thetaberskifamily

I have just finished reading some posts on another unschooling list -
Christian Unschooling - and there is a totally different tone there.
Then there's Radical Christian Unschooling - a little bit more like
what you all seem to be talking about here.

Is there unschooling and then....radical unschooling, christian
unschooling, radical christian unschooling, etc.? Or is it all a
matter of everyone bringing their own interpretation to the term? What
is the true meaning of unschooling? Is it up to each individual family
how or whether or not they implement it beyond interest-led learning
and into parenting/discipline? Can you be a "Christian unschooler"
and really be what you are all describing as unschoolers? Can there
be a balance or is it all or nothing?

If another homeschool mom asked me if we unschooled - I could
confidently say yes IF I could clarify what we do not do...which would
be alot of what everyone here seems TO do. But is that unschooling?
So many questions.

Thank you again and again!

Rebecca - growing more and more leary of using the word "unschooling"
to describe what we do as I do not want certain more extreme/radical
associations/assumptions made.

[email protected]

Rebecca, first, I believe the Radical Christian Unschool is by my friend,
Susan. She's not on this particular list. She is a great mom and unschooler.
She set up that site for people like her, that people didn't have to follow
certain curriculums and spank to be Christian.

I asked you this when you first started posting and I'll ask again. Does it
matter what you call yourself? You may prefer to make up your own name
based on what you feel highlights what you do.

When I attended LaLecheLeague, they used to say "Take what you need and
leave the rest here." That is what these lists are for. You have brought up
some points, we have given our opinion and encouraged you to take your thinking
further. If you are fine with your thinking, that is fine! But if you ask a
question, you will get a passionate response!

When I first went to LLL, I thought I would never nurse passed a certain age
or do that weird thing they were talking about.....homeschooling! I would
sit quietly during those discussions and think to myself "these people are
crazy". But when I came up on those very forks in the road, I was SO grateful
to have learned about these ideas because they ended up being exactly what was
right for my children.

So what are you? A great mom who is passionate about her children? I think
so, that comes across. An unschooler, I think so. I'm not sure you are
interested in challenging other bits of your parenting right now.....if that's
true, that's OK!! But you may want to hang out here and continue to see what
others that have been down that road are doing. Just like my experience with
LLL, those ideas that didn't mean much at the time ended up being really
useful. In fact, they changed our lives.

Leslie in SC


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

Deb

Well, there's unschooling as in "we let the children lead in
academic areas and don't use curriculum or have grade levels or
tests. We trust they'll learn what is needful as they live life."
Then there's what happens when this trusting starts seeping out into
the rest of life - radical unschooling. That's when the idea "Hey if
I trust Suzie to learn to add, why not trust her to know when she
needs to sleep and when she wants to be awake?" starts percolating
through and all those standard societal assumptions start getting
questioned "Why does my 7 yr old, who has no *requirement* to be up
at 7 am, need to be in bed at 8:30?" And in both of these forms,
there are those who are Christians who look for support from others
with similar world views because within the larger realm of
homeschooling, the majority of Christians use a Christianized form
of public school (strict curriculum, school time, etc). Thus, there
is a Radical Unschoolers yahoo group for Christians.

Yes, it is up to each individual family if they choose to let
unschooling academics permeate the rest of their family life or not.

We're Christians, my DH has a Bible degree even, and we're radical
unschoolers. It fits quite well together but I won't get into that
long discussion here since this isn't the appropriate venue for that
exactly.

--Deb

[email protected]

Homeschooler---worries about what will happen in the future in both academic and personal areas, needs to work to appease the God of "what if" so "terrible things" such as the curses oflack of a corporate job or poor multiplication skills or, heaven forbid, cursing won't occur ever

Unschooler--has a gentler relationship with the God of "what if"...feels that concerns about education and learning are only for those unbaptised in the waters of Holt,,,,but holds on to the Heathen ideas of appeasing the God of "what if" in personal and social areas

Radical Unschooler--feels at one with the God of "what if", understands that this is simply a myth that has been passed down through the centuries, probably used to be a Homeschooler and then an Unschooler but by living as an Unschooler began to see the God of "what if" (even in personal and social areas) as simply being the man behind the curtain from the Wizard of Oz.

Hope that didn't offend anyone but all this does remind me of religious denominations.

Julie S.

----- Original Message -----
From: Deb <debra.rossing@...>
Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2005 7:07 am
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] Re: More confused...

> Well, there's unschooling as in "we let the children lead in
> academic areas and don't use curriculum or have grade levels or
> tests. We trust they'll learn what is needful as they live life."
> Then there's what happens when this trusting starts seeping out
> into
> the rest of life - radical unschooling. That's when the idea "Hey
> if
> I trust Suzie to learn to add, why not trust her to know when she
> needs to sleep and when she wants to be awake?" starts percolating
> through and all those standard societal assumptions start getting
> questioned "Why does my 7 yr old, who has no *requirement* to be
> up
> at 7 am, need to be in bed at 8:30?" And in both of these forms,
> there are those who are Christians who look for support from
> others
> with similar world views because within the larger realm of
> homeschooling, the majority of Christians use a Christianized form
> of public school (strict curriculum, school time, etc). Thus,
> there
> is a Radical Unschoolers yahoo group for Christians.
>
> Yes, it is up to each individual family if they choose to let
> unschooling academics permeate the rest of their family life or
> not.
>
> We're Christians, my DH has a Bible degree even, and we're radical
> unschoolers. It fits quite well together but I won't get into that
> long discussion here since this isn't the appropriate venue for
> that
> exactly.
>
> --Deb
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------
> ~-->
> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your
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> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> -~->
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> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

April

Except for those fortunate enough to start from birth, very few people go
from structured schooling to radical unschooling in a day, a week, or even a
year. It is a philosophy that can and does permeate all of your life,
including your parenting, and that can take time. Everyone will be at a
different place in the process and each family's journey will be different
in the time frame and the details. The goal of these groups is to come along
side and encourage people to go further in the process and sometimes that
can seem challenging. Whether you call yourself an unschooloer or not
doesn't have to change the process. For a long time I called myself a
relaxed eclectic homeschooler. I still use that term in some groups if it's
not the time or place to discuss unschooling. Every family comes to the
unschooling process with their own set of family dynamics, their own
world-view, their own values and beliefs. These will often be challenged
in the sense that people will want you to think through why you do things or
believe things. For myself, unschooling has deepened by faith and beliefs
because it has caused me to challenge these things and not accept anything
"just because", but to find the core of my values and beliefs. My values
and beliefs will influence how unschooling looks in our family, but no more
than my love of literature has influenced how unschooling looks for us.
Neither my husband nor I are athletic or into sports, whether watching or
participating, and that has influenced what unschooling looks like in our
house. We have friends that are way into sports. If has greatly influenced
their kids' lives and how unschooling looks in their family. If I had a
child who decided to explore sports, I would find a way to make it happen,
but it won't happen naturally in our family. I live my values and beliefs
with my kids. It is my desire that they share my values and beliefs, but I
cannot force them to do so. They have to find their own path and they are
free to do so. And yet, it can all be unschooling. Don't worry what you
call yourself, just be willing to ask questions, think about all the
different answers, find what works for you now and be willing to grow and
change as you learn more.



~April
Mom to Kate-19, Lisa-16, Karl-14, & Ben-10.
*REACH Homeschool Grp, an inclusive group in Oakland County
<http://www.reachhomeschool.com> www.reachhomeschool.com

* Michigan Unschoolers
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/michigan_unschoolers/>
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/michigan_unschoolers/
*Check out Chuck's art! <http://www.artkunst23.com/>
http://www.artkunst23.com
"Know where to find the information and how to use it - That's the secret of
success."
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

_____

From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of thetaberskifamily
Sent: Tuesday, November 01, 2005 12:27 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] More confused...



I have just finished reading some posts on another unschooling list -
Christian Unschooling - and there is a totally different tone there.
Then there's Radical Christian Unschooling - a little bit more like
what you all seem to be talking about here.

Is there unschooling and then....radical unschooling, christian
unschooling, radical christian unschooling, etc.? Or is it all a
matter of everyone bringing their own interpretation to the term? What
is the true meaning of unschooling? Is it up to each individual family
how or whether or not they implement it beyond interest-led learning
and into parenting/discipline? Can you be a "Christian unschooler"
and really be what you are all describing as unschoolers? Can there
be a balance or is it all or nothing?

If another homeschool mom asked me if we unschooled - I could
confidently say yes IF I could clarify what we do not do...which would
be alot of what everyone here seems TO do. But is that unschooling?
So many questions.

Thank you again and again!

Rebecca - growing more and more leary of using the word "unschooling"
to describe what we do as I do not want certain more extreme/radical
associations/assumptions made.






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

Su Penn

Deb, if you decide to get into it elsewhere, will you post a link here
(smile)? Do you have a blog or something? Or can you point me to where
others have discussed some of these kinds of issues? I'd actually like
to hear you talk about whether you attend church, what your
relationship is with Sunday school there, and so on. I'm a Quaker,
currently having some issues with how "schooly" our First Day School
is, and struggling with how to address it (if at all) with my Meeting,
so I'd love to hear others' experiences, though I think you're right
that this isn't the place

Su

On Nov 1, 2005, at 8:07 AM, Deb wrote:

> We're Christians, my DH has a Bible degree even, and we're radical
> unschoolers. It fits quite well together but I won't get into that
> long discussion here since this isn't the appropriate venue for that
> exactly.

[email protected]

Well, I'm a Director of Religious Education at a Unitarian Universalist
church, and unschooling has influenced that work for me dramatically. No, we
don't "unschool" the program -- I've never been able to figure out a way to do
that with lots of kids, volunteers, etc. However, I use lots of principles of
unschooling in planning the program.

The goal is to offer tools for the children's own spiritual journeys. We
treat the kids with respect. We assume that people learn best when they're
playing and having fun. (I also never have trouble getting volunteers, because the
adults have as much fun and get as much spiritually as the kids.)

I would talk to the folks who plan the program. Challenge them to make it
less schooly. Offer to help. Remind them that a Quaker meeting for adults is a
spiritual experience, not a class. (At least silent meetings...) Give it a
try.

Kathryn

In a message dated 11/1/2005 7:30:32 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:

Or can you point me to where
others have discussed some of these kinds of issues? I'd actually like
to hear you talk about whether you attend church, what your
relationship is with Sunday school there, and so on. I'm a Quaker,
currently having some issues with how "schooly" our First Day School
is, and struggling with how to address it (if at all) with my Meeting,
so I'd love to hear others' experiences, though I think you're right
that this isn't the place





Come to the Northeast Unschooling Conference Memorial Day Weekend, May
26-28, 2006 in Peabody, Massachusetts. For more information, go to
NortheastUnschoolingConference.com


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

[email protected]

In a message dated 11/1/2005 12:27:07 AM Eastern Standard Time,
thetaberskifamily@... writes:

Is there unschooling and then....radical unschooling, christian
unschooling, radical christian unschooling, etc.? Or is it all a
matter of everyone bringing their own interpretation to the term? What
is the true meaning of unschooling? Is it up to each individual family
how or whether or not they implement it beyond interest-led learning
and into parenting/discipline? Can you be a "Christian unschooler"
and really be what you are all describing as unschoolers? Can there
be a balance or is it all or nothing?



~~~~~~~~~~
Rebecca, it honestly seems like you are more "stuck" on the labeling, more
so than anything. As William Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet, "What's in
a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet."
I honestly don't think any is going to care WHAT you call yourselves. It
shouldn't even really matter. Why is it such an important issue for you to
label? This world is just chock full of labelling and it really gets tiresome.
If you are doing what's right in YOUR gut, in YOUR heart for YOUR family,
then THAT'S all that matters. Call yourself whatever, it's not (and shouldn't)
change what you do.
My family unschools... we don't use curriculum, we don't force anything on
our kids. However, we are not necessarily 100% following the complete
unschooling philosophy. We're new, and slowly wading in. We have "bedtimes", but they
are flexible. We do run around doing errands, and, yeah, there might be a
protest from someone, but we always make sure we do something fun during the
trip too (we are limited since we only have one vehicle and DH works full-time,
with no way of me driving him into work). We make sure we respect the kids'
feelings too. And we learn by living.
At this very moment, as I am typing, my son (almost 6) is playing Spyro on
PS... he is learning to read on his own because he gets tired of asking us
what it says. My daughter (4) is sitting next to me, taking over my desk
coloring. She asks me to color certain pages, which she has been watching me do it
intently. And what is she "learning" from that? She is now more careful and
staying in the lines as opposed to just scribbling. She's choosing colors from
the box of crayons that suit her fancy. And "learning" colors too... that
there isn't JUST blue, but cerulean and turquoise, and that the colors stretch
beyond the basics. And my toddler? Randomly wandering the living room amongst
the mess of toys, and picking out the Duplos and sticking them together. She
is also testing limits of how much she can pester her brother. And between all
of us, there is constant chatter. We are enjoying ourselves. And learning is
inevitable...

Jenny
Homeschooling in Greenfield, MA
Danny (12-1-99), Kelsey (11-1-01) and Evelyn (5-19-04)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire. ~William Butler
Yeats



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

Deb

--- In [email protected], Saulithyia@a... wrote:
>
>
> We do run around doing errands, and, yeah, there might be a
> protest from someone, but we always make sure we do something fun
>during the
> trip too (we are limited since we only have one vehicle and DH
>works full-time,
> with no way of me driving him into work).

Ah, so that means that any time you have errands to do, both you and
DH are available (since for the car to be there, DH must be there) -
which means one person could, in most cases (not all - signing a
mortgage in both names takes both people for example), be home with
whichever kid(s) don't want to go running errands. DH could stay with
A and B while you take C to the dentist. You could stay with A and C
while DH takes B along to the bank. And so on. The times when -both-
adults are *required* to be together to do an errand are pretty small
generally speaking.

--Deb

[email protected]

In a message dated 11/2/2005 5:18:26 PM Eastern Standard Time,
debra.rossing@... writes:

Ah, so that means that any time you have errands to do, both you and
DH are available (since for the car to be there, DH must be there) -
which means one person could, in most cases (not all - signing a
mortgage in both names takes both people for example), be home with
whichever kid(s) don't want to go running errands. DH could stay with
A and B while you take C to the dentist. You could stay with A and C
while DH takes B along to the bank. And so on. The times when -both-
adults are *required* to be together to do an errand are pretty small
generally speaking.



~~~~~~~~~~
For the most part. But, I am disabled, so I need him sometimes, with
shopping and such. It's a tight situation, but we deal with it. It's not like we're
out everyday of the week running around. Mostly once a week, when my son has
art class. DH is off that day, and we do things with the girls.DH does the
grocery shopping, since that's where he works. Once or twice a month, we will
do major grocery shopping, but the kids like that because they get a cookie
from the bakery and get to ride in the "cool" car-shaped carts. Thankfully, my
crew is easily amused and pretty easy to please.

Jenny
Homeschooling in Greenfield, MA
Danny (12-1-99), Kelsey (11-1-01) and Evelyn (5-19-04)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire. ~William Butler
Yeats



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