Allans Email

Hello all
I've been lurking a few days, and have enjoyed the posts I've read so far. I
don't have much to add yet, but when I came across this quote I found it so
appropriate for those of unschooling mind that I thought I'd share it here.

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is
> someone today.
> (Stacia Tauscher)
>


I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I look forward to reading more of the posts.

- Allan

--
Living well is the best revenge.
George Herbert
English clergyman & metaphysical poet (1593 - 1633)


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

Ren Allen

"I've been lurking a few days, and have enjoyed the posts I've read so
far."

Welcome to the list Allan. Feel free to make an intro. if you wish.:)

Ren

Deb Lewis

If you like quotes (and who doesn't?) there's a folder at
www.unschooling.info where people have posted cool and inspiring
unschooling quotes.

Deb Lewis

Deb Lewis

***If you like quotes (and who doesn't?) there's a folder at
www.unschooling.info where people have posted cool and inspiring
unschooling quotes. ***

Canine Cognitive Dysfunction. It either means my dog is crazy or I've
gone crazy from living with my dog. (my dog is driving me crazy! Right
now.) But either way I forgot to quote the original poster. Heck fire.

Here it is...
___________________________________________
Allan wrote:
Hello all
I've been lurking a few days, and have enjoyed the posts I've read so
far. I
don't have much to add yet, but when I came across this quote I found it
so
appropriate for those of unschooling mind that I thought I'd share it
here.

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he
is
> someone today.
> (Stacia Tauscher)
___________________________________________


Deb Lewis

Colleen Vaught

I have been reading anything I can get my hands on about homeschooling
and unschooling since my 15 yr old son informed me he wants to drop
out of school. He is living with his dad right now, and dad is trying
to get a job in South Korea. My son would have to attend an exclusive
private school there. He suffers a lot of pressure in a school
environment and is bored with what they expect him to learn. I am
working on my own issues from my schooling, as well as trying to find
the best way to show my partner that unschooling is the best way for
my son to have the life he wants. I am more flexible about the school
system because I am a born rebel and I tutored GED for two years to
adult women. I had to relearn math on a HS level in order to teach
it. It was so much easier to learn as an adult!!!! I'm talking 32
years old...not 15 and expected to grasp it. I am always
learning...every day I learn something, I seek out new things all the
time. This is something I was never taught to do, just a natural
aspect of my personality...I know intellectually that, if I can impart
that same desire for learning to my son, he will be able to realize
his life's dreams. It's just that I am afraid for him. I look back
and wish someone had told me about unschooling when I was 14...yet I
feel panicked about doing this for my son. I have trust issues with
him based on his lackadasical attitude towards life. I am concerned
that he will miss out on learning necessary life skills unless I push
him, which is the antithesis of unschooling. Yes, I am aware that my
son and I need to resolve the trust issue...does anybody have
suggestions for getting him started? I plan on letting him decompress
this summer, as well as conversing about life, unschooling, etc. I
have purchased a copy of "Teenage Liberation Handbook" and a couple
others for him to browse through and get ideas. Seems like this is
enough for a start...any insights? Anyone had a similar situation???
Thanks!

Pampered Chef Michelle

On 3/27/06, Colleen Vaught <savinbloodmoon13@...> wrote:
>
> I am concerned
> that he will miss out on learning necessary life skills unless I push
> him, which is the antithesis of unschooling.


Welcome! What life skills do you think he needs? Feeding himself?
Shopping for clothes, food, necessities? Washing his own clothes? Managing
money?

He may have more "life skills" than you think he does. :)





--
Michelle
Independent Kitchen Consultant #413652
The Pampered Chef
850-474-0817
http://www.pamperedchef.biz/michellelr
Catch our new wave of color!
Book a March show!


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

trektheory

--- In [email protected], "Colleen Vaught"
<savinbloodmoon13@...> wrote:
>
is something I was never taught to do, just a natural
> aspect of my personality...I know intellectually that, if I can
impart
> that same desire for learning to my son, he will be able to realize
> his life's dreams. It's just that I am afraid for him. I look
back
> and wish someone had told me about unschooling when I was 14...yet
I
> feel panicked about doing this for my son. I have trust issues
with
> him based on his lackadasical attitude towards life.

Are you sure you don't have my son? ;-) I have a 14 yr old,
though -- and I have heard stories about 15 yr old boys, from those
who have 'em. When the 5th Harry Potter book came out (we are big
HP fans, and were in a lit. discussion group lead by another fan),
the mom, whose son was 15, said, "BOY, did J.K. Rowling have 15 yr
old boys pegged!" So I'm waiting....

My son has always approached things differently than I do -- more
like my dh, I guess. But I was amazed when, finally, years after I
knew he was a morning person, he finally figured it ot -- that he
thinks better first thing, gets more done, understands things
better, makes fewer mistakes, etc., first thing.


> I am concerned
> that he will miss out on learning necessary life skills unless I
push
> him, which is the antithesis of unschooling.

Something I've heard, and take to heart, is that unschooling isn't
unparenting. I view some of those things as family issues -- my son
is a member of the family, and as such, expected to help, too. When
I ask him to do whatever (it varies), he generally does it
cheerfully (but remember, he hasn't hit 15 yet...), and does not
expect pay (I don't pay for that sort of thing, any more than I get
paid to do the things I am expected to do!)

What does your son see himself doing? My son (like so many other
teen boys, I think) decided he really likes designing computer
games, so he has made some of those. (Currently too busy playing...
but that's another issue!) I find that when I talk with my son,
voice any concerns I might have, he may have a different take on it,
or a solution that I would not have thought of.

Remember, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the
participate! (Sorry, chem. humor.)

Linda

Misty Felner

I have trust issues with
him based on his lackadasical attitude towards life. I am concerned
that he will miss out on learning necessary life skills unless I push
him, which is the antithesis of unschooling. Yes, I am aware that my
son and I need to resolve the trust issue...does anybody have
suggestions for getting him started? I plan on letting him decompress
this summer, as well as conversing about life, unschooling, etc. I
have purchased a copy of "Teenage Liberation Handbook" and a couple
others for him to browse through and get ideas. Seems like this is
enough for a start...any insights? Anyone had a similar situation???





Sounds like you're off to a great start. I also think you sharing your
ideas of unschooling with him will help your relationship grow. Keep us
updated.



Misty



_____

From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Colleen Vaught
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 11:20 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] New Member



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

Flo and Andy

Hi! I'm Flo, mama to a four year old son and an almost three year old
daughter, in the Baltimore area. I just joined this group recently, and
I've been lurking a little bit. I've read a little bit of John Holt (I'm
reading Learning All the Time now and it's fascinating), I've read The
Unprocessed Child-I'm really interested in kind of how unschooling works in
everyday life. I think that unschooling and unstructured learning are the
right path for my kids (my son has really already started to surprise me
with his discoveries and the things he's able to do without me ever having
"taught" him)-but I'm also a former middle school teacher. As such, the
idea of unschooling makes a lot of sense to me-just getting out of the way
and letting my kids learn their own way, at their own pace just seems so
empowering for them as opposed to traditional school experiences. But I get
hung up when it comes to documenting, and I worry they may miss
something-that's the teacher in me I think, that I need to learn to silence.



Anyway, I'd love to hear how unschooling sort of "works" for some of
you-what you tend to do on a daily basis and how you support their learning
without getting in the way of it. Also, how you manage reviews and
documentation-kind of "proving" that learning has happened, for the local
school district, if you have to do that (we do here in MD).



Thanks in advance,

Flo



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

[email protected]

In a message dated 6/23/2007 3:14:13 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
afjmichel@... writes:

Hi! I'm Flo, mama to a four year old son and an almost three year old
daughter, in the Baltimore area.


Hi, Flo!!! My parents came from Baltimore, and I'm a "Baltimoron" by proxy
as a result ;) My grandparents live in Olney, my aunt and uncle in Forest
Hill..and I "grew up" in College Park, eating Ledos (the original one, of
course!) and then the Creamery at U of M! Yummy! ;) Let alone crabs at all the
yummy, brown-papered places ;) Anyway, lol...sorry fo the Old Home Week feel, lol
but welcome! This is such a cool list. I've never been more (joyfully) forced
to think critically. The list is my own self education, and I hope you have
the same greatness from it that I have found.

Welcome!
Karen
Now in southern CA...



************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com


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

Meredith

Hi, Flo, I'm Meredith, unschooling mom and stepmom in the "hills an'
hollers" of TN.

> But I get
> hung up when it comes to documenting, and I worry they may miss
> something-that's the teacher in me I think, that I need to learn to
silence.


Something that I found helpful when Mo was little was to keep a journal
and turn what she had done over the day into "educationalese". I only
did it for a few weeks before I realized just how much learning was
going on all the time! Pretty astonishing.

My stepson, Rayan, has only lived with us since Nov, and I keep a blog
for "reporting purposes" if you're interested in seeing how that looks.
He's registered through an "umbrella school" for tedious legal reasons,
and that's reflected in the blog, but the main "reporting" we have to do
is to his mom, so I rarely mention unschooling. Here's the addy if you
want to take a look:

http://rayanschool.blogspot.com/ <http://rayanschool.blogspot.com/>

---Meredith (Mo 5.5, Ray 13)










--- In [email protected], "Flo and Andy" <afjmichel@...>
wrote:
>
> Hi! I'm Flo, mama to a four year old son and an almost three year old
> daughter, in the Baltimore area. I just joined this group recently,
and
> I've been lurking a little bit. I've read a little bit of John Holt
(I'm
> reading Learning All the Time now and it's fascinating), I've read The
> Unprocessed Child-I'm really interested in kind of how unschooling
works in
> everyday life. I think that unschooling and unstructured learning are
the
> right path for my kids (my son has really already started to surprise
me
> with his discoveries and the things he's able to do without me ever
having
> "taught" him)-but I'm also a former middle school teacher. As such,
the
> idea of unschooling makes a lot of sense to me-just getting out of the
way
> and letting my kids learn their own way, at their own pace just seems
so
> empowering for them as opposed to traditional school experiences. But
I get
> hung up when it comes to documenting, and I worry they may miss
> something-that's the teacher in me I think, that I need to learn to
silence.
>
>
>
> Anyway, I'd love to hear how unschooling sort of "works" for some of
> you-what you tend to do on a daily basis and how you support their
learning
> without getting in the way of it. Also, how you manage reviews and
> documentation-kind of "proving" that learning has happened, for the
local
> school district, if you have to do that (we do here in MD).
>
>
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Flo
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>




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

Brooke Cherry

Hello,
My name is Brooke. My husband Ryan and I have been unshooling our 8
year old son Adrian for a year and a half. I have been observing for a
week and find it high time to say, "Hello". We live in Wichita, Kansas.
We are not aware of any local groups. If you know of any that would be
great. So far everything has unfolded nicely. I am delighted to join
this group.

Nice to meet you

Brooke