Those one hundred and twenty kids that began the education process as strangers not only excel in learning together, they become friends, some lovers, others bitter rivals, but they all grow up together. They experience hardships, deaths of friends and loved ones,
After the initial contact, communication should remain constant. Also, remember that if all of the communication is about solving problems, the parent may feel attacked. Therefore, all communication should reflect concerns as well as successes and accomplishments regarding the child. Dialogue between the parent and teacher should be cooperative, helpful, and meaningful. Both p...
Involving parents with school activities will benefit the school parent and the child. Teachers will have more help and will know the children closely if the parents are involved. Children feel happy and secure to see their parents around and it makes them confident too. We can start the involvement by inviting parents as volunteers for story reading and school outings. The importance of parental involvement is stressed in Lev Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory which states parents, caregivers, peers, and the culture at large were responsible for developing higher order functions. On the other hand, parents will also have a sense of inclusion in their child’s development process. Parents will share more family time and bonding with their young kids which supports the child’s psychological needs
hooks, bell, "Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education." Lunsford, Andrea and John Ruszkiewicz, The Presence of Others: Voices and Images That Call for Response 3rd ed. New York: St. Martin's 2000. 93-104.