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Part of what you are talking about here is what Maria Montessori called "child-directed learning". There is a reason that Montessori kids excel - they take on their learning as their own. My daughter, who is now earning her Masters degree at Stanford, was a Motessori student through 6th grade. I credit her continued love of learning with those years. This is nothing new, but it is VERY effective.

posted 2 years, 4 months ago
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I row on the Willamette three or four times a week (and please allow me to distinguish rowing from kayaking, canoeing or dragonboating. Rowers ROW, Kayakers, canoeists and dragonboaters PADDLE). While I would never choose to swim in the river, I have inadvertently flipped my single on a snag behind Ross Island. I was not overly concerned about the unplanned swim, but I didn't spend a lot of extra time splashing around prior to getting back in my boat. I have seen my share of dead fish and such, but my gut feeling is that south of the Fremont Bridge, the water quality isn't horrendous. The area behind Ross Island has a number of snags and debris, but some of the best rowing water on the river.

posted 4 years, 9 months ago
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