Journal Entry #4

1. "Learning how to not-learn is an intellectual and social challenge; sometimes you have to work very hard at it"(1).
           Kohl is saying here that it takes a lot of effort to not learn something. People are forced to learn things everyday, whether they're in school or not. Learning not to learn can sometimes take more effort that the learning would just because teacher, parents and peers push us so hard to learn things. This is significant because so many students make this effort to not learn, when it would be so much easier to give in and learn what they're being taught.

"Not learning played a positive role and enabled them to take control of their lives and get through difficult times"(3).
          Here, Kohl is saying that these student's ability and effort put into not-learning has ultimatley cause good things, not the bad things that one would expect. By not-learning these students have been able to keep their cultural and personal identity. This is so important because it's necessary for a reason. This conclusion can be made because there is something wrong in the way that school are taught, in that they're teaching children to be and act like someone different.

2. "Not learning played a positive role and enabled them to take control of their lives and get through the difficult times" (3).
          Ignorance is bliss. That is why children are so happy and can go around thinking that anything is possible. They haven't learned any differently and no one has really tried to teach them otherwise. In this context not learning has played a great role in the way that we grow up because it enables children to simply be children. Children have control over their lives because there isn't anyone saying "no, you can't be a princess because they don't exist." or "You're a woman, so you won't ever be the president". Not learning has played a positive role in nearly every person's life, because every person starts out with that innocence as a child. Not learning has been detrimental to the way that every person grows up, and until the time that children are school age most will be as happy as can be. But why do parents and teachers force their children to learn the realities, while it is necessary for young children to get a sense of reality, it is also necessary for them to mantain that feeling of being unstoppable.