dail

You wrote:
> Our children are wise. Their goals will most likely be so far beyond the
mere "teaching" goals that we could devise for them.<

I do agree that trusting in unschooling opens connections and threads for
our kids every where that we as a 'teacher' would not see.
Being allowed to think freely allows them to understand things differently
than the way I was educated. I am amazed and delighted to hear the
connections Rowan finds by herself. Things I never thought of so if I was
limiting how what she 'schools' I could be closing doors I don't even see.

However, I think we as unschoolers we should not be upset to hear what
others are doing.
Rowan is very definitely an unschooler but she loves to do unit studies in
history. We did the greatest unit ever, based on Pirate Songs. These were
songs she grew up loving at the Renaissance Faire. Why would it not be
'unschooling' to say after hearing the word in a song for the umpteenth
time,
" I wonder if there really IS a place called ~Mingula~" [It is an island
off the northern coast of Scotland]?
Or, "Why would sailors be singing about Santa Anna?"
Rowan and I will continue to be casting sideways winks and grins at each
other every time another and another thread of this unit pops up though out
everyday life.

This summer we are playing a fantasy of being enrolled in a Hogwarts
Correspondence School.
She places letters in a tree and I send her 'lessons' based on HP books and
other magic or mythical subjects including Arithamancy. I choose lessons
I know [as her unschooling mom] that she would love to explore. In other
words she has already expressed an interest in them and I leave for another
possible time the subjects she has no interest in at this time. Just
because she is having fun w Numerology does not mean she wants to memorize
the times tables {{or maybe she will}} Or read the Diagon Ally Gazette,
write reports, take OWL tests......

So~~ this little section of our time together is not strictly unschooling
but that does not mean we are not unschoolers. All she has to do give me
any clue she is not interested and the game will change or stop.
We don't keep it up any longer than she wants to and she picks and chooses
how in-depth she wants to work in a subject thread.

If a preschooler is having fun learning history on their level, then that
too can be an educational game and unschooling.
Of course, to *ME* a preschooler's goal is to play and have fun, not do
school.

However, any parent who talks w their child naturally teaches their kid
language and about the world.
How many squares and triangles have you counted w delight as you walked down
the road w your three year old? :-)
Educational ops are everywhere. Why should we as unschoolers not raise a
question or two? Isn't that part of a daily exchange?

Unschooling is not unlearning and it is not only one way. It can be very
parent hands on.

I think you can have fun learning right alongside your kid and not direct
where/ when/ how it is they will proceed.

Dail


> <<<were my main teaching goals for our first year.
> .... Moving into American History next year......Haley is in Pre-K and
> loving it. >>>

> If you do not wish to Unschool, then don't! However this is an Unschooling
> list


>
> Unschooling does not divide the world into grades or subjects. If allowed
to
> follow their interests without prodding, our children will make more
> connections than we can dream of for them.

Robyn Coburn

<<However, I think we as unschoolers we should not be upset to hear what
others are doing.>>

A person who talks about "teaching goals" is not unschooling, or helping
others move towards an understanding of what unschooling is.


<<<So~~ this little section of our time together is not strictly unschooling
but that does not mean we are not unschoolers. All she has to do give me
any clue she is not interested and the game will change or stop.>>>

I think all of your activities sound entirely "strictly unschooling"
actually, and truly delightful.

<<<If a preschooler is having fun learning history on their level, then that
too can be an educational game and unschooling.
Of course, to *ME* a preschooler's goal is to play and have fun, not do
school.>>>

My impression of the other poster was that *her goals* were what was
important, and she was going to do all she could to make *her goals*
continue to be fun and enjoyable for her kids. That's fine, but it is not
unschooling. She has a prearranged timetable for commencing American
History. That is not unschooling. If the kid is interested in Am. History,
let her start at once in some way. If the kid has not expressed any
interest....well don't have a plan tied to a date in the future.

In unschooling the phrase "she may NEVER become interested in American
History" is not terrifying, nor a reason to institute controls over the
kid's education.

<<<However, any parent who talks w their child naturally teaches their kid
language and about the world.>>>

There was a recent thread about then idea of "teach" as a verb, or maybe I'm
thinking of Sandra's essay on the subject ( www.sandradodd.com ). It doesn't
help people to keep that in their mind as how they are interacting with
their children, IF they are trying to become unschoolers.

I liken it a bit to when you have a food sensitivity and you are on an
elimination diet. You have to get rid of *all* the dangerous food for a
period of time (in this case schoolish language) to become desensitized.
Eventually you are able to reintroduce limited amounts of the food without
it causing a reaction.


<<<How many squares and triangles have you counted w delight as you walked
down the road w your three year old? :-)>>>

None. I actually don't remember how Jayn learnt all her shapes, but she did.
I only counted for Jayn when she asked how many of whatever there was in
front of her. There is a world of difference between "Jayn learnt" and "I
taught Jayn".

<<<Educational ops are everywhere. Why should we as unschoolers not raise a
question or two? Isn't that part of a daily exchange?>>>

In a way you are speaking of the idea of strewing. However I like to live as
though *life* opportunities are everywhere and Jayn will learn what she
needs - both skills and facts - to engage in the activities that interest
her. Joyce (Fetteroll) once wrote that in unschooling "education happens as
a side effect". This isn't necessarily a "Basic" concept.

If you are raising questions because you want to know the answer, or notice
something your child might be interested in but hasn't spotted, or have a
shared interest that you are both exploring, the dynamic of the question
raising is different from raising a question in order to subtly or covertly
direct your child's attention or experience, with some goal of your own in
mind. Goals that might include ensuring your child covers a topic fully, or
gets a well rounded education. These put the standards of success into a
schoolish framework. See how easy it can be to slide back into schoolish
thinking if you are not vigilant. (I'm NOT suggesting that you are doing any
of that stuff, Dail!)

<<<Unschooling is not unlearning and it is not only one way. It can be very
parent hands on.>>>

It is unlearning all the bad habits and language we all had ingrained into
us over the 12+ years of education most of us had - good or bad as the
experience may have felt at the time.

There are practices that are not unschooling, however. If the way you are
engaging with your child is not unschooling, it harms all of us, especially
those struggling to change, if people who are "Relaxed" or "Eclectic" or
"Unit-Studies" homeschoolers are complacently calling themselves
unschoolers. No-one can control how a family wishes to label their
homeschooling style in the wider world. However on a list devoted to
unschooling I will continue to protest when the activities described and,
more importantly, the language used is not unschooling.

Unschooling is *more* parents' hands-on - because it is entirely
unpredictable.

<<<I think you can have fun learning right alongside your kid and not direct
where/ when/ how it is they will proceed.>>>

That poster was talking about her intentions to continue to direct the
teaching of her children.

Robyn L. Coburn

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