Education without Permission
August 4th, 2007 by WaltAlexandre Borovik writes about a disturbing story coming out of Turkey. Ali Nesin organizes a summer school in mathematics in a village near Epheseus in Turkey. For some sort of bureaucratic rule violations (including “education without permission”), he has been arrested and the school has been shut down.
Alexandre has a follow-up post with more details, and a online petition. Contact details are provided if you want to add your name to the petition.
August 5th, 2007 at 9:06 am
I’ve been practicing “education without permission” for years, when I teach a non-credit course (as I’ve done for at least 2,000 students in the Elderhostel program), or when I give paid lectures to government, corporate, or community groups.
I practice “education with permission” when I’m an employee of a university, college, or High School.
I just 2 days ago complted teaching (with permission) 42 days of Algebra 1 in summer school of an inner city high school in greater Los Angeles. I had about 50 students, in 2 classes, mostly Hispanic and African American, who had siociological, psuchological, familial, and behavioral problems. Together we achieved a great deal. But that was, in part, because the charismatic Principal fought for us in the school district, and the state capital.
This was grueling, but personally rewarding. Teaching is central to the values of freedom and liberty. There is no cure for stupidity, including state-sponsored stupidity, but there are cures to ignorance.
Education is the front line of the eternal battle between civilization and chaos. Teachers must, on principal, be defended against groups that try to stop them, whether for polotical reasons, or for relgious/ideological reasons (i.e. Creationism, Intelligent Design).
I urge readers to consider the petition.
August 9th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
[...] Education without Permission [...]
August 15th, 2007 at 7:51 am
[...] Borovik has posted an update to the unfolding Education without Permission story. The school has been reopened, but the Turkish authorities still plan on pressing charges for [...]