Comments on: Lying Fallow

By: Christine LaRocque

Christine LaRocque — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:31:18 +0000

I layed fallow through two year-long maternity leaves, and I remember at the end feeling like a bump on a log. Out of touch, few original thoughts in my head, and uninspired. Resting our minds is important, but the balance is key. I tend to be a jump in with both feet kind of person and when I latch on to something I over do it. It breeds burn-out. A bit of this, a bit of that can really shape up for a good intellectual recipe I think.

By: BigLittleWolf

BigLittleWolf — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:51:19 +0000

Gale, there’s so much here. You may feel “rested but not particularly sharp,” but that’s not how your writing comes across by any means.

I suspect we’d do well to lie fallow far more in this country – in many ways. Personally, I know that I’ve been unable to lie fallow in 19 years, with almost no exceptions. Even this summer, with 5 weeks “to myself,” I’ve filled every day of it with absolutely critical paperwork tasks, not to mention behind the scenes searching for projects, daily writing, and so on. Lying fallow isn’t an option for me, summer or otherwise, yet I can’t help but think that I’d be sharper (in all ways) with rest.

When you apply your metaphor to us as individuals, to our culture, to the educational system for our kids, to our working life, to our American proclivity for seeking short term gain (now, now, now) rather than planning for the future – with our crops, our environment, our planet, our production, or our children – there’s no one interpretation.

Yet I can’t help but think there are many ways to interpret the analogies – the personal, the cultural, the societal, and so on.

Rest may mean less sharpened capabilities in the short run, while providing greater long run capacity. Perspective, and as Kate said, new wellsprings of creativity. More time off might encourage other aspects critical to human success – socializing and family.

I am not a fan of much that we do here that presses us – and our children – to perform too fast, too constantly, too competitively. Lying fallow – truly lying fallow – would be something to benefit from in this country. But I fear it’s not part of our contemporary consciousness.

By: Kate

Kate — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:21:45 +0000

Year round school would certainly help math, but what of creativity? To write and think requires consistency, but also some stretch of time when your thoughts can converge, when ideas can mellow and ripen. I am struggling with my sleep addled brain to remember the schedule for year round schools around here. I think they have three three week vacations so read through the year – winter, spring and summer. But, i have to admit, I still love summer.

By: Gale

Gale — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:57:25 +0000

Katybeth – Thanks so much for this comment. I know exactly what you mean about enjoying the stark contrast between flurries of work and learning and idleness. I’ve been hearing more and more about Waldorf schools lately and I’m inspired to investigate them further. IEP is only 1.5 years old, so we aren’t quite into the throes of that selection process yet, but I’m excited to learn more about our options.

By: Katybeth

Katybeth — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:07:36 +0000

In a Waldorf School the children have lots of break. There is also almost no homework in the early years. Parents are encouraged not to fill that time (especially in the early years) with television, computers, and outside activity but to let the learning from the day digest. Offering meaningful work at home with invitations to cook, clean, go on walks; along with an early bedtime. We found this advice really valuable not only for our son but also as parents.
I love it when a manic wave hits but am also a fan of giving into a rainy day with popcorn and clearing my calendar.
Enjoy how you weave a bit of history and learning into your posts! Learning at its best.

Thanks!

By: Anne

Anne — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 02:05:15 +0000

I’m a big fan of mental breaks…that’s one of the biggest things I miss about life as a grad student…I tend to be someone who thinks in bursts of mental energy, and am not great at consistent inspiration.

By: Gale

Gale — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:39:46 +0000

I agree, Eva. Summer vacation allows for different kinds of learning. Learning how to go away to summer camp and deal with homesickness. Learning how to enjoy hours spent curled up reading a fun book. Learning how to experience new aspects of life that are less regimented than life during the school year. These are all valuable life experiences. I truly believe that much of kids’ “growing up” is done in the summer when they have more independence and less supervision. So how do we strike the correct balance between academics and life? I don’t pretend to know.

By: Eva @ Eva Evolving

Eva @ Eva Evolving — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:33:29 +0000

Gale, if this is you feeling not particularly sharp, you are even more amazing than I suspected! What a lovely piece, especially for this time of year. I love to think about my farm upbringing and all the rich metaphors for life. And this one, of allowing land to lie fallow, is one of my favorite. But I had never heard about growing rice – and it’s fascinating.

I do think times of rest are terribly important, whether the school system maintains a summer break or moves to shorter breaks throughout the year. And I like that breaks allow children to do things they simply don’t have time to try during school. Summer is about going to camp and taking swimming lessons and participating in community theater. All these great experiences that we learn from, even though they are not in the classroom.

By: Gale

Gale — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:20:41 +0000

I’m with you, Kitch. Summer vacation is a huge part of our culture. Yet it seems that it’s really limiting our kids’ education. Another thing that Gladwell mentions in Outliers is that the length of summer vacation hurts kids as well. After three months off many of them have forgotten a lot of material. I wonder how Americans would handle a series of shorter breaks; perhaps a month in the summer, a week in mid-fall, and an extra week for Spring break. That way kids would still get plenty of time off, but with less opportunity to lose academic ground.

By: TheKitchenWitch

TheKitchenWitch — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:48:05 +0000

I do wonder why the American educational system still follows the agricultural calendar–those 3 months off were designed so children could help with the harvest on their family farms. How many kids farm today? It seems crazy. And yet, I think back on my lazy childhood summers with such fondness…it’s a bit of a pickle.