I love this photo of a… whatever it is. “Mushroom” doesn’t seem right. “Maneating fungus” is probably more accurate. I’m glad I took the picture when I did because it was gone the next day. Probably off to hibernate until it can be discovered by a multinational team of scientists who unwittingly set it free to decimate the planet.
I would love, love, love to branch out into photography, if I could just figure out how to use my camera. It didn’t come with instructions and it has more onscreen menus than a nuclear submarine. It took me days just to figure out how to turn it on.
When did things stop coming with instructions? Looking up how to work something online isn’t nearly as satisfying as spreading out a giant piece of accordioned paper printed in 12 different languages.
Ah, yes, here are the English instructions, right next to the Urdu.
Speaking of instructions, An Indiana school planned Black History Month lessons. A letter sent to parents allowed them to opt-out. (I’m sorry if you can’t read that because you’re out of free monthly articles. I’m not the boss of the internet.)
Let me recap it for you.
An elementary school in Nineveh, Indiana planned to teach lessons about “equity, caring, and understanding differences” in honor of Valentine’s Day and Black History Month.
“Studies show that students who have a greater understanding of diversity in the classroom and outside world will demonstrate improved learning outcomes such as improved grades, better peer relationships, and greater career success later on,” stated the letter, which was signed by school counselor Benjamin White.
But parents were given the choice of opting their offspring out of “equity, caring, and understanding differences” because of course they were.
When I was a kid, parents weren’t subjected to newsletters or email blasts. School was a black box that your child disappeared into at the crack of dawn and emerged from eight hours later having learned whatever the school system felt it was necessary for them to learn in order to become functioning adults.
They could’ve been subjecting us to medical experimentation and our parents would have no idea.
“What happened at school today, honey?”
“Oh, we were all genetically modified to grow tails. It was fun.”
“That’s nice. Go wash up, dinner’s almost ready.”
This system worked reasonably well for decades.
Personally, I don’t feel qualified to decide what children should or should not learn.
When I was an undergrad, I somehow ended up in a dorm that housed mostly education majors. There was a lot of construction paper and glitter. I was surrounded by chipper, highly educated, clear-eyed young women who couldn’t wait to shape young minds.
There’s something to be said about not being involved in the process. We each have a function to serve, and my function doesn’t involve children or their educational process. That’s why there’s something called “experts.”
But we’re all experts now. We’re all Googling “How to fly a plane” while it’s going down.
Sure, you think you know what’s best for your kid and you want to control every iota of knowledge to which they’re exposed, even though you haven’t read a book since high school and even then it was under duress.
That’s a great idea.
A quick note:
I just had a piece accepted by Wry Times which is a fun online mag I came across edited by Elisa Zuritsky. (Go subscribe right this instant.)
Somehow Elisa finds time to edit a humor magazine when she’s not executive producing and writing the Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That… Clearly, she’s better at time management than I am.
Peace,
Bev
You suspect that the word “mushroom” seems a bit off so you suggest that “man-eating fungus” may be more correct.
I suggest that “equity, caring, and understanding differences” may be way off and that indoctrination, division, learning intolerance, and making excuses may be more correct!
You can actually die quite quickly from a bad mushroom. A society can die slowly from socialism, rancor, peaceful protests, divisive rewriting of history, and woke intolerance.
The instruction manual, as our founders wrote it, has done a very good job of it so far. We were making progress, no matter what they tell you.
My schools taught me the basics and I don’t remember any unwarranted tests, or secret manipulation behind my parents back (like say, hormone treatments or secret counsel as to how to get a sex change operation).
I read enough books in high school, and the school of hard knocks taught me the rest.
I do know what is best for my kids.
P.S. Glad you can’t get your camera working. I won’t have to look at endless shots or videos of them. (Yes, your camera probably takes videos!)