Joanne

During the last Unschooling Carnival (a carnival is a collection of
blog posts from different bloggers on one topic), two questions were
asked:

1. Unschooling feels, sounds or appears like a good philosophy to
follow, but ________ prevent me (or make me hesitant to) follow
through with it.

2. Unschooling my child(ren) has enabled me to see ________

Here's what I answered. I'd love to hear what all of you would
answer to one or both of these questions. I didn't answer the first
one.

I changed the wording from "has enabled" to "is enabling" because it
seems to fit me better.

Unschooling my children is enabling me to see that learning is
everywhere. The more they are out of school, the more I see the
curiosity and spark in their eyes.
Unschooling my children is enabling me to see that learning is fun
and enjoyable. Learning is not filling in a bubble on a test.
Learning is not being told to memorize a bunch of facts that they
could very easily find, in a matter of minutes, online or in a book.
Unschooling my children is enabling me to see that their interests
and passions are valid and important.
Unschooling my children is enabling me to see them...for all they
are and all they can become.
Unschooling my children his enabling me to see that life really is
for living and exploring and singing and creating and discovering
and trying and doing and being.

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

[email protected]

>>I'd love to hear what all of you would answer to one or both of these questions. >>

2. Unschooling my children has enabled me to see my children for Who They Are right NOW rather than focusing on who I need to mold them into for the future. It has enabled me to live in the moment with my family without fear. I can appreciate the beauty of what my children *do* know, while still helping them experience the things that are new for them. Unschooling has empowered me to question the answers instead of only answering the questions. It has enabled me to learn from every experience without being afraid of failing. There is no failure in unschooling. There is only learning from any misteps and moving forward. Unschooling is the journey, not the destination.


--
~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: "Joanne" <billyandjoanne@...>

Ren Allen

"Unschooling is the journey, not the destination."

That was awesome Mary. Anyone else want to take a stab?:)

Ren
learninginfreedom.com

Natalie Komitsky

Well I'm a newbie but what the heck...

Unschooling is sitting back and watching the movie... to watch what
will happen without deliberate teaching or scheduling of lessons, or
even propososition of topics.

It means spending your money on a home library and art supplies
instead of textbooks and tuition.

It means giving your kids the freedom to make their own decisions.
They will make mistakes that will provide much better lessons than any
lecture, and they will gain a sense of empowerment unlike any external
acknowledgment.

That's really what you want isn't it? To see your children grow up to
have the ability to confidently decide what is best, to seek out
knowledge independently, and to work toward goals that will allow them
the lifestyles they desire. Just consider yourself along for the
ride, on a train if you like, but not as the driver.

It's wonderful to be the one for young minds to bounce their questions
off of, to listen as they make observations about the world, to be by
their sides as they surpass your skills and abilities.

Someone asked me recently if I intended to put my kids in school 'some
day' - I responded by saying "Never Ever" This experience is too
rewarding to give away. But, I'll tell you, during a recent round of
"I want to go to school", I finally consented and gave full
unconditional permission for them to explore this fantasy they
imagine. After several days, my son came back and announced that he
would prefer to homeschool. I was so sad to have given this
permission, but so empowered when the decision to continue came from
him.

Salam,
Natalie

On 5/15/06, Ren Allen <starsuncloud@...> wrote:
>
> "Unschooling is the journey, not the destination."
>
> That was awesome Mary. Anyone else want to take a stab?:)
>
> Ren
> learninginfreedom.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
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