On 1/11/2016 1:45 PM, Janet B wrote:
> On Mon, 11 Jan 2016 13:41:27 -0800 (PST), dsi1 >
> wrote:
>
>> On Monday, January 11, 2016 at 11:24:06 AM UTC-10, Janet B wrote:
>>> On Mon, 11 Jan 2016 12:19:20 -0800 (PST), dsi1 <>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> snip
>>>>
>>>> Kids don't need to be motivated to learn. They are programmed to learn about the world around them when they are born. By the time they are around 10 or so they start learning that school sucks. By the time they are in high school, they pretty much hate the education they've had. The job of the teacher is not to quash the young mind's thirst for knowledge.
>>>
>>> Curiosity about the world around them is taught and learned at home
>>> from a very early age.
>>> Janet US
>>
>> That's one way of looking at it. OTOH, babies come with a wide range of pre-programming build in. Newborns have walking and swimming reflexes that disappear after a few months. They are intent on watching faces and instinctively make eye-to-eye contact as a way of creating a social bond with their caretakers.
>>
>> I used to have a pup that, when he saw a bird or other animals, would get very still and crouch down and point with one paw. He also displayed herding behavior by strategically flanking his target. Nobody taught him that - he was made that way. My belief is that newborns are not the blank slate people think they are.
>
> No, of course they are not. But if you talk to them and share with
> them before they are even able to move on their own you are already
> priming the mind of that baby. There are new studies that show
> infants already have a much larger grasp of the meaning of words long
> before they can speak. They are little sponges.
> Janet US
>

Well, Okay - I got a couple of granddaughters and I'm hoping that they
will remain lifelong learners. That would be just great.