The Race to Nowhere screening October 2nd at 10 a.m.

A group of local parents have teamed up to bring the Race to Nowhere to Oak Park.

It is a groundbreaking documentary about how the high-pressure culture that has schools and  children’s lives.

Here’s the link to the trailer (please note that while the trailer is for all audiences, the movie is rated PG-13):

http://www.racetonowhere.com/node/4494

From the website:

Director Vicki Abeles turns the personal political, igniting a national conversation in her new documentary about the pressures faced by American schoolchildren and their teachers in a system and culture obsessed with the illusion of achievement, competition and the pressure to perform. Featuring the heartbreaking stories of young people across the country who have been pushed to the brink, educators who are burned out and worried that students aren’t developing the skills they need, and parents who are trying to do what’s best for their kids, Race to Nowhere points to the silent epidemic in our schools: cheating has become commonplace, students have become disengaged, stress-related illness, depression and burnout are rampant, and young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired.

Race to Nowhere is a call to mobilize families, educators, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens.

Featured in the film:

• Dr. Madeline Levine, Clinical Psychologist and author of the best-seller, The Price of Privilege
• Dr. Wendy Mogel, Clinical Psychologist and author of The Blessing of a Skinned Knee
• Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, Adolescent Medicine Specialist, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• Dr. Deborah Stipek, Dean of the School of Education at Stanford University
• Dr. Denise Pope, Co-Founder, Challenge Success, Stanford University
• Sara Bennett, Founder, Stop Homework

The Oak Park Screening will be:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2ND at 10 am at the Lake Theater.

Daniel Ryan is going to participate in the Q&A after the screening.  Please forward this information to others who would be interested.

Thanks, Kimber for passing this along!

There are other screenings as well (in Chicago and Glen Ellyn) in the coming week, check out the full listing on the website for Race to Nowhere.

Many area park district’s offer educational and PE classes for homeschoolers. They are trying to reach out to the homeschool community, but often the info isn’t getting far enough. Please share this information with other homeschoolers, support groups, and co-ops. Elmhurst just canceled one due to low enrollment, and we want to make sure these aren’t just canceled because of the lack of knowledge about these events. Spread the word!

(Thanks again, Kimber, for letting us know about these opportunities!)

Elmhurst Park District
Home School Curriculum Sample

Each session is comprised of four lessons that take place over a two-week period and
include classroom instruction, laboratory and field activities, and homework
assignments to reinforce topics. Each lesson meets age appropriate state learning
standards for science and, depending on the topic, mathematics, social science,
language arts, and physical development and health are also covered.

All classes will take place in the lower level of the Eldridge recreation building. Located
in the Southwest corner of Eldridge Park, 363 Commonwealth Elmhurst, IL 60126.

Class Times:
Grades K-2 9-10:30 am
Grades 3-5 11am-12:30pm
Grades 6-8 1-2:30pm

Session Structure:
Day 1, Classroom work, In-class activities
Day 2, Review, Lab (indoor and outdoor)
Day 3, Review, Lab exercise, Classroom work
Day 4, Review, Lab, Assessment
– Homework will be assigned daily or bi-daily depending on the session.
Costs:
$30 resident/ $38 non-resident per student, per session
Based off the resident rate, students will be paying $5 per instruction hour.

This Fall we will be offering 5 sessions starting September 21, we are now accepting
online registration under the environmental heading

If you have any questions please email or call Matt Poole, program manager at:
mpoole@epd.org or 630-993-8980

Check out their brochure for more class details and further information.

Thanks to Kimber for forwarding me some great materials from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. I’ll be posting it in bits and pieces throughout the week to come.

Next week we have a unique opportunity to take an electronic field trip. You do need to register in advance to join this focused learning on pollination and bees. Check out all the details:

Join PollinatorLIVE on Wednesday, September 29, 2010, for an electronic field trip to the Washington Youth Garden at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. for a series of webcasts exploring “Native Bees, Honey Bees, Gardening, and More.”  PollinatorLIVE will be webcasting from 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. (EDT).

The website, for more information and to register, is Pollinator Live.

If you happen to be studying pollination or insects at any point this year, you will want to check out their site for other resources as well. They have a number of web seminars archived and available for instant viewing. They also have a place to register with their site to keep posted on upcoming events.

Your budding entomologist will definitely want to check it out.