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Does this scene depict a good thing? It depends. If the child has asked for this activity, then yes; otherwise, it is probably a waste of everbody's time, and will just build up resentment in the child towards "learning".
My username is simply a reflection of my beliefs regarding education: Namely, that (at least until the time of adolescence) formal education should be avoided. Structured learning is, at best, simply unnecessary—children will learn what they need, despite us, if we only allow it. And at its worst, structured learning is the greatest force in the destruction of the natural desire to learn that is present in all children. A young child does not need school; all she needs is someone who will respectfully answer her questions when she asks, patiently show her how to do something she wants to do, and gently let her know when she unknowingly violates society's norms. (The irony of that last part is not lost on me.)
Wikipedia and me
I have been editing Wikipedia since sometime in the summer of 2005, having been introduced to it by my then-19-year-old son. I was highly skeptical of its value at first, and even resented the idea that my children and grandchildren would not flip through World Books, as I did back in the 60s and 70s. But in September of that same year I came to accept the fact that I was addicted. I assumed the username Unschool, as a nod to my educational philosophy.
I can sometimes become quite passionate while engaging in discussions on articles, but I always listen with an open mind to those who disagree with me. Indeed, I derive a strange enjoyment from being proven wrong (perhaps, if it would happen more often, I would not enjoy it so much). See you on the talk pages.
Places all Wikipedia editors should visit
With nearly 3 million articles, the most important work left on Wikipedia may be cleaning up the articles that we already have.
Category:Cleanup by month — The backlog goes back about two and a half years, but if every editor with at least 5000 edits would take care of one article from here, just once a month, we could eliminate the backlog in less than eight months. Since December, 2007, I've tried to keep that goal myself; the pages I've cleaned up and from which I have removed the cleanup tag are listed on this page. Of course, like all editors, I also do a lot of cleanup just breezing through Wikipedia; that link goes to a page that is just for my concerted efforts to remove old cleanup tags.
Why tags are evil — This is a slightly out-of-date essay I wish I had written, and wish every editor would read. It has influenced me greatly in terms of how I see Wikipedia (as something we are building to help the casual visitor, not as a monument to personal vanity, as so many editors seem to see it). I have run across many other editors who have also cited this essay as having exerted a major influence on their editing decisions.
Barnstars
These are barnstars that other editors have been kind enough to award me. It was a pleasant shock when, after more than two years of editing, I got my first one, from User:KieferSkunk. Since then, I have tried to be worthy of the compliment that I feel a barnstar indicates.
I have also tried to uphold his award by following KieferSkunk's practice of providing very clear reasons for the few barnstars that I issue. I want for those who receive a Barnstar from me to know just how special it is to me to issue one.
The Barnstar of Peace
For being so amazingly civil and courteous in the ongoing debate about proper verb tense in Talk:Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Video games. It is an intense discussion, but you're really helping us work toward consensus where many people might be tempted to get short and snippy. Thank you. — KieferSkunk (talk) — 22:13, 27 October 2007 (UTC)
The Resilient Barnstar
For displaying a trait rarely seen these days; the ability to apologise with sincerity. James086Talk | Email 06:02, 24 December 2007 (UTC)
The Original Barnstar
For sorting out a series of major vandal edits on the University of Southern California's article. You're actions were significant enough to prompt me to finally award a Barnstar. --Bobak (talk) 15:30, 27 May 2008 (UTC)
Civility Award
Thank you for being civil with me over my screwup when tried to fix some vandalism and instead reverted it from your good revert to the vandals version, and the thing on my user talk page. I should know better than to edit when I'm tired. Don't worry! I'm not using popups any more! W8TVI (talk) 05:31, 24 October 2008 (UTC)
The Socratic Barnstar
This Barnstar—which is one of my favorites in the barnstar gallery—was given to me with no accompanying message by Jojhutton; as it was awarded during the middle of this extraordinarily lengthy debate, I'm taking it as a compliment for my arguments there. Awarded by: Jojhutton (talk) 04:56, 9 November 2008 (UTC)
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