Harry Chapin’s “Flowers Are Red” Song Illustrates Why We Unschool
By Lisa - Homeschooling Mom
Heard the song ” The Flowers Are Red” this week by Harry Chapin. The words are beautiful and sad. I cried at the part where the little boy gives in to the teacher and says okay okay you are right- all the flowers are red and that’s the way the will always be seen. The song illustrates the beauty of seeing things differently- thinking outside the box and accepting people- being creative and beating to your own drum.
You can listen to the song here The sound quality is awful- if you can find a better version- let me know!
Here is beautiful version by South African Singer, Zain Bhikha .
Can you think of any other songs than reflect unschooling values and ideas?
Here are the Lyrics to the Flowers Are Red – Harry Chapin
The little boy went first day of school
He got some crayons and started to draw
He put colors all over the paper
For colors was what he saw
And the teacher said.. What you doin’ young man
I’m paintin’ flowers he said
She said… It’s not the time for art young man
And anyway flowers are green and red
There’s a time for everything young man
And a way it should be done
You’ve got to show concern for everyone else
For you’re not the only one
And she said…
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There’s no need to see flowers any other way
Than they way they always have been seen
But the little boy said…
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in the flower and I see every one
Well the teacher said.. You’re sassy
There’s ways that things should be
And you’ll paint flowers the way they are
So repeat after me…..
And she said…
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There’s no need to see flowers any other way
Than they way they always have been seen
But the little boy said…
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in the flower and I see every one
The teacher put him in a corner
She said.. It’s for your own good..
And you won’t come out ’til you get it right
And all responding like you should
Well finally he got lonely
Frightened thoughts filled his head
And he went up to the teacher
And this is what he said.. and he said
Flowers are red, green leaves are green
There’s no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen
Time went by like it always does
And they moved to another town
And the little boy went to another school
And this is what he found
The teacher there was smilin’
She said…Painting should be fun
And there are so many colors in a flower
So let’s use every one
But that little boy painted flowers
In neat rows of green and red
And when the teacher asked him why
This is what he said.. and he said
Flowers are red, green leaves are green
There’s no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen.
Flowers are Red
by Harry Chapin
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Topics: General Homeschooling and Unschooling | 5 Comments »
February 12th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
The song is indeed a sad commentary on the way our children are taught in public schools in the American Empire !
So much more beauty is there when we can see “Flowers” in more than one color!
Todd
February 28th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Makes me wonder if Harry Chapin went through this at some point in real life.
It seems that there is always one teacher somewhere who is closed minded and has 0 imagination and still gets into the system (some get away spending a whole career “Teaching” our children to be closed minded and to have no dreams.
Tommy
July 26th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I have no problem with homeschooling, but I think it should be noted that not all public school teachers are evil monsters trying to get all kids to fit into one mold. I first learned of this song in one of my education classes — after deciding I wanted to teach — not to keep up with the status quo, but to help the children who are stuck in it.
July 27th, 2008 at 10:03 am
I am not totally anti-school either trouble is getting a good teacher is a crap shoot. i have several friends who are teachers some of whom homeschool.
School is a way to organize and manage large group of kids and there is now way to “manage” while fostering individuality. Conformity is the only way it will work. The system is inherently flawed. I see many wonderful teachers just crushed by the bureaucracy and systems in place.
Teaching and learning are not the same thing= and schools seem to me to be a horrible environment to learn anything.
I see school as a place to produce consumers/workers that perform a certain way so they can get jobs that don’t really matter to make stuff for people to buy and dont really need and earn money to buy that stuff that no one needs.
September 10th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Harry Chapin songs provoke deep feelings. I had never heard this song before but My Grandmother, a wonderful artist, told of having her knuckles wrapped by her first grade teacher for using shading to color an apple instead of coloring it in solid. Though all around her felt that her are was world class, she always felt self-conscious about it and attributed it to that teacher’s reaction to her coloring.
We, as teachers, parents, or homeschooling facilitators, need to always be mindful of the way we interact with the precious minds we are helping to educate.
Thank you for sharing such a thought provoking commentary on Harry Chapin’s song.