[email protected]

In a message dated 2/4/2002 8:56:30 AM Pacific Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:


> Sometimes people who come to unschooling think they have it. They think
> they get it. When their child shows an interest in insects, they run
> right out and buy that unit study. They let their kid play all day
> except for those two hours he has to sit down with the math text book.
> That is not unschooling, and if a person wants to understand I don't
> think it's helpful to let them go on thinking it is.
>

Noticing and allowing a kid's interest in insects seems kinder than saying,
"You don't get to study insects this year, that's not until 3rd grade." Major
improvement.

But, on the other hand, noticing that a kid is interested in insects and then
being so kind as to make their spelling words for that week be insect related
and letting them write their weekly essay on insects -- it just still doesn't
have that spark of unschooling in it and for our purposes, here on THIS list,
that needs to be said.

And, now I'm going to even contradict my first statement, above. If parents
are going to turn a kid's interests into "dreaded school work," it might be
better if the parents did NOT notice the kid's interests.

--pam


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