Hello, I'm new to the group...Sorry for delayed intro...
Donald and Sandra Winn
Hi,
We've been homeschooling for 3 years and I've finally
decided to go with unschooling after much
deliberation. My daugher 7, has never been to school
but I did teach her to read, write and do math in her
younger years. There was always so much time left for
her that she has not been negatively impacted.
Learning to her is a joy. OTH, my son was in the
system for from 3-8 and then I schooled at home with
him too, never settling in on anything.
I'm fortunate to live in Pensacola near Ren, who :-(
will be moving. Anyway, she has been a wonderful
inspiration to me in not just unschooling but with
another area that is very emotional for me. She
accepted me with open and loving arms and has been the
single most factor in my decision to unschool. For
the past few days, I've been at her new website,
pouring over the wealth of information. It is my hope
to become as wonderful and relaxed about unschooling
as you all are.
In all honesty, it is myself that needs to overcome
things and especially about my son. I've been a
"worrier" all of my life and it is eating "me" up to
see him not really be a go getter. However, I know it
is ME that needs to change. He is loving Harry Potter
right now so I am not complaining! He used to hate
reading and he has made it through the first 4 books
already in less than a month, he eats those books up.
He generally though is not very ambitious. He'll be
excited to do something and the second a little
thought is required, he gets a defeated attitude. I
try to be supportive but he'd just rather not even
try. Of course, this is my main concern because I
can't help but see this going into adulthood.
However, I love him where he is at but am worried
about his future. Also, I do realize that this has A
LOT to do with being schooled much of his life.
Today, on Ren's site I read that if a child has
choices but still isn't happy then something is wrong.
I asked Zachary if he was happy and he said yes. We
spoke about how he has freedom to choose what to learn
and he got so excited about having a chemistry set. In
the past, I've "tried" to unschool but unsuccessfully,
I'd panic and we'd start in with a schoolish type
approach. Lately though, I was reminded of Zak and
how much he learned about Egypt and it wasn't because
I taught him anything, he asked for things about Egypt
and we got em'. I haven't a clue why I panic other
than because "they don't know what the school kids
know."
My biggest and STUPIDEST stumbling block to
unschooling has been concern about me dieng. I don't
know why, I just do. I think "if I die what will
happen to the kids?" DH will have to work and they'd
never make it into school, I'd have failed them and
only made things harder. My mom was a HUGE "what
iffer" and sadly, this same thing has been the worst
plague in my life. My children are totally unaware of
my what "iffing" because I do not want that habit to
rub off on them, they are clueless to my concerns
about this area.
Anyway, I realize that that is a little deep, but I've
been watching the posts for a few days and see much
wisdom here. Maybe somebody knows someone who has the
same concerns and would be able to share how they have
overcome them, regardless of how petty they may seem.
:-) Looking forward to learning more about this
wonderful path of unschooling.
Sincerely
~Sandy Winn
__________________________________________________
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We've been homeschooling for 3 years and I've finally
decided to go with unschooling after much
deliberation. My daugher 7, has never been to school
but I did teach her to read, write and do math in her
younger years. There was always so much time left for
her that she has not been negatively impacted.
Learning to her is a joy. OTH, my son was in the
system for from 3-8 and then I schooled at home with
him too, never settling in on anything.
I'm fortunate to live in Pensacola near Ren, who :-(
will be moving. Anyway, she has been a wonderful
inspiration to me in not just unschooling but with
another area that is very emotional for me. She
accepted me with open and loving arms and has been the
single most factor in my decision to unschool. For
the past few days, I've been at her new website,
pouring over the wealth of information. It is my hope
to become as wonderful and relaxed about unschooling
as you all are.
In all honesty, it is myself that needs to overcome
things and especially about my son. I've been a
"worrier" all of my life and it is eating "me" up to
see him not really be a go getter. However, I know it
is ME that needs to change. He is loving Harry Potter
right now so I am not complaining! He used to hate
reading and he has made it through the first 4 books
already in less than a month, he eats those books up.
He generally though is not very ambitious. He'll be
excited to do something and the second a little
thought is required, he gets a defeated attitude. I
try to be supportive but he'd just rather not even
try. Of course, this is my main concern because I
can't help but see this going into adulthood.
However, I love him where he is at but am worried
about his future. Also, I do realize that this has A
LOT to do with being schooled much of his life.
Today, on Ren's site I read that if a child has
choices but still isn't happy then something is wrong.
I asked Zachary if he was happy and he said yes. We
spoke about how he has freedom to choose what to learn
and he got so excited about having a chemistry set. In
the past, I've "tried" to unschool but unsuccessfully,
I'd panic and we'd start in with a schoolish type
approach. Lately though, I was reminded of Zak and
how much he learned about Egypt and it wasn't because
I taught him anything, he asked for things about Egypt
and we got em'. I haven't a clue why I panic other
than because "they don't know what the school kids
know."
My biggest and STUPIDEST stumbling block to
unschooling has been concern about me dieng. I don't
know why, I just do. I think "if I die what will
happen to the kids?" DH will have to work and they'd
never make it into school, I'd have failed them and
only made things harder. My mom was a HUGE "what
iffer" and sadly, this same thing has been the worst
plague in my life. My children are totally unaware of
my what "iffing" because I do not want that habit to
rub off on them, they are clueless to my concerns
about this area.
Anyway, I realize that that is a little deep, but I've
been watching the posts for a few days and see much
wisdom here. Maybe somebody knows someone who has the
same concerns and would be able to share how they have
overcome them, regardless of how petty they may seem.
:-) Looking forward to learning more about this
wonderful path of unschooling.
Sincerely
~Sandy Winn
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
soggyboysmom
--- In [email protected], Donald and Sandra Winn
<aplan4life@y...> wrote:
18 wheeler passing me suddenly starts to swerve out of control?" all
that kind of stuff. BUT instead of stewing, I -plan-. I'm the sole
income in our family and DH is at home with DS (sounds similar to
your situation). So, I make sure (a) that I do what I can as far as
general health goes (b) that we have insurance that will cover them
for 6 months to a year's worth of expenses (mortgage, utilities,
food, etc) so that they can take some time to explore their options
rather than a panicked jump into something. For instance, even
though our mortgage has a penalty if you move in less than 10 yrs
(through the state, they want to build 'stable' neighborhoods) BUT
if there is a death or divorce, that is waived (if I remember
correctly). So, they could find someplace else to live (cut expenses
a bit perhaps) and extend that time. DH and I have discussed things
as well and it is likely that my guys would be able to arrange
something - and it gets more and more likely and easier as DS gets
older. He's 7 now but it won't be long until he's 12 or 13 and can
stay home by himself or go to a friend's house for the day or
something like that. Also, one of my SIL's (DH's middle sister) is
the daycare provider for our nephew and a couple of other children,
so we could possibly arrange that as well. And, it would be perhaps
possible that DH could actually take over my job (he has the skill
set to do it) - it's a pretty family friendly company and DS could
come to work with DH or DH could work some from home and so on.
I guess what I'm (longwindedly) saying is instead of worrying about
how they'll do in school if you die, make plans that would give them
and DH -options- should that happen so they can take time and decide
IF school is where they -want- to be or if there needs to be other
arrangements. It's not an either/or black and white situation. There
are lots of gray areas. And the older the kids get, the more options
open up.
--Deb
<aplan4life@y...> wrote:
> My biggest and STUPIDEST stumbling block toI'm a what-iffer too - I'll be driving along and think "what if that
> unschooling has been concern about me dieng. I don't
> know why, I just do. I think "if I die what will
> happen to the kids?" DH will have to work and they'd
> never make it into school, I'd have failed them and
> only made things harder. My mom was a HUGE "what
> iffer" and sadly, this same thing has been the worst
> plague in my life. My children are totally unaware of
> my what "iffing" because I do not want that habit to
> rub off on them, they are clueless to my concerns
> about this area.
>
> Sincerely
> ~Sandy Winn
18 wheeler passing me suddenly starts to swerve out of control?" all
that kind of stuff. BUT instead of stewing, I -plan-. I'm the sole
income in our family and DH is at home with DS (sounds similar to
your situation). So, I make sure (a) that I do what I can as far as
general health goes (b) that we have insurance that will cover them
for 6 months to a year's worth of expenses (mortgage, utilities,
food, etc) so that they can take some time to explore their options
rather than a panicked jump into something. For instance, even
though our mortgage has a penalty if you move in less than 10 yrs
(through the state, they want to build 'stable' neighborhoods) BUT
if there is a death or divorce, that is waived (if I remember
correctly). So, they could find someplace else to live (cut expenses
a bit perhaps) and extend that time. DH and I have discussed things
as well and it is likely that my guys would be able to arrange
something - and it gets more and more likely and easier as DS gets
older. He's 7 now but it won't be long until he's 12 or 13 and can
stay home by himself or go to a friend's house for the day or
something like that. Also, one of my SIL's (DH's middle sister) is
the daycare provider for our nephew and a couple of other children,
so we could possibly arrange that as well. And, it would be perhaps
possible that DH could actually take over my job (he has the skill
set to do it) - it's a pretty family friendly company and DS could
come to work with DH or DH could work some from home and so on.
I guess what I'm (longwindedly) saying is instead of worrying about
how they'll do in school if you die, make plans that would give them
and DH -options- should that happen so they can take time and decide
IF school is where they -want- to be or if there needs to be other
arrangements. It's not an either/or black and white situation. There
are lots of gray areas. And the older the kids get, the more options
open up.
--Deb
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/22/2005 2:48:28 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
aplan4life@... writes:
My biggest and STUPIDEST stumbling block to
unschooling has been concern about me dieng. I don't
know why, I just do. I think "if I die what will
happen to the kids?" DH will have to work and they'd
never make it into school, I'd have failed them and
only made things harder. My mom was a HUGE "what
iffer" and sadly, this same thing has been the worst
plague in my life. My children are totally unaware of
my what "iffing" because I do not want that habit to
rub off on them, they are clueless to my concerns
about this area.
Honestlt, I think this is a very valid worry... I worry about the same
thing. How will they cope? I had a majorly rough time after the birth of my
youngest, so much so that I was having nightmares of my own funeral. Yeah, morbid,
and terrifying. Thankfully, THOSE have dwindled down to maybe once a month,
but the worry is still there.
I think the worry part is natural. I am also a big worrier. I worry about my
husband commuting, at work... I worry when the kids are out of my sight... I
just deal with it. My husband humors me though, calls me on his breaks, on
his way home.
I've thought about talking to a professional about it, but, once again, I'm
worried they'll think I'm psychotic (I'm not, really) and want me on meds or
whatever. So, I just try to push all negative thoughts of worry out the second
they try to weasel in. And, instead, rely on my gut feelings. If something
truly is bothering me, then I will call whoever, find whoever, do something to
ease my concerns.
(((hugs)))
Not a huge help, but at least you're not alone...
Jenny
Homeschooling in Greenfield
Danny (5), Kelsey (3) and Evelyn (1)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire. ~William Butler
Yeats
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
aplan4life@... writes:
My biggest and STUPIDEST stumbling block to
unschooling has been concern about me dieng. I don't
know why, I just do. I think "if I die what will
happen to the kids?" DH will have to work and they'd
never make it into school, I'd have failed them and
only made things harder. My mom was a HUGE "what
iffer" and sadly, this same thing has been the worst
plague in my life. My children are totally unaware of
my what "iffing" because I do not want that habit to
rub off on them, they are clueless to my concerns
about this area.
Honestlt, I think this is a very valid worry... I worry about the same
thing. How will they cope? I had a majorly rough time after the birth of my
youngest, so much so that I was having nightmares of my own funeral. Yeah, morbid,
and terrifying. Thankfully, THOSE have dwindled down to maybe once a month,
but the worry is still there.
I think the worry part is natural. I am also a big worrier. I worry about my
husband commuting, at work... I worry when the kids are out of my sight... I
just deal with it. My husband humors me though, calls me on his breaks, on
his way home.
I've thought about talking to a professional about it, but, once again, I'm
worried they'll think I'm psychotic (I'm not, really) and want me on meds or
whatever. So, I just try to push all negative thoughts of worry out the second
they try to weasel in. And, instead, rely on my gut feelings. If something
truly is bothering me, then I will call whoever, find whoever, do something to
ease my concerns.
(((hugs)))
Not a huge help, but at least you're not alone...
Jenny
Homeschooling in Greenfield
Danny (5), Kelsey (3) and Evelyn (1)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire. ~William Butler
Yeats
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Elisa Allender
Welcome Sandy!!! Glad you are here! Your children are wonderful.....
you have no problem, you are doing an awesome job with them!
Looks like it is going to rain tomorrow for "pool" time, huh? Thanks to
Hurricane
Rita!! Dakota and I went to the beach today and walked the
pier.....fascinating!
The waves were crashing up under the bottom of the pier, we got soaked.
The wind
was so strong that when we got caught in the rain, it hurt like heck!!
Stinging rain and
stinging sand blowing all around....hard to believe the storm isn't even
coming here!
Let me know about tomorrow......and welcome to this group. I learn a
lot from this group.
Oh yeah, one more thing....I have had the same thoughts about
dying....what if something happens
to me? Will Dakota be put in school or allowed to continue
unschooling? I have gotten my mother
more on board than my husband....will let them "fight it out" LOL!
ELisa
Donald and Sandra Winn wrote:
you have no problem, you are doing an awesome job with them!
Looks like it is going to rain tomorrow for "pool" time, huh? Thanks to
Hurricane
Rita!! Dakota and I went to the beach today and walked the
pier.....fascinating!
The waves were crashing up under the bottom of the pier, we got soaked.
The wind
was so strong that when we got caught in the rain, it hurt like heck!!
Stinging rain and
stinging sand blowing all around....hard to believe the storm isn't even
coming here!
Let me know about tomorrow......and welcome to this group. I learn a
lot from this group.
Oh yeah, one more thing....I have had the same thoughts about
dying....what if something happens
to me? Will Dakota be put in school or allowed to continue
unschooling? I have gotten my mother
more on board than my husband....will let them "fight it out" LOL!
ELisa
Donald and Sandra Winn wrote:
> Hi,
>
> We've been homeschooling for 3 years and I've finally
> decided to go with unschooling after much
> deliberation. My daugher 7, has never been to school
> but I did teach her to read, write and do math in her
> younger years. There was always so much time left for
> her that she has not been negatively impacted.
> Learning to her is a joy. OTH, my son was in the
> system for from 3-8 and then I schooled at home with
> him too, never settling in on anything.
>
>