12-14-2009, 02:35 AM
The most disappointing aspect of the changes in John Bear since the 1980's has been his firm embrace of the establishment in all things relating to education. I know some people are troubled by his involvement with L.I.A.R., Greenwich, etc. while others are more concerned with his association with people like Chip, Gus, Huffman, etc. but I think that his wholesale abandonment of any entity or philosophy independent of the higher educational cartel is really the biggest letdown.
The John Bear of the 1980's wrote about a new field, distance learning, with humor and an independent streak. His books inspired readers to achieve academically outside the then-higher educational norms. He regaled us with stories about non-traditional learners who refused to accept "no" from colleges about non-traditional degree programs and ultimately managed to circumvent the college apparatchiks (like Loots-Gollin at UIUC) and obtain the degree anyway.
Bear wrote of incarcerated individuals who managed to obtain college and graduate degrees, even offering advice to future would-be incarcerated students ("tell the instructor upfront"). Overall, Bear's books were very positive and entertaining. I found his educational philosophy to be complementary to the thesis of Ronald Gross' The Independent Scholar's Handbook. Gross wrote about the path of independent scholars, those engaged in scholarly research outside of academia, and documented the contributions they made to the advancement of their respective disciplines. Everything that Bear wrote was in fact consistent that thesis. (independence, non-traditional, etc.)
I view Dr. Neil Hayes as such an independent scholar. His work and achievements in his chosen field were accomplished outside of academia (and while he was working to build his own private business) but nevertheless have expanded the borders of knowledge in the discipline. I have sincere admiration for the man and his work, and despite the snarky comments from hemorrhoids like George Gollin, numerous others recognize and respect Dr. Hayes' efforts as well. I would like to point out that he is the recipient of a Queen's Service Medal for his work with the Brown Teal.
As quoted above, at one point John Bear had very warm and positive comments about Neil's book, as did the late, inimitable Uncle Janko. And why shouldn't they? Before both succumbed to pressure from Gus Sainz and the rest of the gang, they were very supportive of Dr. Hayes' work without the support, financial or otherwise, of the academic establishment. Once they began to feel the pressure, they both gave in to the partisan bickering that has since come to characterize the field of distance learning.
The John Bear of the 1980's wrote about a new field, distance learning, with humor and an independent streak. His books inspired readers to achieve academically outside the then-higher educational norms. He regaled us with stories about non-traditional learners who refused to accept "no" from colleges about non-traditional degree programs and ultimately managed to circumvent the college apparatchiks (like Loots-Gollin at UIUC) and obtain the degree anyway.
Bear wrote of incarcerated individuals who managed to obtain college and graduate degrees, even offering advice to future would-be incarcerated students ("tell the instructor upfront"). Overall, Bear's books were very positive and entertaining. I found his educational philosophy to be complementary to the thesis of Ronald Gross' The Independent Scholar's Handbook. Gross wrote about the path of independent scholars, those engaged in scholarly research outside of academia, and documented the contributions they made to the advancement of their respective disciplines. Everything that Bear wrote was in fact consistent that thesis. (independence, non-traditional, etc.)
I view Dr. Neil Hayes as such an independent scholar. His work and achievements in his chosen field were accomplished outside of academia (and while he was working to build his own private business) but nevertheless have expanded the borders of knowledge in the discipline. I have sincere admiration for the man and his work, and despite the snarky comments from hemorrhoids like George Gollin, numerous others recognize and respect Dr. Hayes' efforts as well. I would like to point out that he is the recipient of a Queen's Service Medal for his work with the Brown Teal.
As quoted above, at one point John Bear had very warm and positive comments about Neil's book, as did the late, inimitable Uncle Janko. And why shouldn't they? Before both succumbed to pressure from Gus Sainz and the rest of the gang, they were very supportive of Dr. Hayes' work without the support, financial or otherwise, of the academic establishment. Once they began to feel the pressure, they both gave in to the partisan bickering that has since come to characterize the field of distance learning.