RIP - Art Clokey

Art Clokey, better known as the creator of Gumby, has died. Though I was in no way of the original generation that grew up with Gumby, by some strange twist of fate (and lazy programming), I was able to watch many of the original Gumby shorts as a kid (prior to the 1988 revival, which I also watched). I have always marveled at the technique of claymation, and loved the results (even going so far as to adore this video game in the early-90s), and Gumby was my "gateway" to the joys of claymation.

A Ratings System for Children's Books - Dumbing Down Literacy

Apparently, national and international publishers in England are preparing an age-based ratings system for books, similar to ratings systems for movies, to let children and parents know if the books is "appropriate" for them.

This is, quite simply, one of the stupidest things I've heard of all year (and that's saying plenty). And while all of the arguments against this system mentioned in the article (death of local bookstores, or establishing a precedent for some kind of moral code that can and will be easily hijacked by overzealous parents) are strong, the dumbest part of this to me is the presumption that there are easily-classifiable "age ranges" for books. Some kids can't even read at 5 years old, while others are pounding through novels intended for children 10 or older. I remember reading Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game in 3rd grade (probably an appropriate age-level for Card's stuff, given how terrible it's gotten), while other kids were struggling with picture books (and I'm certain I'm not, nor ever was, some kind of prodigy). It's hard enough to get kids to read anyways these days; to try to predict if a kid is at the "appropriate" age level is just tilting against windmills.

And if parents and adults don't know how to pick an "age-appropriate" book for a child (one of the major reasons companies are trying to justify this system), let me offer a few suggestions, such as: look at what the kid is reading and go from there; open the book to see if it looks right for the kid who's X-years old (I'm pretty sure the entire Harry Potter collection isn't for a 4 year old, nor is a picture book for a 10 year old; go from there); and, if you're still really not sure, then get a gift-card for a bookstore, and let the kid pick out their own damn book.

I really hope authors' efforts to quash this ridiculous idea are successful, and that parents (and even non-parent adults) and teachers hop on board to end this silliness.

The Stupidity of Baby Einstein

Jen Chaney reports on studies suggesting that the Baby Einstein videos in fact hurt child development. But she doesn't get to why these videos are really bogus. She is right that what Baby Einstein really does is tap into the bizarre psychological needs of parents. But the great issue with this product is that it reflects the commodification of education in the United States.

Thank God I'm not a father. The world is a better place for it. But I am an educator in a field that most people do not associate with making money. Of course, there are multiple career paths for a historian. But many parents don't know that. They see education as a route to financial success, not as something with an intrinsic value in its own right. When their child wants to major in History, English, or Art, too many will wonder what they did wrong. Even if Baby Einstein worked and children's vocabularies increased rapidly, the point would not be to get them reading Dickens at the age of 10. It would be to get them into "top schools," where they could make lots of connections and parlay that into a good job and lots of money.

These attitudes are anti-intellectual, despite their educational facade, and we should fight them on every level.