Maisha Khalfani

I'm wondering: has anyone had a husband who was gung-ho about radical unschooling? Or did anyone's husband come to them and say "I want to do radical unschooling" and the wife said "oh heck no!"?

It seems like it's easier for the women to accept ru as a way of living. Could it be because men are more comfortable with a hierarchy and feel better with structure? I'm just wondering if there are any dads out there who had to convince the moms of ru.

I know in my home I'm still working on introducing ru here in a very slow way - LOL. Dh is not interested in hearing about how our kids should be allowed to stay up until they decide to go to sleep, or them just going into the kitchen to get anything to eat. Oh well,,,we're working on it.

Maisha
http://khalfanifamilyadventures.blogspot.com/<http://khalfanifamilyadventures.blogspot.com/>
"Don't be afraid of showing affection. Be warm and tender, thoughtful and affectionate. Mankind is more helped by sympathy than by service. Love is more than money, and a kind word will give more pleasure than a present."
~ Jean Baptiste Lacordaire
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/<http://lifeacademy.homeschooljournal.net/>



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

Joanne

--- In [email protected], "Maisha Khalfani"
<earthspirit393@...> wrote:
>>>>I'm wondering: has anyone had a husband who was gung-ho about
radical unschooling? Or did anyone's husband come to them and
say "I want to do radical unschooling" and the wife said "oh heck
no!"?>>>>


I don't know of any husbands who came to RU first, every instance
I've heard of it was the wife who brought the idea to the table.
Maybe someone else here has heard of it...I'm curious now also. LOL

My husband is so on board with everything....he trusts me when it
comes to our kids. Like you, we moved towards RU slowly (and still
moving). It's been a great journey so far. I think it will always be
a journey for us. :-)

~ Joanne ~
Mom to Jacqueline (7), Shawna (10) & Cimion (13)
Adopted into our hearts October 30, 2003
http://anunschoolinglife.blogspot.com/
http://foreverparents.com

Sylvia Toyama

I'm wondering: has anyone had a husband who was gung-ho about radical unschooling?

*****

I found homeschooling and unschooling, but Gary was an easy sell. He's at least as convinced of RU as I am, and very happy we've found it.

Sylvia


Mom to Will (21) Andy (9) and Dan (5)

Let the beauty you love be what you do -- Rumi









---------------------------------
New Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Call regular phones from your PC and save big.

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

Melissa

Me me me!!! I know a family like that. Not ours of course. But my
friends from church (who actually encouraged me to take the kids out
of school) consist of a stay-at-home dad who homeschools. He was the
first one to bring up unschooling to me. He wants to do it, but his
wife is so adamantly opposed that when he kept bringing it up she
insisted on a curriculum at their home and enrolled the kids in a
classical academy that meets twice a week. She's a computer tech and
while they both value a good mind, her vision is a well-trained mind.
sigh.

Melissa
Mom to Josh (11), Breanna (8), Emily (7), Rachel (6), Sam (4), Dan
(2), and Avari Rose

share our lives at
http://360.yahoo.com/multimomma



On Apr 10, 2006, at 11:33 PM, Joanne wrote:

> --- In [email protected], "Maisha Khalfani"
> <earthspirit393@...> wrote:
> >>>>I'm wondering: has anyone had a husband who was gung-ho about
> radical unschooling? Or did anyone's husband come to them and
> say "I want to do radical unschooling" and the wife said "oh heck
> no!"?>>>>

[email protected]

In a message dated 4/11/2006 8:49:00 A.M. US Eastern Standard Time,
autismhelp@... writes:


Melissa
Mom to Josh (11), Breanna (8), Emily (7), Rachel (6), Sam (4), Dan
(2), and Avari Rose



God bless you, you must have 2 handfuls there! Those kids have to keep you
hopping........I thought I had it with 4 boys, but you've gotten me beat by a
mile.

Mandy

(http://www.baby-gaga.com/) (http://www.baby-gaga.com/)
(http://www.baby-gaga.com/) (http://www.baby-gaga.com/)


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

[email protected]

I'm wondering: has anyone had a husband who was gung-ho about radical
unschooling?



My husband absolutely was gung-ho from the moment we went to a Live and
Learn Conference almost 3 years ago. In those first few months when we were
deschooling, he's the one who helped me through all those early days when our son
would watch TV most of every day as he deschooled from several years of
"school at home".

He seemed to understand intuitively that unschooling would help us all to
realize that learning was happening all the time. Our kids are now 13 and 16
and he truly "gets" radical unschooling.

I can't imagine that radical unschooling would work without his
understanding and enthusiasm.

Gail




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

Karen Mann

LOL...Today I posted a question about husbands at local group I just joined,
so I'm going to throw it out here since the subject came up. It's not about
husbands being "there", but how to get them "there".....

I do have a question for all you unschoolers in the group. Do any of
you have dads that aren't quite "there" yet? There are some days
that John is ok with all of it and then some when he wants to take my
head off. And it's always the same old complaints. Handwriting and
math. I've forwarded emails, left articles laying around, borrowed
books (and kept them too long...sorry Dawn) for him to read, but he
doesn't even read one word. I'd love to get him to a conference, but
there's none around here and it's tough to get time off to go out of
town let alone out of state. I'm open to any and all suggestions.

I feel like we're at an impasse. How about any dads out there that are
"there"? Any suggestions. He's fine with everything else: Bedtimes, food,
tv, video games, etc. It's just these two subjects. I have noticed that
quite a number of people have the issue with math, but the handwriting
thing? My dd (11) can print quite well. Her cursive is awful, but yet so
is her father's - go figure. Anyway...like I said before I'm open to any
and all suggestions.

Thanks!
Karen


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

Deb

--- In [email protected], "Maisha Khalfani"
<earthspirit393@...> wrote:
>
> I'm wondering: has anyone had a husband who was gung-ho about
>radical unschooling? Or did anyone's husband come to them and
say "I >want to do radical unschooling" and the wife said "oh heck
no!"?
>
LOL we are - DH is the at home parent so it really helps that he's
on board. I'm the one who was more likely to keep tabs on scope and
sequence ...note the "was" - that has faded away mostly over time.
DS is almost 8 and we've been unschooling since he was born and
moving more and more RU since DS was about 2 - food and TV controls
were never there and bedtimes were flexible and went away completely
when DS was about 4 1/2 or 5. When we looked up homeschooling (long
story) we decided that was what we wanted to do - then when we found
that unschooling had a name, that made sense. As with anything,
sometimes we have to deal with old 'tapes' and ways of dealing with
things that we've picked up from our own kidhoods. But we work on it
as it arises and move on.

--Deb

[email protected]

In a message dated 4/11/2006 10:16:57 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:

My husband absolutely was gung-ho from the moment we went to a Live and
Learn Conference almost 3 years ago. In those first few months when we
were
deschooling, he's the one who helped me through all those early days when
our son
would watch TV most of every day as he deschooled from several years of
"school at home".

He seemed to understand intuitively that unschooling would help us all to
realize that learning was happening all the time. Our kids are now 13 and
16
and he truly "gets" radical unschooling.

I can't imagine that radical unschooling would work without his
understanding and enthusiasm.



*************************************
Gail's husband is awesome. I had more of a chance to get to know hiom and
see him at the L&L conference in St. Louis, as he sat for hours doing henna on
small children who were usually shy, REALLY listened to kids (getting down to
their level, because he is very tall), was ALWAYS smiling....he is just
wonderful.

My son got to spend some time visiting them and they are all SO special!

Kathryn, who is hoping that Gail really is going to make it up to
Massachusetts for the Northeast Unschooling Conference

Come to the Northeast Unschooling Conference, Memorial Day Weekend, May
26-28, 2006 in Peabody, Massachusetts! www.NortheastUnschoolingConference.com



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

[email protected]

In a message dated 4/11/2006 10:17:44 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
MommaDukes420@... writes:

feel like we're at an impasse. How about any dads out there that are
"there"? Any suggestions. He's fine with everything else: Bedtimes, food,
tv, video games, etc. It's just these two subjects. I have noticed that
quite a number of people have the issue with math, but the handwriting
thing?


***************

Have you asked him exactly what does he think needs to happen in these two
subjects? My unschooling friend Anna is always telling me to validate first
(hard with husbands). So my advise (which I don't take myself <g>), is to say
something like "It seems you have some concerns with math and handwriting.
It is important to me that you feel good about what we are doing. Can you
tell me what you would like to see that you are not seeing?" My aunt, who
negotiates for a living, likes to say "what would that look like?"

Let him answer you.... don't get defensive at all. Do some reflective
listening to clarify and let him feel heard. Then you might say "Oh, I want to
think about that and get back to you." Think about what he has said. If he
says something like "math sheets everyday", you might think of an alternative
that is more in line with the unschooling, like a game. He might be happy
if you were able to give him some sort of "proof" every week or so. He might
just need to feel validated and the issue will drop.

It depends on his level of upset. If he is really upset, you might have to
enlist the kids' help to do some things for him. Unfortunately, if he is
anything like my husband, giving him more and more proof that it works will not
be effective if it is an issue he is stuck on. You gotta validate and then
get creative!

Leslie in SC


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

Melissa

Hehe! That's what everyone says. i love it though, they keep me on my
feet, but if I didn't have that I'd be a lazy mom!

Seriously, I think having a big family makes it easier to swirl/
strew, because there are so many different personalities and
interests, and tons of stuff around. The kids totally feed off of
each other, and now that I've finally dumped all the schooly stuff, I
have more time for things *I'm* interested in and the kids are
interested in those too! It's awesome
Melissa
Mom to Josh (11), Breanna (8), Emily (7), Rachel (6), Sam (4), Dan
(2), and Avari Rose

share our lives at
http://360.yahoo.com/multimomma



On Apr 11, 2006, at 8:51 AM, LuvnMomma24boys@... wrote:
>
>
> God bless you, you must have 2 handfuls there! Those kids have to
> keep you
> hopping........I thought I had it with 4 boys, but you've gotten
> me beat by a
> mile.

[email protected]

>>I'm wondering: has anyone had a husband who was gung-ho about radical unschooling?>>

My husband Jon got it immediately. Truth be told, I think he got it before I did, but he didn't know it had a name. He went along with me putting Conor in school, but in his heart it never considered it a valuable experience for him. Unschooling is second nature for Jon.

Here's a letter to the editor he wrote recently on his experience as an unschooler.
----------------------------------------------------------
"The biggest problem with �schooling� is that, at best, it works for about 80% of the population. The kids in the top 10 percent are bored silly and the kids on the bottom fall out of the system completely. I�m a bottom 10 percenter myself. I stopped going to class in 8th grade because I was constantly told that I would
be a failure if I couldn�t do better than a C-minus average. I eventually dropped out and left home.

Since then I have taught myself typography, programming, SGML, marketing, cooking, candle making, and screenwriting (Honorable Mention, Best of The West Film Festival, 1999, �Life�). I pursued those endeavors because they interested me. It is certain that no school would have taught me those disparate subjects; even programming wasn�t available to me because of my infinite deficiencies in mathematics. Interestingly, I became a programmer without any of the prerequisite math that educators demand.

In 2003 I left a programming job to buy a modest coffee shop in Corvallis�before that day I had never been in a coffee shop, worked in food service, or owned a business. I set about teaching myself restaurant management, bookkeeping, plumbing, business management, and a slew of other things. I have recently
expanded that caf� into a popular and beloved eatery that contributes to downtown Corvallis� character.

Academically speaking, I am an utter failure; and yet that fact has proven to be completely irrelevant in my life. I am an autodidact. I am an unschooler."

--
~Mary
http://zenmommasgarden.blogspot.com/

"The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the
green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly
alive."
~Thich Nhat Hanh

-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "Maisha Khalfani" <earthspirit393@...>

Pampered Chef Michelle

On 4/10/06, Maisha Khalfani <earthspirit393@...> wrote:
>
> I'm wondering: has anyone had a husband who was gung-ho about radical
> unschooling? Or did anyone's husband come to them and say "I want to do
> radical unschooling" and the wife said "oh heck no!"?


Dan (my ex and co-parent) and I always wanted to live an "unschooly" life.
It was that radical hippy subversive part of us. Dan's biggest issue was
not all anything to do with unschooling. It was what society or the
government (school board mostly) would think. I think he had a few years of
fearing that somehow we might be doing something wrong and get in trouble
for it and then the children would pay for our subversiveness. He also went
through a time when he was concerned that if we truly unschooled and
something was to happen to one of us that the children would need to go back
into school and might be lost. Sort of like the doctor who tells the
breastfeeding mom to give her baby a bottle periodically so that if she dies
the baby wont' starve to death. I think the kids getting older and more
self sufficient has eased this concern some. They did go to school for the
one year that we were living in two different states only because I needed
to work part time and couldn't figure out how to make it all work. OK,
Emily went for a few months before she told me it was bogus and quit going.
:) He does panic every once in a while about math for some reason. (Why
is it always math?) LOL!





--
Michelle
Independent Kitchen Consultant #413652
The Pampered Chef
850-474-0817
http://www.pamperedchef.biz/michellelr
Ask me how you can save 60% on some of our most favorite products!


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

jlh44music

> Here's a letter to the editor he wrote recently on his experience as
an unschooler.
..."It is certain that no school would have taught me those disparate
subjects; even programming wasn't available to me because of my
infinite deficiencies in mathematics. Interestingly, I became a
programmer without any of the prerequisite math that educators demand."

> Academically speaking, I am an utter failure; and yet that fact has
proven to be completely irrelevant in my life. I am an autodidact. I
am an unschooler."

Awesome....
Jann

Karen Mann

How would you have responded? His reasonings for the handwriting is if our
technology should collapse, the only way to communicate would be through
cursive writing. Now to be completely honest, when he told me that I busted
out laughing. I quickly recovered, mind you, because he's absolutely
serious about this. My dd can block print or whatever it's called. She
does get writing time. We go through alot of ink cartridges and when we're
out, she's having to pick up a pen, pencil or crayon and write her cheats
down or whatever else she's working on. He sees these papers too. Plus she
can sign her name in cursive, and that's the only time, I think, she'll ever
need it.

As far as math is concerned, it's the blanket statement that everyone
uses......"She needs it". She gets some of her math through games. She
loves funbrain.com, neopets, sims, runescape and she's at these sites at
least once a day.

It's just so frustrating, because we're almost there. If I could get him to
a conference to meet other dads would be so helpful. We live down in South
Florida and it's difficult for him to get time off to go out of town, let
alone out of state. I just joined up with a local group down here and
hopefully he can talk with some of the dads here. Patience is truly a
virtue.


Karen



On 4/11/06, Leslie530@... <Leslie530@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> Have you asked him exactly what does he think needs to happen in these two
> subjects? My unschooling friend Anna is always telling me to
> validate first
> (hard with husbands). So my advise (which I don't take myself <g>), is
> to say
> something like "It seems you have some concerns with math and
> handwriting.
> It is important to me that you feel good about what we are doing. Can
> you
> tell me what you would like to see that you are not seeing?" My aunt,
> who
> negotiates for a living, likes to say "what would that look like?"
>
> Let him answer you.... don't get defensive at all. Do some reflective
> listening to clarify and let him feel heard. Then you might say "Oh, I
> want to
> think about that and get back to you." Think about what he has
> said. If he
> says something like "math sheets everyday", you might think of an
> alternative
> that is more in line with the unschooling, like a game. He might be
> happy
> if you were able to give him some sort of "proof" every week or so. He
> might
> just need to feel validated and the issue will drop.
>
> It depends on his level of upset. If he is really upset, you might have
> to
> enlist the kids' help to do some things for him. Unfortunately, if he is
> anything like my husband, giving him more and more proof that it
> works will not
> be effective if it is an issue he is stuck on. You gotta validate and
> then
> get creative!
>
> Leslie in SC
>
>


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

aplan4life

That is my mother's reasoning too. Frankly, I believe printing is
easily picked up even if one has never done it, the only requirement
would be having something handy with lettering...I'm pretty sure that
if technology collapsed we'd still have billboards and books in which
to fumble printing, if needed....LOL

--- In [email protected], "Karen Mann"
<MommaDukes420@...> wrote:
>
> How would you have responded? His reasonings for the handwriting is
if our
> technology should collapse, the only way to communicate would be through
> cursive writing.

[email protected]

-----Original Message-----
From: Karen Mann <MommaDukes420@...>

How would you have responded? His reasonings for the handwriting is
if our
technology should collapse, the only way to communicate would be through
cursive writing. Now to be completely honest, when he told me that I
busted
out laughing.

-=-=-=-

Yeah, I would have too! <g.

I would respond that, with unschooling, a child will not be afraid to
learn *anything* that she's interested in at any time. SO...if we were
to lose technology (My father says that when the apocalypse comes,
we'll all need to know how to ring a chicken's neck. Not exactly true,
but I get the gist.), she would THEN learn how to write legibly. And
probably very quickly.

Ask him *this*: when did he learn to use a computer? Well, I could be
aging myself here! <bwg> Some of you learned in school! We didn't have
computers when I was in school. They didn't show up until after my
first child was born---and boy, were they expensive!! But anyway. I DID
learn how to use one. Fairly well. My children have caught on more
quickly and are less afraid of the machins than I am. I'm always afraid
I will break something! <g> But I *have* learned how to use one. ALL of
us here have. Because we wanted to. Because we had a use for them.

Same with handwriting. When it's a tool she needs, she wil learn it.
It's not important to her *now*.

-=-=-=-=-



As far as math is concerned, it's the blanket statement that everyone
uses......"She needs it". She gets some of her math through games. She
loves funbrain.com, neopets, sims, runescape and she's at these sites at
least once a day.

-=-=-=-=-


Maybe "Math Out Loud" would help. When you are doing math---any
math---in your head, start doing it out loud---do the figurin' where
she can hear it. NOT to "teach" her something---just to show her your
method. Mine and my husband's are very different. He thinks in numbers.
I think in words &/or pictures. So my boys see different ways to do the
same thing. Duncan's a numbers guy. Cameron is pictures. It helps them
realize that there's more than one way and that not only one way works.

Also. If she needs it, she will find it narurally. If she doesn't find
it, she won't need it! Math is the ultimate unschooling example. It's
out there. We use it every day. Because it's out there. Because we use
it. Circular logic maybe, but it's true! <bwg>

-=-=-=-

It's just so frustrating, because we're almost there. If I could get
him to
a conference to meet other dads would be so helpful. We live down in
South
Florida and it's difficult for him to get time off to go out of town,
let
alone out of state. I just joined up with a local group down here and
hopefully he can talk with some of the dads here. Patience is truly a
virtue.

-=-=-=-

There are two low, low volume dads' lists: [email protected] and
UnschoolingDads @yahoogroups.com

Would he be interested?




~Kelly

Kelly Lovejoy
Conference Coordinator
Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
http://liveandlearnconference.org

[email protected]

In a message dated 4/12/2006 8:23:41 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
MommaDukes420@... writes:

How would you have responded? His reasonings for the handwriting is if our
technology should collapse, the only way to communicate would be through
cursive writing. Now to be completely honest, when he told me that I busted
out laughing. I quickly recovered, mind you, because he's absolutely
serious about this.
As far as math is concerned, it's the blanket statement that everyone
uses......"She needs it". She gets some of her math through games. She
loves funbrain.com, neopets, sims, runescape and she's at these sites at
least once a day.



***********

So what does he think she "needs" to do to get the math and handwriting she
needs? Like my aunt says, ask him "what does that look like?"

What I'm saying is instead of trying to talk him out of his concern, enlist
his help. I know you feel like this is contrary, but people tend to defend
their positions even when they know they might be wrong. He is stuck in handw
riting and math. How can you help him out of "stuck"? He can't hear the
truth while he is stuck.

That's why I believe in validating. By asking him gently what would he
ideally like to see happen in these areas, you are taking him seriously. Usually
once a person feels heard, they no longer need to defend and then they are
willing to negotiate and sometimes drop it altogether. He wants to be a part
of your daughter's world and he wants his concerns to be heard....it's only
natural. How does he think she should learn these things and can you then
find a good compromise?

You say you are almost there, that is great!! I think a little more
patience and giving him some understanding will go a long way.....maybe not
immediately....but it will happen.

An example. My husband is concerned that our son doesn't read. He wants me
to read to him every night and I constantly explained that Nick doesn't
enjoy it. Finally one day I asked him to do it, I am usually too tired anyway.
Perhaps Nick would enjoy doing that with his father more. I thought two
things might happen, either they would both love it and it would be a terrific
thing for them both or my husband would see for himself that Nick didn't enjoy
it and drop it. Well, my husband only read to him for two or three nights,
so I assume they didn't enjoy it. Nothing was ever said and my husband rarely
brings it up any more.

It might sound manipulative, but it is really more about getting out of a
defensive position and getting the energy flowing again. When I am hearing
myself saying "but, but, but....." I know we are in "stuck". Then it is time
to start validating the other person and really listening to their concerns
with an open heart.

Just my two cents....this is just something I'm learning at the moment with
my own husband!

Leslie in SC




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

Sylvia Toyama

How would you have responded? His reasonings for the handwriting is if our technology should collapse, the only way to communicate would be through cursive writing. Now to be completely honest, when he told me that I busted out laughing. I quickly recovered, mind you, because he's absolutely serious about this. My dd can block print or whatever it's called.

*****

Your dh actually uses cursive writing? And it's legible? Wow, the only men I've met who write cursive that's legible are survivors of Catholic school and a nun with a ruler. <g>

My dh only scripts for his signature. All other writing is block print capital letters -- mostly legible to me, but I've been deciphering his writings for 20 yrs. My brother and my oldest son also print except for signatures. Bro's print is like an architect, and ds has the most amazingly small and readable print in lower case letters. Both arrived at their current writing method around 16 or so, and both script like 3rd graders. My Dad writes cursive, but it looks like something written by a drunken doctor.

Even if one assumes the collapse of technology -- not an altogether unlikely scenario, IMO -- I would think that printing in block letters would be preferred over cursive. Too many people -- myself included -- personalize our cursive writing. In my experience, adults who write in cursive (I do) have mostly developed a very personalized, somewhat sloppy style. How useful would that be in a world where we've come to expect standardization?

Tell him that if technology does collapse, what your children will need is not lovely cursive handwriting, but a useful trade. In the world he worries about, there won't be quantum physicist or lawyers -- there will be farmers and bricklayers and carpenters.

Sylvia






Mom to Will (21) Andy (9) and Dan (5)

Let the beauty you love be what you do -- Rumi









---------------------------------
Talk is cheap. Use Yahoo! Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.

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

Daniel MacIntyre

On 4/12/06, Karen Mann <MommaDukes420@...> wrote:
>
> How would you have responded? His reasonings for the handwriting is if
> our
> technology should collapse, the only way to communicate would be through
> cursive writing. Now to be completely honest, when he told me that I
> busted
> out laughing. I quickly recovered, mind you, because he's absolutely
> serious about this. My dd can block print or whatever it's called. She
> does get writing time. We go through alot of ink cartridges and when
> we're
> out, she's having to pick up a pen, pencil or crayon and write her cheats
> down or whatever else she's working on. He sees these papers too. Plus
> she
> can sign her name in cursive, and that's the only time, I think, she'll
> ever
> need it.


He's planning for our technology collapsing by insisting on cursive
handwriting?

How does he feel about her learning to shoot a rifle? I mean if you are
looking at skills to take with you to the Apocalypse, you might at least
start with the ones that make sense.

Plus, she might actually like shooting :)

--
Daniel
( Blogging at http://key-words.blogspot.com/ )

"When the solution is simple, God is answering."
Albert Einstein


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

Daniel MacIntyre

I'll second this response. My previous one was poorly worded. Sylvia said
it right here!

On 4/12/06, Sylvia Toyama <sylgt04@...> wrote:
>
> How would you have responded? His reasonings for the handwriting is if
> our technology should collapse, the only way to communicate would be through
> cursive writing. Now to be completely honest, when he told me that I busted
> out laughing. I quickly recovered, mind you, because he's absolutely
> serious about this. My dd can block print or whatever it's called.
>
> *****
>
> Your dh actually uses cursive writing? And it's legible? Wow, the only
> men I've met who write cursive that's legible are survivors of Catholic
> school and a nun with a ruler. <g>
>
> My dh only scripts for his signature. All other writing is block print
> capital letters -- mostly legible to me, but I've been deciphering his
> writings for 20 yrs. My brother and my oldest son also print except for
> signatures. Bro's print is like an architect, and ds has the most amazingly
> small and readable print in lower case letters. Both arrived at their
> current writing method around 16 or so, and both script like 3rd
> graders. My Dad writes cursive, but it looks like something written by a
> drunken doctor.
>
> Even if one assumes the collapse of technology -- not an altogether
> unlikely scenario, IMO -- I would think that printing in block letters would
> be preferred over cursive. Too many people -- myself included --
> personalize our cursive writing. In my experience, adults who write in
> cursive (I do) have mostly developed a very personalized, somewhat sloppy
> style. How useful would that be in a world where we've come to expect
> standardization?
>
> Tell him that if technology does collapse, what your children will need
> is not lovely cursive handwriting, but a useful trade. In the world he
> worries about, there won't be quantum physicist or lawyers -- there will be
> farmers and bricklayers and carpenters.
>
> Sylvia
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Mom to Will (21) Andy (9) and Dan (5)
>
> Let the beauty you love be what you do -- Rumi
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Talk is cheap. Use Yahoo! Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great
> rates starting at 1¢/min.
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>


--
Daniel
( Blogging at http://key-words.blogspot.com/ )

"When the solution is simple, God is answering."
Albert Einstein


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

[email protected]

Even if one assumes the collapse of technology -- not an altogether
> unlikely scenario, IMO -- I would think that printing in block letters
would
> be preferred over cursive. Too many people -- myself included --
> personalize our cursive writing. In my experience, adults who write in
> cursive (I do) have mostly developed a very personalized, somewhat sloppy
> style. How useful would that be in a world where we've come to expect
> standardization?



***********

Excellent point, there is a reason architects and engineers standardize
their lettering on plans (in the olden days before computers....LOL!!).

I was in architecture school in the old, pre-technology days.
Personalization was highly discouraged. When I worked, some offices were very strict
about "this is how we letter" and you got a xerox thingie to tape on your desk
and you might have to re-letter your work before it was sent out if the bossman
didn't like it.

Leslie in SC


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

Karen Mann

>
>
> On 4/12/06, Sylvia Toyama <sylgt04@...> wrote:
>
> > Your dh actually uses cursive writing? And it's legible?


Oh, heck no! This is why I think his reasonings are laughable.

Bro's print is like an architect, and ds has the most amazingly
> > small and readable print in lower case letters.


I worked for an architect and tried to learn. I didn't and still don't have
the drive to practice.

My Dad writes cursive, but it looks like something written by a
> > drunken doctor.


This is the way dh writes..lol

>
> > Even if one assumes the collapse of technology -- not an altogether
> > unlikely scenario, IMO -- I would think that printing in block letters
> would
> > be preferred over cursive. Too many people -- myself included --
> > personalize our cursive writing. In my experience, adults who write in
> > cursive (I do) have mostly developed a very personalized, somewhat
> sloppy
> > style. How useful would that be in a world where we've come to expect
> > standardization?
> >
> > Tell him that if technology does collapse, what your children will
> need
> > is not lovely cursive handwriting, but a useful trade. In the world he
> > worries about, there won't be quantum physicist or lawyers -- there will
> be
> > farmers and bricklayers and carpenters.


I pretty much said all of the above. I said; my handwriting looks NOTHING
like the examples they had above the chalkboards in school. And should
technology collapse, highly doubtful, handwriting will be the LAST thing
society would be concerned with. I further said, I didn't think the person
receiving Hope's letters would think any more or less of her if the
letters were printed compared to pretty, flowery handwriting.

You know....I was thinking about what Leslie said about him needing to feel
validated. But, not necessarily validated, connected somehow. He works
long hours. Living in hurricane territory doesn't leave a contractor with
much spare time. Besides, this line of thinking of his about the
handwriting is very out of character for him. Hmm...need to chew on this
idea a bit more, me thinks. Thanks for all your help. :)

Karen
--off to chew and ponder


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

[email protected]

In a message dated 4/12/2006 9:26:16 A.M. US Eastern Standard Time,
MommaDukes420@... writes:


My Dad writes cursive, but it looks like something written by a
> > drunken doctor.


That is they way my hubby is, but my BIL has the most beautiful handwriting.
It looks like a woman's. It's amazing

Mandy

(http://www.baby-gaga.com/) (http://www.baby-gaga.com/)
(http://www.baby-gaga.com/) (http://www.baby-gaga.com/)


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

trektheory

--- In [email protected], "Karen Mann"
<MommaDukes420@...> wrote:
>
> How would you have responded? His reasonings for the handwriting
is if our
> technology should collapse, the only way to communicate would be
through
> cursive writing.

Ummm... has he never heard of manual typewriters? (Yeah, I know,
there aren't a lot around still, but they do exist!)

We also will still be able to talk. Last I knew, that is
communication.

The one thing that my ds has had to know cursive for -- and I ended
up guiding both he and a friend of his who also didn't know how to
do it -- was for taking the SAT. Yes, really -- there is a sentence
that they are required to copy in cursive. Neither of the boys
could do it, so we worked on that. (Those prep. packages are so
helpful -- otherwise they would have gotten there and not known what
to do!)

> We live down in South
> Florida

A friend of mine used to live down that way, and said there is a
really great homeschool group there. I'm envious, from all she said
about it!

Linda

trektheory

--- In [email protected], LuvnMomma24boys@... wrote:
>
>
>
> In a message dated 4/12/2006 9:26:16 A.M. US Eastern Standard
Time,
> MommaDukes420@... writes:
>
>
> My Dad writes cursive, but it looks like something written by a
> > > drunken doctor.
>
>
> That is they way my hubby is, but my BIL has the most beautiful
handwriting.
> It looks like a woman's. It's amazing
>
> Mandy
>

Not this woman's! But mine is better than my dh's. Actually, I
think my son's is better than dh's! My husband claims to be
ambidextrous -- equally bad in both hands. Not true, but funny.

Linda

[email protected]

In a message dated 4/12/2006 9:52:01 A.M. US Eastern Standard Time,
trektheory@... writes:

Not this woman's! But mine is better than my dh's. Actually, I
think my son's is better than dh's! My husband claims to be
ambidextrous -- equally bad in both hands. Not true, but funny.


LOL.......i can have very beautiful handwriting, if i take the time, but
normally i'm so busy, it ends up lookin like chicken scratch, and my oldest
son.......omgoodness........his is barely legible.......he'd make a good doc.

Mandy

(http://www.baby-gaga.com/) (http://www.baby-gaga.com/)
(http://www.baby-gaga.com/) (http://www.baby-gaga.com/)


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

Deb Lewis

***His reasonings for the handwriting is if our
technology should collapse, the only way to communicate would be through
cursive writing. ***

If technology collapsed would the postal service still operate? We'd
have horses, I guess.<g> Would all our old manual typewriters fail? I
have one from 1922. It hurts to press those keys unless I hunt and peck,
two fingers, poke, poke, poke. Maybe I couldn't find ink for it, but
then, could I find ink for pens? Could I find graphite pencils? Maybe
I have enough of those things squirrelled away to last forever. Still,
if I was going to hand deliver that letter I may as well just go there
(wherever *there* is, hopefully not China, because I don't write in
Mandarin or any of the other two hundred something languages of China)
and say what I have to say. Probably, "Why the hell haven't you fixed
things, do you know how hard it is to type on this old Underwood?" and
"Where can I get another horse, anyway, mine seems to have drowned."

Maybe I'd want to write a sign, "This way to the water hole." Or maybe
I'd like to keep that to myself. <g>
Maybe I'd want to hold a sign, "Will work for food." That would be
easier to read in big, bold print.
Maybe I'd sit and huff Sharpies until I didn't care anymore.

Maybe I'd just get busy with living.<g>

***It's just so frustrating, because we're almost there. ***

Unreasonable fears are not easily calmed by reason. <g> Keep sharing
what you find about natural learning and at some point some of it will
begin to make sense to him. Time will show him your daughter is learning
what she needs.

When one parent "gets it" the other parent can get left in the dust with
traditional thinking unless we pull them along. Keep pulling. When it's
all making sense for you and understanding is coming fast and faster it's
hard to remember it's not coming that fast to your partner. Help him and
be patient.

Deb Lewis

trektheory

--- In [email protected], Deb Lewis <ddzimlew@...>
wrote:
>
I find graphite pencils? Maybe
> I have enough of those things squirrelled away to last forever.

LOL! Don't forget -- we have to have paper, and not too many people
make it by hand. My bil makes paper, but it is with machinery!


Linda

Deb Lewis

***I mean if you are
looking at skills to take with you to the Apocalypse,...***

I'd definitely want a Mad Max car! <g>

***How does he feel about her learning to shoot a rifle? ***

Then I could shoot people who wanted to steal my cool car.... Oh, you
meant learning to shoot for food.
Soylent Green!

Deb Lewis, icky person with sloppy penmanship.