Posted on 02/05/2008 7:02:47 AM PST by reaganaut1
Nolan is one of 10 babies in a test of this latest education craze in Seattle-area schools. In all, more than 2,000 empathy babies are cooing, crawling and crying in classrooms in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. The idea is that children -- typically from kindergarten to eighth grade -- can learn by observing the emotional connection between the babies and their parents, who volunteer for the program and who are with them in the classroom. It's part of a wave of programs aimed at boosting the "emotional literacy" of youngsters in schools by getting them to recognize and talk about their feelings rather than act out aggressively.
...
Not everyone is so enthusiastic. Even if Roots of Empathy achieves some of its goals, some skeptics are worried the program and others like it steal time from academics. "We keep expanding the list of goals for schools and expanding their mission to the point where what some of us see as their basic mission is crowded out," says Malkin Dare, president of the Society for Quality Education, a nonprofit Canadian educational reform organization based in Waterloo, Ontario.
Many schools have sought to crack down on playground misbehavior by using everything from mentoring to movies to prevent bullying, while states like Delaware, Iowa and others have passed antibullying laws.
Since the program started, more than 158,000 pupils have participated, along with more than 6,200 empathy babies, Roots of Empathy estimates. In the U.S, the program will likely expand to at least 40 classrooms in the Seattle region by 2009. Schools and other organizations in other U.S. cities, including Tucson, Ariz., and Jacksonville, N.C., have expressed interest in bringing the program to their schools.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Nuttiness in the name of education marches onward.
Maybe instead of bring other children in, parents should be required to spend time with their own kids.
Cut the dance, soccer, lego robotics etc and spend some time just hanging out with the kids.
I know of too many parents who have the kiddies involved in so many things they never see them.
We like board game days, or bike riding together. That works.
Parent 1: He bullies you in school? How does that make you feel?
Child of Parent 1: I don’t know why he does it. It makes me depressed.
Parent 2: He bullies you in school? How does that make you feel?
Child of Parent 2: I don’t know why he does it. It makes me want to punch him in the nose.
Public school officials are always asking for more money, but too much time (and therefore money) is being spent on non-academic pursuits. You don't need to bring babies into classrooms to run an orderly school.Meh... All we do is whine about kids and their sense of entitlement. When a school tries to do something about we whine about *that*.
ding ding ding. And how about paying for enough police that you can actually *horror of horrors* let you kids run around outside unsupervised?
IF you’re wondering why I’m in a foul mood today, it’s because I read this article—LOL!
Ya know, back when a kid got introduced to the “board of education” at school and knew his backside would have a discussion with dad’s belt that evening, we didn’t have problem kids.
That’s right!
My kids can’t play in the front yard because of the neighborhood. I would love to do what my mom did. Tell them, go play and have them come back when the street lights come on. Not that I want to get rid of them, but rather, I would love for them to have the fun I did.
Riding a bike three suburbs over to see a friend was one of my best childhood memories.
Ya know, back when a kid got introduced to the “board of education” at school and knew his backside would have a discussion with dad’s belt that evening, we didn’t have problem kids.If corporal punishment was all that matters poor black and hispanic kids would be model citizens instead of drug dealers and thugs.
Probably the same crowd that wants diaperless babies dumping wherever their parents please...
We shouldn’t “require” anything, that’s what “liberals” do.
We should lower taxes so that households can survive on one income.
We should even give household tax breaks for stay-at-home moms.
Incentivize, not require...
On the contrary, liberals in the public school system are trying to facilitate the breakdown of the family so that "liberal" values can be inculcated into the children without parental interference.
Don't even get me started on those people. I have one colleague who's household is practically run by their kids. The mom is absolutely anti-"authoritarian" and believes the children should set the pace for everything.
And the product of this wonderful approach? A four-year-old boy who's still not toilet trained and is an absolute terror when he doesn't get his way.
I make it a point to keep a lot of distance between that family and my own.
You've got my vote!
Lack of corporal punishment coupled with absent or ineffectual fathers is the root of that problem.
On the contrary, liberals in the public school system are trying to facilitate the breakdown of the family so that "liberal" values can be inculcated into the children without parental interference.Fat frumpy liberal teachers aren't the problem. The attempts to destroy socialization go back to the 1900's and Dewey and the Factory model of education.
but but...
We wouldn’t want to “break his spirit”!
We have a lot of time to play together, read and play games. We're pretty well bonded, and she never feels like she's a pest -- compared to her best friend, who is in gymnastics, dance , horse riding and flute. Her mom is constantly bitching at and about her and all the transporting she does and how much everything costs.
You may not believe this, but I have heard those very words from those people. Made my head want to explode.
Fortunately, I do not have to live the hell they've made for themselves. And each time I see their children, I thank God for mine.
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