AUTODIDACT’S JOURNAL

*If you’re too lazy to look it up, ‘autodidact’ means ‘self-teacher’.

#17
Although this magazine is for autodidacts of any educational
persuasion – unschooling, homeschooling, private or public school –
a recent family sports drill forced recognition of the differences once
again. Namely, the people I know best find it impossible to stand in
line. At first glance, this seems like an enormous error which reflects
very poorly on such people’s intelligence, but it should then become
evident that this is not a bad thing.

Think for a moment about the times throughout history when

people have needed to stand in line. There were soldiers waiting for
inspection, or paupers hoping for free food, but never the rich and
powerful. Those who have the opportunity never stand in line, and
those who determine their own destiny look somewhere besides the
back of the person in front.

Some will argue that we all stand in line whenever we (used to) go
to the store. This is hardly the same experience, though. It is in
general only when the surroundings mandate it that adults will
willingly stand in a tight, straight line. At an outdoor food stand, the
“line” is more of a mob with invisible numbered tags, and when it is
required, even the business’s attempts to relieve the monotony
often fail. Is the purpose of Instacart to avoid selecting the best
produce, or the indignity of being shuffled along like one of your
own purchases?

Indeed, forcing students to walk/stand/sit in lines is a stifling of

creativity. A different way of standing is literally “out of line”. It
shows that they are expected to follow the lead of the child in front
of them, and that they are not trusted to find their own way – again
literally. Ford’s assembly line process is successful and speedy, but
the absence of singularity in the products is at least a lack of charm,
if not of utility. How much more is this the case for human beings!
What purpose is a line if not to treat every child like another, and
what benefit does this bring except to discount individuality? Put
simply, a line is the absence of free will.
- The Editors

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 AUTODIDACT’S JOURNAL
Unschooling:
Background
Although unschooling sounds
like it's undoing everything a
child ever learnt, it definitely
isn't. It basically means an
education that's child-led. A
quote from George Bernard
Shaw (a famous playwright)
sums up why people might
choose to educate by
unschooling: 'What we want to
see is the child in pursuit of
knowledge, not knowledge in
pursuit of the child.' This idea
explains why unschooling is also
called 'natural learning'.
Aimed at
Unschooling can be done at any
age, although, like the Charlotte
Mason method, it's not so great
for those aiming for top exam
results. Going by the rough
definition above, autodidacts
often spend their holidays
unschooling themselves!
Method
The short answer is, look into
anything the learner is
interested in. This can be any
subject: going for a nature walk,
reading about Isaac Newton, or
even watching a documentary
about India! Provide a very rich
and stimulating environment.
Lots of good books (as any
autodidact will say) are very
helpful.
-Matrika
First Aid: Treating A Wound
When a casualty is wounded, it
means that they are bleeding. To
treat a wound, first stop the
bleeding by applying pressure on
or above the wound. This is
necessary because loss of blood
can be dangerous.
When the bleeding is stopped,
ensure that the wound is clean.
Using alcohol swabs if it is small,
or a water-soaked gauze pad if it
is large, gently clean the wound.
A clean, damp handkerchief or
tissue are also fine if neither of
the former are available.
Lastly, bandage the wound. If
there is a something inside, such
as a piece of glass, DO NOT
remove it! Instead, build up
bandages around it in a
doughnut shape until they come
as high as the top of the object,
then bandage over the top. If
there is nothing, bind with an
appropriately sized bandage or
plaster.
If blood from the wound soaks
through the first bandage, add
another. If it soaks through both,
take them off and start again,
rolling them slightly tighter.
If the wound is to the head, your
first priority is to bandage it and
stop the bleeding, rather than
clean it, as head wounds bleed a
lot.
-Venia
 AUTODIDACT’S JOURNAL
Etiqutte: Eating At Dinner
Parties
Dinner parties are a nerve-
wracking affair. Are you wearing
the right clothes? Can you
understand what everyone says? Is
your smile too wide, or did you
offend the person on your left? The
topic of dinner behaviour is a huge
one. Since we wrote about
conversation last month, let’s
cover eating this time.
The first rule of thumb is for
cutlery. Simply put, you should
start with the cutlery on the
outside and work inwards. The
outside cutlery will often be
smaller; this set is for a starter. It
may, however, be replaced by a
soup spoon or other special cutlery.
At the beginning of a meal, you
may have a roll and butter, each in
their own dish. You should not cut
your roll in half to butter it!
Instead, tear your roll in half with
your hands, then tear off small
pieces and butter them individually
with your knife. While this method
may seem unreasonable, it actually
helps to prevent covering you in
crumbs.
I presume that most readers will
not take wine with every course; to
refuse wine, you can gently rest
your hand palm-downwards on top
of your wine glass when the waiter
comes round. Drinks will be served
from the right, food from the left.
Your napkin should go on your lap,
and be left unfolded on the table
when you get up. Use it lightly
throughout the meal, dabbing your
lips and fingers with it. Spread
across your lap, it will prevent your
clothes becoming stained.
Soup is another special case. When
filling your spoon, push it away
from you towards the opposite side
of your bowl – like your parents tell
you to use a knife. If your hand
slips, the soup won’t splash you.
Then raise the spoon to your mouth
level and sip from the side closest
to you – don’t put the whole spoon
bowl in your mouth! Wiping out the
bowl with bread is a French
tradition: don’t encourage them.
-Profuga
Education in Victorian
England
In 1870 a law was passed making it
compulsory for children aged 5-12
to go to school. Many children
(evidently not autodidacts) did not
want to go, and even those who did
go did not always learn to read or
write. There were few trained
teachers, so in a lot of schools the
older pupils taught the younger
ones. Another issue was the
unpleasantness of the schools; the
pupils were often caned, and one
man admitted that his design for a
modern prison would do as well for
a school!
When they learned to read and
write, the children used hornbooks.
These were wooden frames with
handles. The alphabet was written
on a slip of paper which was put
inside the frame and covered with
a piece of clear horn. The pupils
could trace the letters with their
fingers.
-Venia
 AUTODIDACT’S JOURNAL
Special Article: China
With 1.3 billion people and a
history of over 5000 years, China
has a rich and varied culture.
Without the strong Christian
influence the west has had, China’s
holidays mostly originate from
ancient farm rituals or prayer
offerings, instead of biblical events
like Jesus’s birth or death.
Chinese holidays are based on the
lunar calendar, so their exact date
varies from year to year. China has
seven public holidays, some of
which are based on ancient
tradition, and others which are
more recent. Each holiday has its
own customs and stories, but I
want to take a quick look at the
biggest holiday of the Chinese
calendar.
Chinese New Year.
Also known as Spring Festival, or
chūn jié. (春节)
As the name suggests, Spring
Festival normally falls around
February. It is a two-week holiday,
celebrating the new year,
according to the lunar calendar.
Although Spring Festival is in some
ways like our New Year, it also has
similarities to Christmas.
Spring Festival is the longest public
holiday, and people from all over
China travel back to their home
town to visit their families. This can
cause huge traffic jams and
queues, with people often
travelling hundreds of miles on
planes, trains, buses, cars, or
motorbikes to meet with their
families.
Much like our Christmas dinner, on
the eve of Chinese New Year,
families will gather around for a
traditional meal, which includes
things like fish (the word for fish,
yú (鱼) sounds like the word for
surplus, yú (余), making them think
that eating fish will mean they will
have a surplus at the end of the
year), dumplings (which look like
the gold ingots the Chinese used to
use for money, so if you eat them,
you’re meant to have a prosperous
year), and noodles (the long
noodles are expected to give long
life).
They also give red packets, which
are like a Chinese version of
Christmas presents. Instead of
giving objects, they give a packet
with money in it. The amount of
money can vary from ¥100 to
¥2,000 (around £11 to £227)
depending on who you give it to.
At midnight, people will set off
firecrackers, believing the loud
noise will scare away evil spirits.
Even though it is shrouded in
tradition, the primary purpose of
Spring Festival is for families to
gather as a family.
China is different from the west,
but the people are still much like
us.
-Ivi Hope
[E/N: Thanks Ivi Hope for the special article!
It’s exciting to receive one from someone
who’s actually lived in China!]
AUTODIDACT’S JOURNAL

-Matrika