John Holt's vision WAS Re: Unschooling pitfalls
[email protected]
** I feel at this point it is tragic for John Holt's original educational
unschooling vision http://www.holtgws.com/whatisunschoolin.html
to be weighted down by the RU ideology-oriented email lists which dominate
the unschooling discussion on the net.**
Except that that *isn't* John Holt's vision OR his words. They're the words
of Pat Farenga. The lengthy quoted passage on that webpage titled "What is
unschooling?" is from a chapter in "teach your own - the John Holt book of
Homeschooling" that was ENTIRELY written by Pat Farenga. There is not a single word
of John Holt's in that passage. Not one.
Holt's "original educational unschooling vision" doesn't exist as such.
Having given up on reforming schools, he set about figuring out how to help
families rescue their children and keep them out of the clutches of schools without
having to fear the law and it's minions. He called that effort unschooling. No
one today uses the word unschooling to mean all homeschooling. That doesn't
imply that were Holt alive he'd object to our current usage.
Radical unschoolers of today have a legitimate claim to be following the
philosophy of John Holt. People who claim we have hijacked his vision seem not to
have ever actually read any of Holt's many writings on children and freedom.
He was a far more radical guy than most folks are comfortable with.
Deborah in IL
**************
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
unschooling vision http://www.holtgws.com/whatisunschoolin.html
to be weighted down by the RU ideology-oriented email lists which dominate
the unschooling discussion on the net.**
Except that that *isn't* John Holt's vision OR his words. They're the words
of Pat Farenga. The lengthy quoted passage on that webpage titled "What is
unschooling?" is from a chapter in "teach your own - the John Holt book of
Homeschooling" that was ENTIRELY written by Pat Farenga. There is not a single word
of John Holt's in that passage. Not one.
Holt's "original educational unschooling vision" doesn't exist as such.
Having given up on reforming schools, he set about figuring out how to help
families rescue their children and keep them out of the clutches of schools without
having to fear the law and it's minions. He called that effort unschooling. No
one today uses the word unschooling to mean all homeschooling. That doesn't
imply that were Holt alive he'd object to our current usage.
Radical unschoolers of today have a legitimate claim to be following the
philosophy of John Holt. People who claim we have hijacked his vision seem not to
have ever actually read any of Holt's many writings on children and freedom.
He was a far more radical guy than most folks are comfortable with.
Deborah in IL
**************
A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in
just 2 easy steps!
(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1215855013x1201028747/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072%26hmpgI
D=62%26bcd=DecemailfooterNO62)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Kelly Lovejoy
-----Original Message-----
** I feel at this point it is tragic for John Holt's original educational
unschooling vision http://www.holtgws.com/whatisunschoolin.html
to be weighted down by the RU ideology-oriented email lists which dominate
the unschooling discussion on the net.**
************
Why do you think these radical unschooling lists are so successful? Because we're so sweet? <g>
Why aren't there a zillion "academic only" unschooling lists?
If understanding that 'learning is a natural process' were limited to academics, wouldn't there be many, many successful groups with *that* as their focus?
When folks start questioning one thing, the questioning can often leak into other thinking---*unless* there's something stopping them. Power, maybe? Control? Fear?
I don't think Holt would find our lists "tragic" at all. I think he'd be kicking us to go furtherfurtherfurther. Have you READ his books? Read them, in order, and then get back to us. I'd have a hard time believing that anyone, after reading "Escape From Childhood," could see Holt as anything but extremely radical in his thinking about children!
But you know, *anyone* can start an elist about "non-radical" unschooling. Seriously. Maybe try it. Advertise it here.
*****************
Deb C wrote:
No one today uses the word unschooling to mean all homeschooling.
************
I'd say that there ARE people who use them interchangeably. That's *one* of the reasons these lists exist. But I think
they've been well-established as *different*. Although many people want to "claim" to be unschoolers, most school-at-homers (doh!) would never consider themselves unschoolers.
***************
That doesn't imply that were Holt alive he'd object to our current usage.
******
Having read ALL available Holt (and I also have an almost complete set of GWS---just a few
issues are missing), I'm VERY comfortable saying that he'd be pleased with our progress.
**************
Radical unschoolers of today have a legitimate claim to be following the
philosophy of John Holt. People who claim we have hijacked his vision seem not
to have ever actually read any of Holt's many writings on children and freedom.
He was a far more radical guy than most folks are comfortable with.
**********
I agree completely. When I first discovered unschooling (and its "patron saint," John Holt), I read each of his books, in order. I admit to being a little freaked out. But as I sat and *thought* about what he was saying, it just made more and more sense. "Escape From Childhood" was VERY radical and really made me see how far I had to go to even *begin* to catch up with Holt.
~Kelly
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
** I feel at this point it is tragic for John Holt's original educational
unschooling vision http://www.holtgws.com/whatisunschoolin.html
to be weighted down by the RU ideology-oriented email lists which dominate
the unschooling discussion on the net.**
************
Why do you think these radical unschooling lists are so successful? Because we're so sweet? <g>
Why aren't there a zillion "academic only" unschooling lists?
If understanding that 'learning is a natural process' were limited to academics, wouldn't there be many, many successful groups with *that* as their focus?
When folks start questioning one thing, the questioning can often leak into other thinking---*unless* there's something stopping them. Power, maybe? Control? Fear?
I don't think Holt would find our lists "tragic" at all. I think he'd be kicking us to go furtherfurtherfurther. Have you READ his books? Read them, in order, and then get back to us. I'd have a hard time believing that anyone, after reading "Escape From Childhood," could see Holt as anything but extremely radical in his thinking about children!
But you know, *anyone* can start an elist about "non-radical" unschooling. Seriously. Maybe try it. Advertise it here.
*****************
Deb C wrote:
No one today uses the word unschooling to mean all homeschooling.
************
I'd say that there ARE people who use them interchangeably. That's *one* of the reasons these lists exist. But I think
they've been well-established as *different*. Although many people want to "claim" to be unschoolers, most school-at-homers (doh!) would never consider themselves unschoolers.
***************
That doesn't imply that were Holt alive he'd object to our current usage.
******
Having read ALL available Holt (and I also have an almost complete set of GWS---just a few
issues are missing), I'm VERY comfortable saying that he'd be pleased with our progress.
**************
Radical unschoolers of today have a legitimate claim to be following the
philosophy of John Holt. People who claim we have hijacked his vision seem not
to have ever actually read any of Holt's many writings on children and freedom.
He was a far more radical guy than most folks are comfortable with.
**********
I agree completely. When I first discovered unschooling (and its "patron saint," John Holt), I read each of his books, in order. I admit to being a little freaked out. But as I sat and *thought* about what he was saying, it just made more and more sense. "Escape From Childhood" was VERY radical and really made me see how far I had to go to even *begin* to catch up with Holt.
~Kelly
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Robin Bentley
>Reading "Escape from Childhood" confirmed that for me!
>
> Radical unschoolers of today have a legitimate claim to be following
> the
> philosophy of John Holt. People who claim we have hijacked his
> vision seem not to
> have ever actually read any of Holt's many writings on children and
> freedom.
> He was a far more radical guy than most folks are comfortable with.
Robin B.