The condo gang

[gummigut]

"I suppose you are american and dont you think that it is normal to think one's own culture (school) doesnt indoctrinate while the others do?"

 

Why is it so hard to believe that there are decent schools?

 

Yes I am American. No I'm not so ethnocentric (educentric?) to believe that my own culture doesn't do some sort of indoctrination.

 

"I bet asking 'why' is itself just an example of propaganda of the liberal/enlightenment world view" <--- that's a cop out and not even worth responding too.

 

It would be silly to say there is no indoctrination in schools. Classic example is Abe Lincoln freed the slaves, he was a great American. Good schools will have students ask, (oh my gawd, dare I say it?) "Why?". Was it because he couldn't win the war otherwise. If he was such a great altruistic American, why did it take so long to have the emancipation? Would he have freed slaves if he could have won the war without having too?

 

Oh dang, that's an "liberal/enlightenment world view" and good ole' abe was born to free slaves and come hell or highwater against anyone from stopping him. gahhh

 

<<burp>>

[MrX]

hear the tinkle of entrenched positions and ...desist......

[kamui]

HI rompandadam,

 

I thought that this kind of discussion is thing of the past. The children who where grown up under this influence mostly didn't have wonderful youth as far as I know.

I hated school very often, but I didn't had an alternative. But the idea of being taught by my parents makes me shudder. School is not only lessons but a place of social interaction. With the choice of the school you decide whom the child interacts with. Teaching your child by yourself you cannot be his buddy at the same time and your child needs buddies. Since you prefer not choose its buddies your child does it himself and chose bad companions it seems.

 

Anyway, indoctrination or not. Children NEED structures and they are asking for it. IMHO you seem to mix up a structured life with indoctrination. Maybe you'll missing your own structures since the child is leaving home before you and is able to come and go in YOUR apartment with friends as it likes.

 

Within a set framework Children will be able to learn and have freedom, without a framework they won't get the values they need like honesty, discipline, empathy for others e.g. You can call this indoctrination, others call this education.

 

Even your "negative" education is education, but the question is what this kind of education you teach the child for future.

In free schools the structures are less visible, but the structures are existing there as well and it seems that the children are much more committed to the given structures and rules than in "normal" schools.

 

So what do you do if your child is not committed to your rules? This are the only rules your child has since you oppose outside structures and rules.

 

What are you giving to your child with your seemingly weak guidance, except a limited knowledge and the experience that it doesn't need to care for others, even not for family members. Are this your values? And if the child isn't receiving proper education you will deny him a bright future.

 

Sorry for being so harsh, but IMHO all this 60th and 70th theories might be right in many aspects but you cannot raise a child with highly elaborate theory books in your hand and mind. Your currently situation proves that this approach doesn't work.

[MrX]

Thanks for your post

 

I think my motives and aims concerning the OP have been pretty much misunderstood....perhaps this matters and perhaps not

 

Specifically I did not intend to describe 'home education' as we work it in any systematic or exhaustive way....The OP was meant to be a light piece about the ups and downs of family life in thailand and I hoped through it to contribute something to the rather undeservedly under-used 'family' section. Consequently it is a very incomplete description of Kit's education

 

I hope that if you saw the 'education' my son is receiving you would be less fearful for his future.

 

If you goad me I will try to tell you how we do it in a more adequate way...but it seems to me to be a matter for another board since it does not have a particular thailand flavour..and here the case rests.....

[gummigut]

in any event this is a great thread. thanks for starting it!

 

<<burp>>

[Guest]

>>>Reel back, first to say we live in a condo in a (relatively) poor part of town with few falang and many bargirls.. (several of my friends from midnite bar live on my soi)...<<<

 

 

i don't know anything about your life, but reading that statement makes me wonder a bit if that is really the right environmennt you wanna have your child growing up in?

[MrX]

not sure why .......is it the bargirls' proximity or poverty more generally?.....think as long as he is exposed to a variety of environments ( which is the case)eg hiso country life in uk with the in-laws...bohemian london life with my old cronies etc......all life styles are ok dont you think..we are all in this together..part of the human conversation if you like....

[Guest]

>>>not sure why .......is it the bargirls' proximity or poverty more generally?.....<<<

 

 

it is what comes along with the whole package in those areas: drugs, gangs, crime etc.

one day you might realise that you cannot control the comings and goings of your son anymore, and bargirl central is not really what i would call a great influence, or a background which gives your son brilliant options for his future.

[MrX]

excuse me Fy if I hazard a guess that you dont have children because if you did you would know that how 'they' are 'today' depends on all the work you did 'yesterday' and by the time you are unable to control them it is beyond fixing anyway.....

[Guest]

no, i don't have children.

but i am not blind or stupid - it also very much depends on the environment, not just the 'work you do'. and after a certain age the street poses a much larger attraction than all your best intentions can counter.

and if the street is drugs, easy sex and crime than the attraction is vastly larger than grown ups logic. it was for me (and i do remember very well how it was when i was a child).

 

and, judging from your post here (the only way i can judge) it does appear that you have lost certain control over who your son associates with. otherwise you would hardly have written that complaint about your son bringing streeturchins you have no idea where they came from into your apartment.

i have seen children of the age of your son working every sort of streetjobs here in especially the areas of poverty and where lots of prostitutes stay. one of them is drugcouriers for example.

 

so, even if i do not have children i can still see what goes on in a big town such as bangkok is, and know of the dangers. you may be great friends with bargirls, but i still wonder if such an environment is the kind of environment i would like to have my (not yet existing) children growing up in. when they are grown up they can still decide if they do want to live in such an environment.