[email protected]

In a message dated 4/10/2004 8:21:21 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:
Can we assume that an 8 page letter detailing why and how she had her
chance to raise kids and now it's your turn will be going back to her?
<G>
Tia**

How about the opposite, a reply of 8 words or less?

"These are my kids. I'll make the decisions."

Betsy
##########

How about?
"This is their life. We'll make decisions together."
~Nancy
*************
4 words: Thank you for sharing.
Kathryn


Come to the Live and Learn Unschooling Conference August 27-29 in Peabody, MA!
For more information, go to www.LiveandLearnConference.org


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

pam sorooshian

On Apr 10, 2004, at 7:29 AM, KathrynJB@... wrote:

> 4 words: Thank you for sharing.
> Kathryn

Or 2 words?

Just: "Thank you."



-pam
National Home Education Network
<www.NHEN.org>
Serving the entire homeschooling community since 1999
through information, networking and public relations.

[email protected]

In a message dated 4/12/2004 2:42:40 PM Central Daylight Time,
pamsoroosh@... writes:
> On Apr 10, 2004, at 7:29 AM, KathrynJB@... wrote:
>
> >4 words: Thank you for sharing.
> >Kathryn
>
> Or 2 words?
>
> Just: "Thank you."
>
>

How about one word..."Thanks."

Katrina


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

heather mclean

These made me think "Thanks, but no thanks" LOL

Thanks for all the encouraging comments. I'm planning
a short thanks. Along the lines of "Thank you for
your concern. The kids really liked the outfits you
sent. blah blah blah."

My mom had been warning me about this letter for
months & I actually spent a lot of time worrying about
it. Why? I don't know. I think now that I must have
thought she might have had some valid arguments I was
going to agree with. But her letter was so far over
the top that I ...well, I want to say speechless. But
no, that isn't quite it. Astonished, maybe.
Flabbergasted. That is a little closer to the mark.
I finally got some post-it notes & while reading the
second half of the letter, wrote my "replies" to some
of her arguments.(page 8 was just where I quit reading
for awhile. It actually is 14 pages plus numerous
newspaper articles which she cut out and highlighted
for me!)

My dh & I were tempted to write an equally lengthy
reply, but it would be wasted effort. They have never
once asked WHY we decided to homeschool/unschool.
They are just sure we are wrong.

Here is the P.S. Kim is dh's sister. They have one
child, Will, who is 10.

"Have you truly investigated Mostessori schooling?
Discovery learning is its main goal. Kim's family
strongly feel it is highly beneficial. Are you
dismissing this as a possibility for your children
simply because of Chris' family's endorsement or
do you have some valid reasons? Montessori
schooling has the potential to satisfy all of our
dreams."

AHHHHH! All of WHOSE dreams!

I love this list. Oh, and fyi, my lovely children are
Sierra, who is 5 1/2 & Quentin, who just turned 8 1/2
last Friday.

Off to homeschool park day -

heather
tucson az


> > >4 words: Thank you for sharing.
> > >Kathryn
> >
> > Or 2 words?
> >
> > Just: "Thank you."
> >
> >
>
> How about one word..."Thanks."
>
> Katrina





__________________________________
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Elizabeth Hill

**

Montessori
schooling has the potential to satisfy all of our
dreams."

AHHHHH! All of WHOSE dreams!

I love this list. Oh, and fyi, my lovely children are
Sierra, who is 5 1/2 & Quentin, who just turned 8 1/2
last Friday.

Off to homeschool park day -**

Our park day was also today. When there were bumps and bruises the crying children were comforted by coming back to their mothers (and some fathers). Which leads me to wonder *whose* dream is being satisfied by separating children from parents? Why are some people certain that it's better for children to have detactched (and interchangeable) teacher rather than strong family connections?

Betsy

sharonjrt

--- In [email protected], Elizabeth Hill
<ecsamhill@e...> wrote:
> **
>
> Montessori
> schooling has the potential to satisfy all of our
> dreams."

So does chocolate. But like chocolate, it too is incomplete!

>Which leads me to wonder *whose* dream is being satisfied by
separating children from parents? Why are some people certain that
it's better for children to have detactched (and interchangeable)
teacher rather than strong family connections?
>
It seems to me that we spend our lives trying to overcome the
separation anxiety resulting from the birth process. Why compound it?

Isn't our parental goal to help them be all they can be?

Starting in 6th grade (when they first "allowed" you to select
courses), I spent years trying to get public school counsellors to
help me figure out what I what I wanted to "be", so that I could
choose the courses that would help me prepare. My senior year of high
school, I finally did only what I had to, to get out. And this was in
one of the top schools in the state! I can't expect it to be much
different today.

Keep sending your family loving notes attached to articles about
successful homeschoolers! Eventually they'll catch on!

Happy learning!

tabitha1124

Oh--I am so busy I usually lurk but the word Montessori got me
started. :-) I am working with a Montessori teacher--she's been
teaching Montessori methodolgy to HOMESCHOOLERS for about 30 years
now (as well as at the schools she's worked with). And I love what I
have seen--because as I begin to try these things out slowly on my dd
who is nearly 3 I am seeing wonderful improvements in her--especially
in her confidence levels. (Ok--so she's thrilled I let her scrub
veggies and wash her own face!) But did you know anyone can use the
word Montessori and open a school under the Montessori name? Not all
schools are created equal. As I am still setting up my homeschool
plan (my ds is 7 months old), my friend, the Montessori teacher, is
taking me on tours of local Montessori schools. Maria Montessori
developed her system in the early 1900s--and didn't copyright a thing-
-so there are a great many out there not teaching the Montessori
methods and still raking in the Montessori bucks. I do not claim to
know everything about Montessori--or even much at all--and I
recognise that to do things the way Maria Montessori teaches requires
at least 20 children in order to do it properly (as my friend
constantly points out to me). But from what I do see and from what I
do understand--there is absolutely not one thing wrong with using the
Montessori training methods at home. And for my friend teaching
Montessori to homeschoolers has worked so well that she is now
teaching the children of her former students--at home.
I am not trying to advocate Montessori over any other method--for me
it was a place to begin for my children because of my friend. I have
unschooled myself ever since about 5th-6th grade--when public schools
began and continued to let me down. Imagine my surprise when
vocational schools and college classes also let me down when I fell
under pressure to conform and 'earn' a 'proper education'. I am an
eclectic learner--and I've never tried to teach anyone other than
myself--which is why I have been reaching out to every resource I
know in order to find something that will work for us--until the kids
look at me and say I want to do this--otherwise every moment with
them has been and always shall be a learning experience on both sides-
-but now I have a model upon which to structure things--in case I
ever need to explain to the state here's what we do and why.
That's just my 2 cents worth--thank you for listening.
Namaste--
Tabitha