School: For the Birds?

Why A World Full of Perfect Report Cards May Be An Ignorant Place Indeed

Homeschooling parents often say they learn a great deal about the world themselves as they teach their children. I expected this to come into play when the kids approach adolescence and ask deep questions about physics or history – but in my case it’s already happening, and the kids still have their baby teeth! I must have started out more ignorant than most. For instance, I remember learning about Johnny Appleseed when I was little, but I only discovered a couple months ago that the reason he travelled all over the place was that he was a Christian missionary. Who knew? Well, my four year old, apparently; glad he taught me.

Add today’s post to the category of “things I learned reading books aimed at young children.” We’ve been doing some birdwatching of late. Yes, when you have a screen-free childhood, sitting quietly at the window watching a birdfeeder for a couple hours seems like a normal thing to do (this morning’s excitement included some chickadees, a cardinal, and a goldfinch!).   

We’ve also been reading a book about the greatest birdwatcher of them all. Since one of the recurring themes of this substack involves profiling famous figures with inauspicious academic beginnings (think Clive of India, or Michelangelo), you can bet this page jumped out at me:

More on this theme from Professor Gray here, well worth reading. But wait, that’s not all. For anyone who’s lost faith in expert opinion of late, here’s an excerpt for you:

Let’s recap. John James Audubon, one of the greatest and most influential naturalists the world has ever known, was an academic washout. However, thanks to the freedom he was granted to pursue his love of studying birds outside the classroom, he grew up to change the world.

Now imagine for a moment that modern schooling, and the modern medical establishment, existed in the time of Audubon’s youth. What would’ve happened? I can see the teacher complaints clear as day: the boy won’t attend to the math lecture, he keeps staring out the window hoping a sparrow swoops by! Undoubtedly the school will spring into action to provide educational accommodations – namely, the seat farthest from the window. Yet, what with the starlings nesting in the tree across the street, even that isn’t enough. No, the school has no choice, the boy simply can’t focus on his studies, time to start him on Ritalin. The end result? Outwardly, possibly a success: maybe he grows up to become a well-paid middle manager for Pfizer. Meanwhile, the whole world still thinks that birds spend the winter hibernating in lakes – or flying to the moon.

Moral of the story: having kids is a great excuse to read fun books. Also: the next time a school suggests a good drugging for your own child, spare a thought for Mr. Audubon, and ask the principal about the migratory habits of the Pewee Flycatcher.