Comments on: Somethings You May Not Know

By: Andrea

Andrea — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:55:30 +0000

I totally agree that education does not equate intelligence! I wonder why some people who have graduated from high-school can barely write a coherent sentence. I spent most of my youth living on the street and as a result only completed grade seven. That didn’t stop me from going on to College and University. At the same time I realize that post-secondary education isn’t for everyone.

Out of curiosity, have you ever wanted to pursue formal education other then Cherri Hill?

I’m glad to see some accredited Universities in Canada granting credits for what they call Prior Learning Assessment (PLAR) They will award people academic credits if they can prove that they have relevant life/employment experience.

By: burnham beeches witc

burnham beeches witc — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:45:18 +0000

Totally with you on this Juniper, It is ridiculous that life experience cannot be assessed on an individual basis. I was fortunate, although I have a degree it is not in childhood education but my very forward thinking school employed me anyway as they valued my other skills as a whole person and not what a piece of paper said about me. Sounds like its their loss, you don’t need to validate yourself to anyone or prove your intellectual rigour….. it’s still sh*t though

By: Juniper

Juniper — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:47:12 +0000

They need teachers with a Masters or better for acreditation.
The Master’s courses are for Clergy and Pastoral care training, they have other courses as well, but are still relunctant to have folks like myself join those as well. So they don’t even want students who aren’t at least a BA, but better if a Masters.
I can understand their reasons but in all honesty, it made me cry.

By: Prinny Miller

Prinny Miller — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:20:21 +0000

Greetings Juniper:

I didn’t think you had anything against intellectuals – that and your wit and intelligence are why I’m an avid reader of your blog.

Perhaps Cherry Hill is doing this because accepting people without a BA into the MA program might jeopardize their accreditation? Still, I do think you would be a worthy person to have in any class and I am sorry to hear about this.

Wassail,

Prinny

By: Juniper

Juniper — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 02:06:28 +0000

My man is a PhD so I do not have anything against intellectuals, I assure you. However, many (not all but certainly most that I have encountered) intellectuals seem to be appalled by my very (farm girl, 10th grade educated) presence.
I was also saddened to discouver I couldn’t take the Master’s course through Cherry Hill Seminary as they don’t want anyone with less than a BA taking it, because we might “drag them down”

By: Prinny Miller

Prinny Miller — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:40:21 +0000

Greetings Juniper:

Perhaps some of what you say (re: fashion issues) is a regional complaint. I live in So. Cal. and, I’ll tell you, I could not care less if someone wears a leather jacket, Grateful Dead shirts and/or combat boots. (I see it all of the time – non-conformity is almost a religion here. )Frankly, I see the problem from the opposite angle; folks using copious and obvious jewelry, a million pagan bumper stickers, drawing attention to their alterity at every turn, blathering on and on about how non-mainstream they are, etc.. This can *sometimes* become a substitute for actually knowing/doing anything about paganism or wanting to evolve beyond 101.

I’ll be honest, I do have advanced degrees and I worked hard for them and sacrificed much. However, I also have “real world” and “real job” experience. Some of the hands-down dumbest people I have ever met are in graduate school and some of the most intelligent have never went to college. But, I have to admit, some of the anti-intellectualism that can permeate *some* pagan groups is offensive and disturbing (e.g., “I don’t care if you went to school and know about history – my spirit guides assured me that Wicca is the continuation of a Neolithic goddess religion.”).

The biggest benefit from my education has been the ability to evaluate things skeptically. This skepticism has led me to realize that the mythology surrounding the “greatness” of Mother Theresa or any other historical figure is more reflective of our need to have these larger-than-life binary figures to inform and reflect our morality. (Mother Theresa, deserving or not, becomes the embodiment of “the good” and Dick Cheney becomes the embodiment of “the bad”). These visceral reactions are self-reflective and they do not approach anything close to “the Truth.” (See, “Missionary Position” by Christopher Hitchens to balance out the MT hagiography.)

I do not evaluate people based upon their understanding of Socrates, their ability to read ancient Greek or their apprehension of paganism in Late Antiquity. But, I’m sure as hell not going to be enthralled by insane assertions that are based upon Wikipedia entries or Llewellyn books. As a witch, I care far more about what people *do* than what they say, what they wear, how many books they quote, the myth they spin online, blah, blah, blah. But, that’s probably why I am “unpopular.”

Wassail!