68: Susan Wise Bauer

Feb 8, 2018

Modern educators have expressed dissatisfaction with our current K-12 school system. Many claim that it prioritizes only a single way of understanding, pushes children into a rigid set of grades with little regard for individual maturity, and slaps “disability” labels over differences in learning style. And when the children struggle, schools pressure parents into “fixing” their children rather than questioning the system.

With boldness, experience, and humor, education expert Susan Wise Bauer turned conventional wisdom on its head: when a serious problem arises at school, the fault more likely lies with the school (or the educational system itself) rather than with the child. Bauer invited us to examine the traditional K-12 school structure with her book Rethinking School: How to Take Charge of Your Child’s Education. She offered trenchant criticisms of its weaknesses and a wealth of advice for parents of children whose difficulties may stem from learning differences, maturity differences, and toxic classroom environments. Join Bauer for a discussion of best practices in sane, humane parenting―negotiating the twelve-grade school system in a way that nurtures and protects our children’s minds, emotions, and spirits.

Susan Wise Bauer is an educator and academic who taught at the College of William & Mary in Virginia for fifteen years and has worked with parents and students for over two decades. She is the author of the classic book on homeschooling, The Well-Trained Mind, as well as other previous best-selling titles for Norton including The Well-Educated Mind, The Story of Western Science, and the History of the World series.

Recorded live at Phinney Neighborhood Association by Town Hall Seattle on Tuesday, January 30, 2018.