[email protected]

http://www.kjsl.com/~boynews/Unschooling.html

http://www.kjsl.com/~boynews/Theunschoolersquiz.html

<A HREF="http://www.kjsl.com/~boynews/Unschooling.html">WhoseIdea</A>

<A HREF="http://www.kjsl.com/~boynews/Theunschoolersquiz.html">WhoseIdea</A>

Kelly found these. It might be worth saving them to share with newer
unschoolers who are afraid of in-your-face unschooling lists.

Lately I'm nearly afraid myself!! Not really, but it's been really
interesting that there are four or five (maybe more, I didn't really count)
people who have been for a few weeks giving what seem like harsher and more
extreme answers than I've ever given. I'm used to being the edge, and
figuring if people got halfway between where they started and where I was
that would be a lot of motion and progress. But lately it seems that from
behind me and over my head people are shouting "HALFWAY SUCKS! KEEP MOVING
THIS WAY NOW!"

I'm not sure it's a bad thing, but I can say it's very, very different. <g>

After however many years of me being sometimes the only voice and usually the
most challenging (and sometimes irritating) at whichever forum, group,
conference panel, now I'm feeling the temptation to take a couple of people
aside and say "Shhh.... wait. Let them breathe between times!"

But on the other hand, mathematically, if I'm not the only person at the
edge, the average-middle comes closer toward me, and that could make it
easier for people to get further faster.

Sandra

Deborah Lewis

***who have been for a few weeks giving what seem like harsher and more
extreme answers than I've ever given.***

***After however many years of me being sometimes the only voice and
usually the
most challenging (and sometimes irritating) at whichever forum, group,
conference panel, now I'm feeling the temptation to take a couple of
people
aside and say "Shhh.... wait. Let them breathe between times!"***

That probably wouldn't hurt.

I'm thinking lately I'm not patient enough to answer anyone's questions.

A couple of times I would have just reached out and flicked the noses of
some folks if I could have.
That's not helpful. Satisfying maybe, but not helpful. I'm ten times
more patient than I used to be but I'm still not patient enough.

"Shhh" is good advice for me right now.

I never read you as harsh or extreme. I never read what some of the
whiners (see what I mean?) read.
I read straightforward and honest.

Deb L

Fetteroll

on 3/28/03 12:31 PM, SandraDodd@... at SandraDodd@... wrote:

> After however many years of me being sometimes the only voice and usually the
> most challenging (and sometimes irritating) at whichever forum, group,
> conference panel, now I'm feeling the temptation to take a couple of people
> aside and say "Shhh.... wait. Let them breathe between times!"

I think it depends on how much substance there is given with the challenge.

If someone says little more than "What?? You restrict your kids TV??" it
provides the same information as "What?? You let your kids watch TV all the
time??" All the information it gives someone is "I am shocked and outraged
at what you're doing. You're wrong." That doesn't give anyone a pathway from
where they are to a better place. It doesn't give any insights into what
that better place is or why it's better. It only tells them they aren't
where someone else feels is the only good place to be.

But, like your response on HEM-Unschooling, "So you lied to your children,"
it's not just startling, it's truth.

What truth is there in our feelings towards what someone else is doing? From
their point of view we're wrong. From our point of view they're wrong.

Our feelings don't enlighten.

But if we can get to the truth that inspires those feelings we can perhaps
help them see things in a way they couldn't before.

Joyce