A Musical Tribute: What Did You Learn in Homeschool Today?

I wrote a piece on Pete Seeger, the Hudson and how they tie into our homeschooling journey, which is going to be in the NYCHEA newsletter's next edition. Space considerations meant that the full version of my adaptation of Pete Seeger's "What Did You Learn in School Today?" needed to be trimmed... but our wonderful editor asked me to post the full version here, so she can link to it.

Here it is:


What Did You Learn in (Home)school Today

An updated version of Pete Seeger's song, by Chele Coyne of Homeschooling on Hudson.



What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?

What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?

I learned to fill in bubbles on a test

And that askin’ questions makes me a pest

I learned that funding is the key

To why they keep on assessing me

That’s what I learned in school today

That’s what I learned in school



What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?

What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?

I learned my teacher wants me to obey

And won’t make time for me to have any say

I learned that learning is irrelevant

Memorizing answers lets ’ em pay the rent

That’s what I learned in school today

That’s what I learned in school



What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?

What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?

I learned that girls are preferred to boys

Cause they sit quiet they’re the teacher’s joys

I learned that bein’ lively is ADHD

I need to be drugged for them to cope with me

That’s what I learned in school today

That’s what I learned in school



What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?

What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?

I learned that bullies are a fact of life

And I musta done somethin’ to cause this strife

I learned to go along to get along

And quietly endure when someone does me wrong

That’s what I learned in school today

That’s what I learned in school



What did you learn in homeschool today, dear little boy of mine?

What did you learn in homeschool today, dear little boy of mine?

I learned to question authority

And not to let anybody think for me

I learned to stand up for what is right

They won’t take away my freedom without a fight

That’s what I learned in homeschool today

That’s what I learned in homeschool



What did you learn in homeschool today, dear little boy of mine?

What did you learn in homeschool today, dear little boy of mine?

I learned to value diversity

There isn’t one right answer or way to be

I learned to be friends with folks of all ages

And not just the ones at identical stages

That’s what I learned in homeschool today

That’s what I learned in homeschool



What did you learn in homeschool today, dear little boy of mine?

What did you learn in homeschool today, dear little boy of mine?

I learned there’s no honor in bein’ passive

In the face of problems that can seem massive

I learned that when I see something wrong

I can help make a change if I write a song

That’s what I learned in homeschool today

That’s what I learned in homeschool



What did you learn in homeschool today, dear little boy of mine?

What did you learn in homeschool today, dear little boy of mine?

I learned that I can help stop pollution

Lotsa little changes add to a big solution

I learned to think of my grandsons and daughters

And keep the planet clean, protect our air and waters

That’s what I learned in homeschool today

That’s what I learned in homeschool



What did you learn in homeschool today, dear little boy of mine?

What did you learn in homeschool today, dear little boy of mine?

I learned that corporations aren’t my friend

Their bottom line’s all they care ‘bout in the end

I learned that government ain’t my friend

In the name of reelection our rights they’ll rend

That’s what I learned in homeschool today

That’s what I learned in homeschool



What did you learn in homeschool today, dear little boy of mine?

What did you learn in homeschool today, dear little boy of mine?

I learned that money poisons politics

By, of, and for the people means it needs to be fixed

I learned that war means we all lose

And to hope in the future it’s peace we’ll choose

That’s what I learned in homeschool today

That’s what I learned in homeschool



What did you learn in homeschool today, dear little boy of mine?

What did you learn in homeschool today, dear little boy of mine?

I learned from Pete, Gandhi and Dr. King

That if people stand together we can change anything

I learned that music is a powerful thing

They can’t stop the people when the people sing

That’s what I learned in homeschool today

That’s what I learned in homeschool!



Thank you, Pete and Toshi Seeger. You proved that a song and a dream can change the world, and I intend to go on singing.

Mikro on Education and Politics

I have raised a free thinking libertarian. I can die happy...

But seriously, Mikro came up with this project all on his own. All I helped with was typing it up, and blocking and copying the latin terms he generated with Google Translate. Here, then, is Mikro's world view, diagramed:

First, Mikro applies his penchant for cladistics and latinate names to politics....



A: education system bureaucrat (homo bureaucratus)
B: student (homo discipulus)
C: worker (homo laboris nervis mobile lignum)
D: manager / sheep herder (homo pastorus)
E: sheeple (homo ovis dormiens)
F: fat cat corporate type (homo plutocratus)
G: the poor teacher who isn’t allowed to teach what they want to teach (homo magister tristis)

(Those squiggly things are chains, which also serve as puppet strings...)

Next, we have Mikro on educational choice:




A: Unschooler: homo discipulus liberum arbitrium (student free will): The unschooler has a varied diet, by his own choice, of many types of knowledge. Looks amorphous because it can't really be defined and has few restrictions. Kind of like a gas.

B: Homeschooler: homo discipulus semper discentes, et ubique (student always learning, everywhere): The homeschooler feeds mainly on knowledge from books, field trips, homeschool group classes and nature walks. They have a lot of choice over their meal, but their moms make them eat their educational vegetables. You can often find them in libraries, museums, and parks. The flaw among homeschoolers is a lot of us think we are know it alls. I didn't just say that, did I?

C: Homo discipulus discipulus: The typical school kid. Their diet consists of books, worksheets, bubblegum and test prep, and cafeteria lunch. They don't get to pick what they learn. They learn what they are taught.


And then there is Mikro on different types of school kids:


Mikro's classified schoolkids diagram:

A: homo sterotypicus discipulus The typical student. Its diet consists of bubblegum.
B: homo bullyensus discipulus The bully. Feeds on others' fear, esp. that of homo technophilius.
C: homo technophilius discipulus The geek. Feeds on electrical current and information.
D: homo rebellious discipulus The rebel. Feeds on knowledge and freedom.