Let's say that we map out every minute of focus of a child the first seven years and then divide the attention of that child into categories. That will become the experience of the child. Exposure, everything. Even the number of words that child learns. What has been the attention of the child, will be the measure of the child. Even down to the amount of time that child can hold their focus on reality and/or a reflection of reality as their accumulated experience. In this, how can any adult blame the object as the child? They cannot.
Now, that map, that GPS, that memory, would we say that this is a direct memory of reality?
Presently, no.
So, if, as with common core, the child is given texts to read that talk about things other than sponge bob, the starting point of building understanding is going to need to be done from the very beginning. It does not mean that the child is stupid, it simply means they have no structure built, and no sense, no exposure - no " direct sense" development. And, if the child has a small vocabulary, how is a teacher showing a flat photograph and a worded description going to be able to reach that child? They simply are not. There is no exposure on a common sense level, no visual, no kinesthetic, no " sound" sense.
When I went into a M.Ed. program, there was a test, a spatial test given.. For the majority in the class, these young late teen girls, mostly, it was very difficult. I was shocked. I do not consider myself smart, nor stupid. This is not about being either, this is about common sense, a natural ability. It is not being developed. It is not being used. The non-use and/or development of this is a crime against life.
Also, each child has emotional/feeling values, as the space filled where no real understanding has been given. I mean, a parent that does not understand something, will more than likely have a judgement about it, which is to teach an ambiguous meaning with an emotional value, a good or bad value, to hide ignorance ( this word means to NOT look or to not have had the opportunity to look).
Someone wrote on a response that children need to be taught to enjoy reading. What does this mean? A child that has an interest in something, and some exposure to the words and an understanding of the subject, will enjoy reading about it, because they have enough of an abstract to create some meaning from the words. Which is fun. All children would probably enjoy this. So, a child that is not enjoying reading is a child that cannot make sense of the words. Even if they can read the words, if they do not have any reference with some level of common sense ( exposure and development through direct physical interaction) then they will also not be able to make sense of the words. So, saying a generality that children need to learn to enjoy reading, describes nothing, it tells parents nothing, it solves no problems. Is sounds good as a truth, it looks pretty on paper, no one can deny it as a statement. It is not a direct common sense solution.
Also, if there are a lot of emotional/feeling values, the child will have a lot of emotional and feeling value reactions, because this is what has been learned. Emotional/feeling values are like " fillers" for a lack within direct seeing, meaning common sense. What goes in, is what comes out. For children that have a combination of emotional/feeling values, and a lack of vocabulary, the classroom is going to seem like a cage ( also for the ones who have had a lot of exposure). No manner of " feel good" words from a teacher is going to have any effect on this. And a teacher getting frustrated and short tempered, is only going to make the situation more difficult for the child. Labeling a child is really giving up on the child, and blaming the child - it is a lack of being responsible towards a consequence of lack of being interconnected to physical reality. It is like accepting a limited program and blaming a program, ignoring the composition of the program and accepting it for what it is and walking it, the child, into awareness. And this, is the only solution, and it is the responsibility of all men. Yet, mostly, it is the responsibility of the parents.
Now, we can begin to see, that the classroom setting of knowledge and information only as the medium of teaching and learning, is so limiting to so many children and only those with a combination of exposure and a memory that has been somewhat organized enough to function with some amount of clarity are successful.
The solution is to rebuild the child, the inner reflection of the world around us, to ground this in practical reality, because this is how and where we directly move ourselves. So, the structure within has to be clear. Words are the delineating of here, they are small units that describe objects and parts of objects, and physical movements, they are the smallest unit of descriptive MEASURE of here, reality. They are the means to order our common sense. So, the memory of the child must be built with words to create a solid " brick wall" of understanding. This solid brick wall of understanding is building a direct seeing memory. This in turn is building a very capable human being/body, one that can really problem solve.
Given the state of the world, we need a LOT of problem solvers.
We have allowed our world to be so filled with so many distractions from practical reality, that we are going to have to use that same medium of distraction, as technology ( is there really a good and a bad, or only how we are within what we do?), to practice ourselves to focus in reality ( ground ourselves), and to build the smallest units of measure to create an ability to MEASURE here. We can reach the builder of the cognitive dissonant memory ( the natural learning ability) , and place the smallest units of measure as the words we know, into the child. So, not only does the child practice FOCUS, they also build units of measure within their memory. As this, they begin to ground themselves and as such, are no longer empty of response capacity ( inter-connected), they can then begin to participate in common sense. This would be a classroom, that would be such a joy to participate in. This would be life in full expression. What other choice is there? None.
Every parent can do this, and it is very affordable. It is like giving ourselves what is innate within us, our natural ability, back to ourselves. This is also beneficial for school districts, especially in this day and age.
As within, so without. It is as simple as that.
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