Ren Allen

" Not all of the
radical unschoolers on this list started off as radical unschoolers.
Even Ren (shhhhh) had a child in public school for a while (gasp). :)"


My oldest child, Trevor, went to Kindergarten. That was '95/'96 and
he's been home since.

The harder part for me was not the unschooling, since we'd slowly
moved that direction from early on. The hard part was the "radical"
end of it, the chores and unlimited television.:)

I'm not asking questions to criticize anyone. I'm asking them in hopes
that some of the same questions that were asked of me, will cause some
deep examination and shifts in thought. I hope, because I KNOW how
much happier families can be through these shifts.
I know how harmful coercion is to trust and relationships. I know how
beautiful unschooling unfolds when a person takes the leap and chooses
joy and living in the moment rather than fear.

This list was created to help people not only understand what
unschooling is, but give tools, ideas and thoughts to help move
families towards radical unschooling. That's what we support here.

We can't possibly support both school/coercion AND unschooling. They
are opposites. There is no way to blend unschooling with
"relaxed/eclectic" because unschooling means NOT schooling.
Unschooling is about TRUST and if you aren't trusting your child, then
I just don't see how unschooling will blossom just yet. It's a
journey. One that will be greatly assisted by letting go of school and
schoolish methods, or the idea that children need to be made into
obedient beings.

Many of us were "relaxed/eclectic" for many years and wish with all
our hearts we'd trusted more. We're here to share why/how that trust
is vital and how much better learning can grow in your household with
that trust in place.

Ren
learninginfreedom.com

aplan4life

> Many of us were "relaxed/eclectic" for many years and wish with all
> our hearts we'd trusted more. We're here to share why/how that trust
> is vital and how much better learning can grow in your household with
> that trust in place.
>
> Ren
> learninginfreedom.com
>

I'm taking all of this in and upon further examination, I don't
honestly believe that it is my children that I don't trust but myself.
There is a deep-rooted reason for that and I really want to focus on
over-coming that fear of trusting myself. Even right now typing this,
I get upset because I feel so weak, so unsure, and I DO NOT want to
feel that way. Coming here is helping, I want this, I desire this for
my family...I just need to trust myself. Even more of a reason that I
need to do this ASAP is so that my kids can TRUST themselves as adults
to...see, I needed to write this out, I had to see it.

Thanks Ren, you've caused me to look even more deeply. BTW...I
ordered two John Holt books this morning..."Learning All the Time" and
"Instead of Education: Ways to Help People Do Things Better" and two
days ago I ordered "The Teenage Liberation Handbook"

Lesa McMahon-Lowe

once again, Ren, your responses are beautiful and truthful :) thank
goodness it didn't take long for radical unschooling to unfold in our lives.
. and we're so much the happier for it. DH still struggles with things here
and there but he's gotten better in a few short months.

this group as well as one other radical unschooling yahoo group are a great
support for me... thanks


~*~*~
Lesa M.
LIFE Academy
http://lifeacademy.homeschooljournal.net/

-------Original Message-------

From: Ren Allen
Date: 04/10/06 17:14:06
To: [email protected]
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] comments for Ellen on school

" Not all of the
radical unschoolers on this list started off as radical unschoolers.
Even Ren (shhhhh) had a child in public school for a while (gasp). :)"


My oldest child, Trevor, went to Kindergarten. That was '95/'96 and
he's been home since.

The harder part for me was not the unschooling, since we'd slowly
moved that direction from early on. The hard part was the "radical"
end of it, the chores and unlimited television.:)

I'm not asking questions to criticize anyone. I'm asking them in hopes
that some of the same questions that were asked of me, will cause some
deep examination and shifts in thought. I hope, because I KNOW how
much happier families can be through these shifts.
I know how harmful coercion is to trust and relationships. I know how
beautiful unschooling unfolds when a person takes the leap and chooses
joy and living in the moment rather than fear.

This list was created to help people not only understand what
unschooling is, but give tools, ideas and thoughts to help move
families towards radical unschooling. That's what we support here.

We can't possibly support both school/coercion AND unschooling. They
are opposites. There is no way to blend unschooling with
"relaxed/eclectic" because unschooling means NOT schooling.
Unschooling is about TRUST and if you aren't trusting your child, then
I just don't see how unschooling will blossom just yet. It's a
journey. One that will be greatly assisted by letting go of school and
schoolish methods, or the idea that children need to be made into
obedient beings.

Many of us were "relaxed/eclectic" for many years and wish with all
our hearts we'd trusted more. We're here to share why/how that trust
is vital and how much better learning can grow in your household with
that trust in place.

Ren
learninginfreedom.com







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