Incompetence

As you can probably guess, this essay is a companion to last week's post, Presumed Competence, where I talked about trusting kids' creativity, abilities, and natural desire to learn.

This week, I will discuss how, in my view, our children are being $cr*wed over by incompetence on the national stage which is then trickling down to local levels.

Federal "leadership" (I put it in quotes because nothing about our current administration qualifies it to be called that.) is blatantly and gleefully dismantling and destroying essential departments and services piece by piece based purely on their own petty grudges and obscene greed. They treat our children and vulnerable populations as disposable collateral, with their flagrantly brazen disregard for the rule of law. As I have said before, this is by design - there is nothing accidental or remotely political about it.

However, this ineptitude isn't only found nationally; I see the results right here daily. Firstly, our children are being misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed and then put on meds that are not appropriate (and sometimes harmful). This is compounded by our severe lack of healthcare providers (including mental health) in the NoCo, as well as the extreme cost for evaluations, which includes traveling at least three hours for services. (Even if you can get an appointment, it takes months. And when you are dealing with a "right now" problem those months seem like an eternity.)

The second issue is the dangerous levels of poverty and trauma many of our NoCo kids are exposed to. This situation will only deteriorate because our existing localized community Social Service and non-profit organizations that work with our youth are overwhelmed and are insufficiently funded and staffed.

Thirdly is how the educational system often views neurodivergent and special needs children's behaviors through a punitive lens, which then means these kids (whether correctly diagnosed or not) are labeled "bad," "hard to handle," "violent," or just plain belligerent. In an already coercive, underfunded system, this is a recipe for disaster. They frequently end up on PINS (Persons in Need of Supervision) or expelled altogether - with no support in place.

These problems aren’t simply about a lack of dollars - it is about effective training with the most current scientific knowledge about all the levels of neurodivergence, mental health disorders, and all the other special needs. Then, use that knowledge to create safe, welcoming, encouraging, and inspiring spaces for our kids.

Sadly, all of these issues are also complicated by overwhelming exhaustion, burnout, attitudes, closed minds, an unwillingness to learn, and a devastating lack of empathy - all symptoms of a broken system. When people judge and blame others instead of naming the situation as the problem - they are utterly blind to any potential solutions.

I believe our primary responsibility is to help people recognize that caring for (and taking care of) one another is crucial for healing our society. Empathy is just the beginning, but it is an essential first step toward achieving all the many things we need to not simply survive --- but to thrive.

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DRC News

Even though we had a three-day week in Canton (we use local staff development days as staff rest days), it was a full & busy one with lots of outside and creative explorations!

Our Little Free Library is still getting a makeover. Our artists are still working on the back and need to come up with and implement the design for the front. It will hopefully be back up by Tuesday.

The Pop-Ups Crew enjoyed their time at the Norwood and Massena Libraries this week. Janine reported that there was plenty of collaboration on projects, they played their favorite - mum ball, as well as a game one kid created, some took a walk both days, and Janine helped another study his brown belt information. 

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Women's History Month

In solidarity with all women, including the courageous women of the Ukraine, DRC is honoring several inspiring voices to Celebrate Women's History Month.

Homeschool Guide

In response to all of the questions that come our way - this guide has been refined for those who have already jumped in and begun the process but are seeking guidance in pursuing self-directed learning (unschooling). Please share this with anyone you feel would benefit from the info.