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In a message dated 3/18/04 7:59:05 PM, jnjstau@... writes:

<< Walking up to a school-at-homer and telling them they are all wet and

unschooling is the only way to go isn't going to get me very far. Having

them see me with my kids, spend time with us playing and learning, modelling

unschooling for them might. >>

Sure. My kids are out there. Lots of homeschoolers in town here know my
kids. Lots of them know me. Lately fewer of the new ones do, though, because I
can no longer stand to sit on a park bench with a mom while the kids play, and
have her complain to me that she can't figure out how to make her kid do his
math. Or to debate with someone whether she should make her kids write for
their own good. They're five or six.

I don't want to do one-on-one face-to-face same-old explanation that really
she doesn't have to do that at all. But I'm not willing to smile wanly and say
"yeah, that's hard; good luck."

The problem in these cases is how much work do I want to have to do to
maintain my own integrity? I don't want to seem to agree with "they have to do
their work" talk, and I don't want to recite the precepts of unschooling three
times a playgroup hour.

(I know there are alternatives, and I've been there and done that, and my
current plan is to mostly hang out with homeschoolers I already know.)

Sandra