Label Disabled
In The Netherlands, some gifted children advocates got so desperate in trying to arrange any concessions for this group at Dutch schools they now promote the idea of adding giftedness to the official disabilities list.
If the only way to go is to put our country’s future on the disabilities list, it says a lot about our country in just one sentence. What is the price we pay for labeling children?
Doughnut Education
Doughnut Economics says an economy is prosperous when all its 12 social foundations are met without overshooting any of the ecological ceilings. Education is one of the social foundations here, but while the other social foundations are pretty clearly defined (housing, food, water, etc.), it’s essential that we agree upon a definition of education as opportunity for personal growth, as access to tools and networks for fulfilling individual talents, rather than equating education to school attendance and academic credentials. Because let’s face it: can Industrial-Age-style schooling really serve as a foundation for a new sustainable mindset?
A Year of Wonders
Hundreds of millions of school students and millions of college students have become homeschoolers as their countries struggle to flatten the curve, or slow down the spread of the new corona virus. Newspapers are filled with quotes by parents who seem more horrified by this sudden disruption in their routine than the pandemic itself. If you are such a parent (or such a college student, many of whom sound equally perplexed by the prospect of studying from home), let me tell you a secret.