[AlwaysLearning] Deschooling
Nanci Kuykendall
I think I started deschooling in kindergarten. LOL
Well, at least I had a head start when I REALLY
started as a teen, because I never went all the way,
never played the game. I REALLY hated school. I am
sure some of that was the home issues and the
depression, but I used to hide under my bed or in the
attic in the carriage house/garage when I was in
gradeschool to avoid going. Even when I was there I
didn't do what I was told and seldom did homework. I
was a discipline nightmare for the school folks. heh
heh
When I got to Middle School, I got REALLY
uncooperative. ;-)
Nanci K.
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Well, at least I had a head start when I REALLY
started as a teen, because I never went all the way,
never played the game. I REALLY hated school. I am
sure some of that was the home issues and the
depression, but I used to hide under my bed or in the
attic in the carriage house/garage when I was in
gradeschool to avoid going. Even when I was there I
didn't do what I was told and seldom did homework. I
was a discipline nightmare for the school folks. heh
heh
When I got to Middle School, I got REALLY
uncooperative. ;-)
Nanci K.
__________________________________________________
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Dawn Falbe
Mary:
I wish I had a timetable from when the deschooling process is over with
me. Zak went to 6 pre-schools and last August when we decided "school"
wasn't for us I went through torture on a regular basis about was he
going to learn anything, should I be "teaching" him etc etc. Instead I
joined groups like this, read tons of unschooling web sites, articles
and books and just allowed myself to feel uncomfortable someday and on
others know we'd made the best decision. Zak is a kinesthetic learner
(just figured this out the other day... Seems I'm not too bright (LOL))
So being in "school" wouldn't work for him. I think that each day that
goes by I see what he's learning and how comfortable in himself he is
with who he is and that seems to be most important.
I have no support from my family and DH's family are teachers and say
nothing (wish mine would keep their mouth's shut) but we have the
support of a very large home schooling organization we belong too in
person and on the internet.
Just keep deschooling yourself and things will fall into place.
Dawn
Tucson AZ
I wish I had a timetable from when the deschooling process is over with
me. Zak went to 6 pre-schools and last August when we decided "school"
wasn't for us I went through torture on a regular basis about was he
going to learn anything, should I be "teaching" him etc etc. Instead I
joined groups like this, read tons of unschooling web sites, articles
and books and just allowed myself to feel uncomfortable someday and on
others know we'd made the best decision. Zak is a kinesthetic learner
(just figured this out the other day... Seems I'm not too bright (LOL))
So being in "school" wouldn't work for him. I think that each day that
goes by I see what he's learning and how comfortable in himself he is
with who he is and that seems to be most important.
I have no support from my family and DH's family are teachers and say
nothing (wish mine would keep their mouth's shut) but we have the
support of a very large home schooling organization we belong too in
person and on the internet.
Just keep deschooling yourself and things will fall into place.
Dawn
Tucson AZ
[email protected]
I came to unschooling later in my parenting life and I'm really interested
in/struggling with deschooling.
Has anyone sent their child to compulsory school and then taken them out to
unschool? What did the deschooling process look like to you? How did your
child do with it? How did you do with it?
Both of my school aged kids stopped going to school a year ago and we have
spent the last year blissfully at home, not under anyone else's agenda. Yet,
I'm still have a hard time with thinking more schoolish stuff should be done!
For instance, my son (almost 11), has anxiety about not being able to write.
He doesn't want to work on writing, but when he is faced with the task (like
at his beloved summer camp), he freezes. My school side says I should break
out a writing curriculum. My unschooling side says differently. I believe that
school has created a lot of anxiety in all of us!
So I guess my question to you is: Is deschooling more for the parents or the
kids? Is it a developmental process that will unfold over the years? Does it
ever end?
I would appreciate any deschooling experiences anyone would like to share.
************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
in/struggling with deschooling.
Has anyone sent their child to compulsory school and then taken them out to
unschool? What did the deschooling process look like to you? How did your
child do with it? How did you do with it?
Both of my school aged kids stopped going to school a year ago and we have
spent the last year blissfully at home, not under anyone else's agenda. Yet,
I'm still have a hard time with thinking more schoolish stuff should be done!
For instance, my son (almost 11), has anxiety about not being able to write.
He doesn't want to work on writing, but when he is faced with the task (like
at his beloved summer camp), he freezes. My school side says I should break
out a writing curriculum. My unschooling side says differently. I believe that
school has created a lot of anxiety in all of us!
So I guess my question to you is: Is deschooling more for the parents or the
kids? Is it a developmental process that will unfold over the years? Does it
ever end?
I would appreciate any deschooling experiences anyone would like to share.
************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at
http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-So I guess my question to you is: Is deschooling more for the
parents or the
kids? Is it a developmental process that will unfold over the years?
Does it
ever end?-=-
Mostly parents, it will unfold forever, and parents need to work at
it (in themselves), not just wait passively.
If you haven't followed all the links here, I bet it will help
immensely:
http://sandradodd.com/deschooling
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
parents or the
kids? Is it a developmental process that will unfold over the years?
Does it
ever end?-=-
Mostly parents, it will unfold forever, and parents need to work at
it (in themselves), not just wait passively.
If you haven't followed all the links here, I bet it will help
immensely:
http://sandradodd.com/deschooling
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Ed Wendell
Our son is 13 and attended a public school for 6 years (age 3 through mid third grade) He has been at home and unschooled since the day we pulled him out. It has been 4.5 years.
I'd say I am still deschooling. I still find myself reading about dyslexia and dysgraphia when it comes to my attention - though I do not search it out. I find the brain process fascinating. Maybe some of the reading helps me realize that our son being able to say all 12 months of the year, but never in order is "normal" for his dyslexic brain. (I cannot say them all without saying them in order) But through the unschooling / deschooling process I also know that he will either learn it when he needs to or he will learn to use a planner to help him in his adult life (or some other tool to aide himself).
Our son is 13 and still does not write - well rarely anyway. There have been a few times within the past couple of months he has spontaneously written several pages documenting some game he played. He balks at even signing his name - which he had to do to take riding lessons this fall. He has also taken an interest in reading game guides and Manga books within the past year. A year ago he was still asking for everything to be read to him; now he will read an entire Manga series or a 100 page game guide (single spaced and size 12 font).
In the beginning he built with legos and anything else he could get his hands on: rocks, sticks, blankets, pillows, furniture, Zomes, boxes, Imaginext, boards. He would spend days and weeks building complex structures in the family room - or digging a hole in the back yard. He looked at a lot of books - such as eyewitness - learning from pictures and small captions beneath them. Anything visual was/is up for grabs with him - such as books, videos, movies, documentaries, TV, DVD's, Board games, computer games, recently he has taken an interest in system games such as Play Station II, Wii, etc.
(I do believe it was cheaper to dig a hole - ;)
Not sure if this was deschooling or unschooling. He still won't do anything remotely resembling schooly classes - for example an art class that requires writing as well as construction; but then he talks about college some day - go figure!
Lisa W.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I'd say I am still deschooling. I still find myself reading about dyslexia and dysgraphia when it comes to my attention - though I do not search it out. I find the brain process fascinating. Maybe some of the reading helps me realize that our son being able to say all 12 months of the year, but never in order is "normal" for his dyslexic brain. (I cannot say them all without saying them in order) But through the unschooling / deschooling process I also know that he will either learn it when he needs to or he will learn to use a planner to help him in his adult life (or some other tool to aide himself).
Our son is 13 and still does not write - well rarely anyway. There have been a few times within the past couple of months he has spontaneously written several pages documenting some game he played. He balks at even signing his name - which he had to do to take riding lessons this fall. He has also taken an interest in reading game guides and Manga books within the past year. A year ago he was still asking for everything to be read to him; now he will read an entire Manga series or a 100 page game guide (single spaced and size 12 font).
In the beginning he built with legos and anything else he could get his hands on: rocks, sticks, blankets, pillows, furniture, Zomes, boxes, Imaginext, boards. He would spend days and weeks building complex structures in the family room - or digging a hole in the back yard. He looked at a lot of books - such as eyewitness - learning from pictures and small captions beneath them. Anything visual was/is up for grabs with him - such as books, videos, movies, documentaries, TV, DVD's, Board games, computer games, recently he has taken an interest in system games such as Play Station II, Wii, etc.
(I do believe it was cheaper to dig a hole - ;)
Not sure if this was deschooling or unschooling. He still won't do anything remotely resembling schooly classes - for example an art class that requires writing as well as construction; but then he talks about college some day - go figure!
Lisa W.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
wisdomalways5
--- In [email protected], Woebetty@... wrote:
not able to spell begining words- more specifically sight words. He
was not able to complete ANY worksheets because of this.
Now 2 yrs later he plays world of warcraft almost 10 hrs a day-
which mostly included typing for chat- I know he is learning to
spell and a few times has told me that he write down words he uses
often and then "learns" them.
We have gone back and forth on if it is my job to "teach" him to
spell. I have told him that he will either learn to spell things he
needs or will find a way to survive without spelling.
>to write.
> For instance, my son (almost 11), has anxiety about not being able
> He doesn't want to work on writing, but when he is faced with thetask (like
> at his beloved summer camp), he freezes. My school side says Ishould break
> out a writing curriculum. My unschooling side says differently. Ibelieve that
> school has created a lot of anxiety in all of us!I pulled my osn out of public school because in the 5th grade he was
>
not able to spell begining words- more specifically sight words. He
was not able to complete ANY worksheets because of this.
Now 2 yrs later he plays world of warcraft almost 10 hrs a day-
which mostly included typing for chat- I know he is learning to
spell and a few times has told me that he write down words he uses
often and then "learns" them.
We have gone back and forth on if it is my job to "teach" him to
spell. I have told him that he will either learn to spell things he
needs or will find a way to survive without spelling.
Joanna Murphy
--- In [email protected], Woebetty@... wrote:
I have a 12 yo son who stopped going to school in 1st grade. He has hardly written a lick
since then--he always hated it, and still isn't crazy about it. What he is crazy about is
gamemaking and wants to take a computer programming class so that he can learn the
code to create real games of his own. To do that he needs algebra, so we got the first
"curriculum" we've seen in a while. It's actually been great fun to do it together, because
he has always enjoyed thinking in mathematical ways--and I'm realizing that I enjoyed
math too until I had a really bad high school math teacher that killed it for me. Now I have
described myself as "not a math person." I'm actually now seeing that those labels make
our worlds smaller--deschooling myself through algebra! :-)
Anyway, when we started he was hesitating writing numbers, and within two days he is
much more fluent, and my guess is that by the end of this thing he'll be writing them
without a hitch--because he's wanting to do it and enjoying it, and the writing is
facilitating the rest.
I, not knowing your son of course, think that it is likely that he'll write when/if it is time to
write. In the meantime you could focus on enjoying what IS happening for him. I know
from past experience that it is easy to miss some wonderful stuff when I've been worried
and focused on something negative (like a lack of...writing). Joanna
> Has anyone sent their child to compulsory school and then taken them out toHi--
> unschool? What did the deschooling process look like to you? How did your
> child do with it? How did you do with it?
I have a 12 yo son who stopped going to school in 1st grade. He has hardly written a lick
since then--he always hated it, and still isn't crazy about it. What he is crazy about is
gamemaking and wants to take a computer programming class so that he can learn the
code to create real games of his own. To do that he needs algebra, so we got the first
"curriculum" we've seen in a while. It's actually been great fun to do it together, because
he has always enjoyed thinking in mathematical ways--and I'm realizing that I enjoyed
math too until I had a really bad high school math teacher that killed it for me. Now I have
described myself as "not a math person." I'm actually now seeing that those labels make
our worlds smaller--deschooling myself through algebra! :-)
Anyway, when we started he was hesitating writing numbers, and within two days he is
much more fluent, and my guess is that by the end of this thing he'll be writing them
without a hitch--because he's wanting to do it and enjoying it, and the writing is
facilitating the rest.
I, not knowing your son of course, think that it is likely that he'll write when/if it is time to
write. In the meantime you could focus on enjoying what IS happening for him. I know
from past experience that it is easy to miss some wonderful stuff when I've been worried
and focused on something negative (like a lack of...writing). Joanna
Sandra Dodd
-=-We have gone back and forth on if it is my job to "teach" him to
spell. I have told him that he will either learn to spell things he
needs or will find a way to survive without spelling.-=-
Does he want help and you're telling him no?
You can help someone with spelling without "teaching him to spell."
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
spell. I have told him that he will either learn to spell things he
needs or will find a way to survive without spelling.-=-
Does he want help and you're telling him no?
You can help someone with spelling without "teaching him to spell."
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
wisdomalways5
--- In [email protected], Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...>
wrote:
happen if I said here are your spelling words. He has improved so
much since taking him out of school but his mindset is still back in
school as far as writing is concerned and if anything *looks* like
spelling he RUNS
We are starting some mindset changes and I have confidence he will
do it when he lets go of *schooly* spelling
wrote:
>He does not want *help* as much as wondering if it will magically
> -=-We have gone back and forth on if it is my job to "teach" him to
> spell. I have told him that he will either learn to spell things he
> needs or will find a way to survive without spelling.-=-
>
> Does he want help and you're telling him no?
> You can help someone with spelling without "teaching him to spell."
>
>
> Sandra
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
happen if I said here are your spelling words. He has improved so
much since taking him out of school but his mindset is still back in
school as far as writing is concerned and if anything *looks* like
spelling he RUNS
We are starting some mindset changes and I have confidence he will
do it when he lets go of *schooly* spelling
harmony
>Playing scrabble is a great way to practice spelling while having fun. When we play we use the unabridged dictionary, and we play to see how many words we can get and not neccesarily for a score. We all have fun and help eachother and look up words together. I am always the one to get sidetracked with the dictionary and always asking "Did you know that____means_______?", with whatever new words I find. But there area many days when I am busy cleaning or doing something and I look up and the kids are reading the dictionary. When my son was 8 he was looking through the dictionary and making a book of all the animals he could find.
> We are starting some mindset changes and I have confidence he will
> do it when he lets go of *schooly* spelling
Harmony
Sandra Dodd
-=He does not want *help* as much as wondering if it will magically
happen if I said here are your spelling words. He has improved so
much since taking him out of school but his mindset is still back in
school as far as writing is concerned and if anything *looks* like
spelling he RUNS-=-
Ah.
There are a few words I have trouble with and while I'm still
confused, I keep them on a note by the computer. My kids have seen
this, or I tell them. Sometimes I've written down a word they've
misspelled, and put similar words, and said a very few things about
what the differences are and why and then left that 3x5 card or
whatever it was on lying around. They can keep it or leave it lying
on the counter a while or whatever. It does help them see that there
are reasons words are spelled as they are, and that everyone can use
help sometimes.
Holly wanted to learn to spell, so we got her a hand-held electronic
spelling dictionary. If you spell a word wrong it guesses which
words it might be and when you pick the right one it does things---it
writes it out in cursive and gives you a definition or a picture. It
was a kid's spelling game thing from Radio Shack. You could play
Hangman with it, too.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
happen if I said here are your spelling words. He has improved so
much since taking him out of school but his mindset is still back in
school as far as writing is concerned and if anything *looks* like
spelling he RUNS-=-
Ah.
There are a few words I have trouble with and while I'm still
confused, I keep them on a note by the computer. My kids have seen
this, or I tell them. Sometimes I've written down a word they've
misspelled, and put similar words, and said a very few things about
what the differences are and why and then left that 3x5 card or
whatever it was on lying around. They can keep it or leave it lying
on the counter a while or whatever. It does help them see that there
are reasons words are spelled as they are, and that everyone can use
help sometimes.
Holly wanted to learn to spell, so we got her a hand-held electronic
spelling dictionary. If you spell a word wrong it guesses which
words it might be and when you pick the right one it does things---it
writes it out in cursive and gives you a definition or a picture. It
was a kid's spelling game thing from Radio Shack. You could play
Hangman with it, too.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Annie
I couldn't resist responding to this...
I took both of my girls out of school.
My oldest was extremely bored with school from the very start and became very angry in middle school and started to "have lots of trouble going to what she called, "prison"!
It really became that type of environment for her!
We took her out after completing 9th grade. I was afraid of "making the move move".
I could go on and on about how it was the best decision!
Well, 13 years later I decided that we should take our older daughter out of school (recently). I was the only one who hesitated to "go for it".
Her situation was very different and she never really enjoyed reading, etc.
Within a few weeks my younger daughter has been reading so many amazing books and can not stop.
Sometimes she is in the middle of reading 2-3 books at a time.
She is finally not only comprehending what she is reading, but is learning and teaching us so much it is almost hard to believe the wonderful change in her in all ways. Her confidence level has soared to unbelievable heights.
I really need to thank Grace Llewelyn for starting our family on this path.
In a few days both of my daughters will be going to Grace's NBTS Camp and I feel like this will be the start of an even more exciting path for my daughters...
Joanna Murphy <ridingmom@...> wrote:
I took both of my girls out of school.
My oldest was extremely bored with school from the very start and became very angry in middle school and started to "have lots of trouble going to what she called, "prison"!
It really became that type of environment for her!
We took her out after completing 9th grade. I was afraid of "making the move move".
I could go on and on about how it was the best decision!
Well, 13 years later I decided that we should take our older daughter out of school (recently). I was the only one who hesitated to "go for it".
Her situation was very different and she never really enjoyed reading, etc.
Within a few weeks my younger daughter has been reading so many amazing books and can not stop.
Sometimes she is in the middle of reading 2-3 books at a time.
She is finally not only comprehending what she is reading, but is learning and teaching us so much it is almost hard to believe the wonderful change in her in all ways. Her confidence level has soared to unbelievable heights.
I really need to thank Grace Llewelyn for starting our family on this path.
In a few days both of my daughters will be going to Grace's NBTS Camp and I feel like this will be the start of an even more exciting path for my daughters...
Joanna Murphy <ridingmom@...> wrote:
--- In [email protected], Woebetty@... wrote:
> Has anyone sent their child to compulsory school and then taken them out to
> unschool? What did the deschooling process look like to you? How did your
> child do with it? How did you do with it?
Hi--
I have a 12 yo son who stopped going to school in 1st grade. He has hardly written a lick
since then--he always hated it, and still isn't crazy about it. What he is crazy about is
gamemaking and wants to take a computer programming class so that he can learn the
code to create real games of his own. To do that he needs algebra, so we got the first
"curriculum" we've seen in a while. It's actually been great fun to do it together, because
he has always enjoyed thinking in mathematical ways--and I'm realizing that I enjoyed
math too until I had a really bad high school math teacher that killed it for me. Now I have
described myself as "not a math person." I'm actually now seeing that those labels make
our worlds smaller--deschooling myself through algebra! :-)
Anyway, when we started he was hesitating writing numbers, and within two days he is
much more fluent, and my guess is that by the end of this thing he'll be writing them
without a hitch--because he's wanting to do it and enjoying it, and the writing is
facilitating the rest.
I, not knowing your son of course, think that it is likely that he'll write when/if it is time to
write. In the meantime you could focus on enjoying what IS happening for him. I know
from past experience that it is easy to miss some wonderful stuff when I've been worried
and focused on something negative (like a lack of...writing). Joanna
---------------------------------
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-She is finally not only comprehending what she is reading,-=-
This phrase always stops me in my tracks.
If someone is reading (or says she's reading, or others say she's
reading, or school claims she's reading) but she's not "comprehending
what she reads" then HOW on earth, in any small way, did anyone
think to claim it was "reading"?
Phonics.
That's what.
Damned phonics.
I can read French and Spanish. I could probably read German, badly.
of French I would glean a bit. Of Spanish I'd know very, very
vaguely what I was reading about but wouldn't be able to translate it.
Of German I wouldn't know a damned thing.
Would I really be reading?
If I just run my eyes across it and make out what sounds I can, would
that be reading?
If I read aloud (which is what I was first thinking two paragraphs
up), would I really be reading?
If I sound out, according to phonetic rules, Spanish, but I don't
understand enough Spanish to comprehend it (unless it's really very
basic and about grocery stores or cars or something lyrical about
beso or corazon)... I don't think I'm reading squat.
Reading HAS to have comprehension.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
This phrase always stops me in my tracks.
If someone is reading (or says she's reading, or others say she's
reading, or school claims she's reading) but she's not "comprehending
what she reads" then HOW on earth, in any small way, did anyone
think to claim it was "reading"?
Phonics.
That's what.
Damned phonics.
I can read French and Spanish. I could probably read German, badly.
of French I would glean a bit. Of Spanish I'd know very, very
vaguely what I was reading about but wouldn't be able to translate it.
Of German I wouldn't know a damned thing.
Would I really be reading?
If I just run my eyes across it and make out what sounds I can, would
that be reading?
If I read aloud (which is what I was first thinking two paragraphs
up), would I really be reading?
If I sound out, according to phonetic rules, Spanish, but I don't
understand enough Spanish to comprehend it (unless it's really very
basic and about grocery stores or cars or something lyrical about
beso or corazon)... I don't think I'm reading squat.
Reading HAS to have comprehension.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
wisdomalways5
--- In [email protected], Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...>
wrote:
When I was in school as a child I could "read" when we had a group
of pages to read I read every word- looked up and saw everyone still
busy so I read it again- sometimes even again but when it was time
to answer qustions I did not "remember" what I read
Now as an adult i know I read in what I learned from Sandra to be a
circular fashion and if it is a "deep" book I have to mouth the
words or say them in my head delibrately. I skim read really fast
but deep reading is more a concentrated effort.
My mother is a school teacher and the new thing in school is to make
sure kids are comprehending what they are reading and I mentioned to
her that though I could read the words (the material probably was
boring anyway) I did not remember what I read and to answer the
questions I could not.
So had I been in school today I would have been told I could not
read at a higher level because I could not comprehend the boring
things they wanted us to read- But if thye asked me to relate and
interesting thing I read I bet I could have answered
JulieH
wrote:
>not "comprehending
> -=-She is finally not only comprehending what she is reading,-=-
>
> This phrase always stops me in my tracks.
>
> If someone is reading (or says she's reading, or others say she's
> reading, or school claims she's reading) but she's
> what she reads" then HOW on earth, in any small way, did anyone\
> think to claim it was "reading"?
>
When I was in school as a child I could "read" when we had a group
of pages to read I read every word- looked up and saw everyone still
busy so I read it again- sometimes even again but when it was time
to answer qustions I did not "remember" what I read
Now as an adult i know I read in what I learned from Sandra to be a
circular fashion and if it is a "deep" book I have to mouth the
words or say them in my head delibrately. I skim read really fast
but deep reading is more a concentrated effort.
My mother is a school teacher and the new thing in school is to make
sure kids are comprehending what they are reading and I mentioned to
her that though I could read the words (the material probably was
boring anyway) I did not remember what I read and to answer the
questions I could not.
So had I been in school today I would have been told I could not
read at a higher level because I could not comprehend the boring
things they wanted us to read- But if thye asked me to relate and
interesting thing I read I bet I could have answered
JulieH
kel9769
> In a few days both of my daughters will be going to Grace'sNBTS Camp and I feel like this will be the start of an even more
exciting path for my daughters...
My daughter is going to NBTSC next Friday too! She has been out of
school since February. Last week would have been her first day of
high school and instead we are planning for camp. Yipee! Going to
camp is such an accomplishment for her. When I first asked her
about it she had not slept away from home in years due to anxiety.
We began treatment before she left school and she was still not sure
if she could do it. After e-mailing Grace, talking to some kids and
parents and deciding my mom and I would stay in VT while she was
there she agreed to try it. Since then she was able to stay one of
two nights at youth group camp, spent three nights with my sister
(planned for 2 then asked to stay another night)and three nights
with her god mother in another state. She is still really nervous
about going but I know she'll be ok. SHe started talking about
being eaten by a moose but I know she's worried about getting along
with the other kids. I'm not worried even a teensie bit though. I
plan on having a lovely vacation and then hearing about all her
adventures. I am hoping meeting other unschooling teens will help
her find some motivation and inspire her. SHe is still struggling
with being self directed after so many years in school. I am
struggling with being supportive without pushing her.
Kelly
pentaitalia
>My ds now 12 has been out of school for two years now, and would get
> Now 2 yrs later he plays world of warcraft almost 10 hrs a day-
> which mostly included typing for chat- I know he is learning to
> spell and a few times has told me that he write down words he uses
> often and then "learns" them.
along great with your son, as mine too plays wow for countless hours
at a time. The typing/spelling/writing/chatting element has improved
his spelling immensely. He may not be composing long, boring book
reports or essays on subjects irrelevant (to him), but he is certainly
capable of communicating effectively and quickly...and multi-
tasking...and completing goals he set out to accomplish (even if they
are ficticious, in a gameworld). Does your ds play on the Horde of
Unschoolers?
Shonna
Sandra Dodd
-=-He may not be composing long, boring book
reports or essays on subjects irrelevant (to him), but he is certainly
capable of communicating effectively and quickly-=-
In school, not counting test-taking, the only time that writing
quickly is real and live is in writing notes to friends in class That
used to get us in a load of trouble, but it was the best real writing
practice we had. <g>
Now, though, with kids using IM and text message and online gaming,
they're learning a skill that's neither taught nor really valued in
school--immediate written communications.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
reports or essays on subjects irrelevant (to him), but he is certainly
capable of communicating effectively and quickly-=-
In school, not counting test-taking, the only time that writing
quickly is real and live is in writing notes to friends in class That
used to get us in a load of trouble, but it was the best real writing
practice we had. <g>
Now, though, with kids using IM and text message and online gaming,
they're learning a skill that's neither taught nor really valued in
school--immediate written communications.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
wisdomalways5
--- In [email protected], "pentaitalia" <shonnalee@...>
wrote:
Julie
wrote:
>He may not be composing long, boring book
> reports or essays on subjects irrelevant (to him), but he iscertainly
> capable of communicating effectively and quickly...and multi-I did not know there was one- he asked what server?
> tasking...and completing goals he set out to accomplish (even if they
> are ficticious, in a gameworld). Does your ds play on the Horde of
> Unschoolers?
>
> Shonna
>
Julie
graberamy
--- In [email protected], Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...> wrote
In school, not counting test-taking, the only time that writing
And yes, I got in trouble ALL the time! Most were successful however
and I still have most of them in a box somewhere at my parents house!
I haven't looked at them for years!
Remember BFF! My friends and I would try to stump each other w/ those
all the time (like, MBOBFFAA, my bestest of best friend forever and
always...bwg!). Wow, technology today has really taken "initialisms"
to a whole new level!
My kids aren't quite texting yet...but I know it's just around the
corner! It'll be a good reason for me to get unlimited texting added
to my phone :)! To think, there are parents out there who prevent
their kids from getting cell phones because they'll run up their bill
texting or talking?
The other night my daughter (10) was having a sleepover and called me
at 1:00AM. I was asleep and awakened and I was so happy and thankful
that she'd even think of me at that time! We only talked for a few
minutes, but I went back to bed w/ a smile! I'm not sure she would
have felt comfortable enough to do that if it wouldn't have been her
own phone? Yea for technology!
amy g
iowa
In school, not counting test-taking, the only time that writing
> quickly is real and live is in writing notes to friends in class ThatI loved writing notes in school...I would write pages and pages!!!
> used to get us in a load of trouble, but it was the best real writing
> practice we had. <g>
And yes, I got in trouble ALL the time! Most were successful however
and I still have most of them in a box somewhere at my parents house!
I haven't looked at them for years!
Remember BFF! My friends and I would try to stump each other w/ those
all the time (like, MBOBFFAA, my bestest of best friend forever and
always...bwg!). Wow, technology today has really taken "initialisms"
to a whole new level!
My kids aren't quite texting yet...but I know it's just around the
corner! It'll be a good reason for me to get unlimited texting added
to my phone :)! To think, there are parents out there who prevent
their kids from getting cell phones because they'll run up their bill
texting or talking?
The other night my daughter (10) was having a sleepover and called me
at 1:00AM. I was asleep and awakened and I was so happy and thankful
that she'd even think of me at that time! We only talked for a few
minutes, but I went back to bed w/ a smile! I'm not sure she would
have felt comfortable enough to do that if it wouldn't have been her
own phone? Yea for technology!
amy g
iowa
m.a. kactus
My 11 year old gets up at 4 a.m. just to have uninterrupted time on the computer to play Furcadia (another online rpg, but free, unlike WoW). And she types almost 70 wpm--this 2-fingered rapid clickety-click. Her verbal and written skills are through the roof. So I'm Yay technology! too.
Except I do have to take exception to your puzzlement at parents who don't give their kids cell phones because of the bills. To me that's not unreasonable at all--for many, having even one cell phone is a necessary luxury. (yes, I realize that's a contradiction in terms.) There's no way I could afford to foot the bill for an almost-teenager's appetite for texting.
Mary
graberamy <graber@...> wrote:
--- In [email protected], Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...> wrote
In school, not counting test-taking, the only time that writing
And yes, I got in trouble ALL the time! Most were successful however
and I still have most of them in a box somewhere at my parents house!
I haven't looked at them for years!
Remember BFF! My friends and I would try to stump each other w/ those
all the time (like, MBOBFFAA, my bestest of best friend forever and
always...bwg!). Wow, technology today has really taken "initialisms"
to a whole new level!
My kids aren't quite texting yet...but I know it's just around the
corner! It'll be a good reason for me to get unlimited texting added
to my phone :)! To think, there are parents out there who prevent
their kids from getting cell phones because they'll run up their bill
texting or talking?
The other night my daughter (10) was having a sleepover and called me
at 1:00AM. I was asleep and awakened and I was so happy and thankful
that she'd even think of me at that time! We only talked for a few
minutes, but I went back to bed w/ a smile! I'm not sure she would
have felt comfortable enough to do that if it wouldn't have been her
own phone? Yea for technology!
amy g
iowa
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Except I do have to take exception to your puzzlement at parents who don't give their kids cell phones because of the bills. To me that's not unreasonable at all--for many, having even one cell phone is a necessary luxury. (yes, I realize that's a contradiction in terms.) There's no way I could afford to foot the bill for an almost-teenager's appetite for texting.
Mary
graberamy <graber@...> wrote:
--- In [email protected], Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...> wrote
In school, not counting test-taking, the only time that writing
> quickly is real and live is in writing notes to friends in class ThatI loved writing notes in school...I would write pages and pages!!!
> used to get us in a load of trouble, but it was the best real writing
> practice we had. <g>
And yes, I got in trouble ALL the time! Most were successful however
and I still have most of them in a box somewhere at my parents house!
I haven't looked at them for years!
Remember BFF! My friends and I would try to stump each other w/ those
all the time (like, MBOBFFAA, my bestest of best friend forever and
always...bwg!). Wow, technology today has really taken "initialisms"
to a whole new level!
My kids aren't quite texting yet...but I know it's just around the
corner! It'll be a good reason for me to get unlimited texting added
to my phone :)! To think, there are parents out there who prevent
their kids from getting cell phones because they'll run up their bill
texting or talking?
The other night my daughter (10) was having a sleepover and called me
at 1:00AM. I was asleep and awakened and I was so happy and thankful
that she'd even think of me at that time! We only talked for a few
minutes, but I went back to bed w/ a smile! I'm not sure she would
have felt comfortable enough to do that if it wouldn't have been her
own phone? Yea for technology!
amy g
iowa
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
pentaitalia
I am pretty sure the server is The Venture Co.... the guild is The
Horde of Unschoolers. Many of the players on there were at Life is
Good Unschooling Conference in Corvallis Oregon last year! That is
where we found out about it.
Shonna
Does your ds play on the Horde of
Horde of Unschoolers. Many of the players on there were at Life is
Good Unschooling Conference in Corvallis Oregon last year! That is
where we found out about it.
Shonna
Does your ds play on the Horde of
> > Unschoolers?
> >
> > Shonna
> >
>
>
> I did not know there was one- he asked what server?
>
> Julie
>
Sandra Dodd
I heard that on Saturday afternoon at the Live and Learn conference
(day before yesterday) people were asked to stay off the internet
unless they were playing World of Warcraft. The shared wireless was
crowded and slow sometimes (as I understand it by reports from a
distance), and there was a funshop and raid planned, and they needed
all the internet access they could get.
After years of hearing things like "I'm waiting for a business call,
get off the phone," or "Stay off the computer if you're not
studying," and that, it was invigorating to hear tell of a conference-
wide mandate for people to stay off the computer for a few hours if
they weren't playing World of Warcraft.
Sandra
(day before yesterday) people were asked to stay off the internet
unless they were playing World of Warcraft. The shared wireless was
crowded and slow sometimes (as I understand it by reports from a
distance), and there was a funshop and raid planned, and they needed
all the internet access they could get.
After years of hearing things like "I'm waiting for a business call,
get off the phone," or "Stay off the computer if you're not
studying," and that, it was invigorating to hear tell of a conference-
wide mandate for people to stay off the computer for a few hours if
they weren't playing World of Warcraft.
Sandra
g-liberatedlearning
Both my kids (16 yo boy/9 yo girl) have their own cell phones and
neither of them use them much. I bought the Virgin Mobile $20 every
three months plan for each of them and their unused time
accumulates. I figure by the time they discover they want or need to
use their phones more they'll have lots of time already paid for.
DS received his phone when he was 14 and traveled to NYC alone (to
meet up with Nana and Grappa) for four days in the big city. I
wanted to make sure he could call me anytime he wanted. DD received
her phone as a gift from my brother on her 9th birthday - she was
envious of her brother's phone. It was a coordinated gift for which
I agreed to pay for the service. He gave her a sparkly phone case
too! She almost never uses it - forgets to bring it with her - and
since she's not out and about on her own hardly ever, doesn't have a
real need for it. However, she is more likely to be one to discover
the joys of gabbing and texting in the future so I'm glad we're
accumulating time for her now.
Dh and I have our own phones too and a third on the same plan that
stays at home for when we're away but the kids are home (technically
they could use their own phones but we got that third phone before
they had theirs and haven't re-worked the plan yet.) Dh's cell phone
is his business phone - he had his old landline number ported to his
cell phone. We don't use any landlines now for home or business. I'm
not much of a phone gabber myself either - or else this plan might
not be as economically practical.
"No way" - there may be a way.
Respectfully,
Chris in IA (Hi amy!)
neither of them use them much. I bought the Virgin Mobile $20 every
three months plan for each of them and their unused time
accumulates. I figure by the time they discover they want or need to
use their phones more they'll have lots of time already paid for.
DS received his phone when he was 14 and traveled to NYC alone (to
meet up with Nana and Grappa) for four days in the big city. I
wanted to make sure he could call me anytime he wanted. DD received
her phone as a gift from my brother on her 9th birthday - she was
envious of her brother's phone. It was a coordinated gift for which
I agreed to pay for the service. He gave her a sparkly phone case
too! She almost never uses it - forgets to bring it with her - and
since she's not out and about on her own hardly ever, doesn't have a
real need for it. However, she is more likely to be one to discover
the joys of gabbing and texting in the future so I'm glad we're
accumulating time for her now.
Dh and I have our own phones too and a third on the same plan that
stays at home for when we're away but the kids are home (technically
they could use their own phones but we got that third phone before
they had theirs and haven't re-worked the plan yet.) Dh's cell phone
is his business phone - he had his old landline number ported to his
cell phone. We don't use any landlines now for home or business. I'm
not much of a phone gabber myself either - or else this plan might
not be as economically practical.
"No way" - there may be a way.
Respectfully,
Chris in IA (Hi amy!)
On Sep 10, 2007, at 11:21 AM, m.a. kactus wrote:
> There's no way I could afford to foot the bill for an almost-
> teenager's appetite for texting.
>
> Mary
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-There's no way I could afford to foot the bill for an almost-
teenager's appetite for texting.-=-
We pay $20 a month for unlimited texting on a family plan, so Marty
and Holly can text all they want for $10 each a month, basically.
It's cheaper than gasoline. It's cheaper than long-distance telephone.
It's not an "appetite for texting," it's a way to communicate with
each other, with their brother in Texas, and with their friends as
far away as Rhode Island and Seattle.
We didn't get cell phones here until last year. We had four
computers and two phone lines, though. Kirby has had a cell phone
for three or four years because an anime-club friend of his worked at
T-Mobile and gifted him the discounted phone and account he had for
being an employee.
I wish we'd had cell phones sooner, but Keith likes to stall on new
technology. It saves money, he figures. And often we come along
just as things have become pretty inexpensive (as we did with CD
players and DVD players, spending 1/4 of what our quick-to-technology
friends spent).
There seems a harshness to "foot the bill" and "appetite for
texting," though.
Unschooling isn't free.
Children have needs, not just "appetites."
Parents SHOULD provide as much as they can for their children, freely
and generously and smilingly.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
teenager's appetite for texting.-=-
We pay $20 a month for unlimited texting on a family plan, so Marty
and Holly can text all they want for $10 each a month, basically.
It's cheaper than gasoline. It's cheaper than long-distance telephone.
It's not an "appetite for texting," it's a way to communicate with
each other, with their brother in Texas, and with their friends as
far away as Rhode Island and Seattle.
We didn't get cell phones here until last year. We had four
computers and two phone lines, though. Kirby has had a cell phone
for three or four years because an anime-club friend of his worked at
T-Mobile and gifted him the discounted phone and account he had for
being an employee.
I wish we'd had cell phones sooner, but Keith likes to stall on new
technology. It saves money, he figures. And often we come along
just as things have become pretty inexpensive (as we did with CD
players and DVD players, spending 1/4 of what our quick-to-technology
friends spent).
There seems a harshness to "foot the bill" and "appetite for
texting," though.
Unschooling isn't free.
Children have needs, not just "appetites."
Parents SHOULD provide as much as they can for their children, freely
and generously and smilingly.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Thea LaCross
> -=-He may not be composing long, boring bookMy 13 yo son hates to write things by hand, but resisted typing tutor
> reports or essays on subjects irrelevant (to him), but he is certainly
> capable of communicating effectively and quickly-=-
programs I suggested. This past year, though, he taught himself to
type quickly so he could communicate in WOW. For him, at least,
computer games have lead to so many skills and connections it would be
unbelievable...but isn't that what passions tend to do? Only the
current bias against gaming (which I'll admit I once shared) makes it
seem surprising.
Recently he started asking me to help him spell every word he wasn't
sure of, because he's playing an online strategy game (Ogame) in which
the players communicate more via memo and manifesto than in IM chat
style. He wanted to be taken seriously, and over the last three
months his spelling has improved so that he's pretty much independent
(and he LOVES complicated words!)
Most recent branch from this tree: he started writing a novel with a
setting based on Dungeons and Dragons. By writing, I mean actually
sitting and typing page after page -- not, as we've done up until now,
typing a bit until the slow pace drove him crazy and then enlisting me
to type while he talked. This was pages of story with action,
character development, and dialogue...and I firmly believe the ability
to make his words come to the page entirely on his own is due to his
games.
I am SO glad that the reassurances of so many seasoned online
unschoolers helped me get over my TV and video/computer game phobias.
Turns out none of us are addicted, all of us are interested in lots of
things, and our world is richer than it would otherwise have been.
Thea
Shannon Rizzo
Hi,
I'm Shannon, mom to four always-unschooled kids. They've also been drawn to
Waldorfish stuff, and after much mental struggle as to how to blend the two,
I strew some of the Waldorf subjects in their path and if they are
interested we explore what they want. I was on unschooling.com list for a
couple of years but accumulated 10,000 messages in my folder and took a
break to enjoy my kids without getting so bogged down in email. It tends to
eke away my independence until I find myself turning to the list to see
"what the others would do." We are from Austin but have lived in the San
Francisco area for almost eight years and just moved down to San Diego. I
would say we've had mostly an unschooling life at home too, I don't believe
in punishments and we try to guide our home life around respecting each
other and not being controlling.
Our move to San Diego took us by surprise and we have been really sad at
leaving our San Francisco friends. Also, a month before the move, we lost
our cat to some unknown illness, suddenly and catastrophically (the girls
petted her good bye by sticking their arms through a hole in the wall of an
oxygenated tank, plugging the gaps with a jacket because the first time we
tried, enough oxygen seeped out so that she began thrashing). So, we've all
been depressed and I've held off introducing myself because I'm not up for
any additional challenges or grilling.
In the middle of all of this, my oldest daughter (just turned 11) said she
wants to go to school. She'd wanted to try school once before and we found
a place that would let her go for a day, and after visiting she didn't want
to go any more (she didn't want to have to get up early). I feel her
wanting to go to school is related to moving away from all of her friends
and being unhappy - however it isn't surprising to me as she's very
gregarious and would fall right in to being chatty and acquiring a circle of
groupies. One reason she wants to go is to make friends. Another is that
she is simply curious about school. I do believe she would get tired of it
sooner or later, as she picks up knowledge quickly and gets bored easily. I
have always believed in respecting their choices and this will be a hard
pill to swallow if she does go. With this recent thread on school, I felt
ready to send my introduction.
Take care,
Shannon
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.487 / Virus Database: 269.13.21/1010 - Release Date: 9/15/2007
7:54 PM
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I'm Shannon, mom to four always-unschooled kids. They've also been drawn to
Waldorfish stuff, and after much mental struggle as to how to blend the two,
I strew some of the Waldorf subjects in their path and if they are
interested we explore what they want. I was on unschooling.com list for a
couple of years but accumulated 10,000 messages in my folder and took a
break to enjoy my kids without getting so bogged down in email. It tends to
eke away my independence until I find myself turning to the list to see
"what the others would do." We are from Austin but have lived in the San
Francisco area for almost eight years and just moved down to San Diego. I
would say we've had mostly an unschooling life at home too, I don't believe
in punishments and we try to guide our home life around respecting each
other and not being controlling.
Our move to San Diego took us by surprise and we have been really sad at
leaving our San Francisco friends. Also, a month before the move, we lost
our cat to some unknown illness, suddenly and catastrophically (the girls
petted her good bye by sticking their arms through a hole in the wall of an
oxygenated tank, plugging the gaps with a jacket because the first time we
tried, enough oxygen seeped out so that she began thrashing). So, we've all
been depressed and I've held off introducing myself because I'm not up for
any additional challenges or grilling.
In the middle of all of this, my oldest daughter (just turned 11) said she
wants to go to school. She'd wanted to try school once before and we found
a place that would let her go for a day, and after visiting she didn't want
to go any more (she didn't want to have to get up early). I feel her
wanting to go to school is related to moving away from all of her friends
and being unhappy - however it isn't surprising to me as she's very
gregarious and would fall right in to being chatty and acquiring a circle of
groupies. One reason she wants to go is to make friends. Another is that
she is simply curious about school. I do believe she would get tired of it
sooner or later, as she picks up knowledge quickly and gets bored easily. I
have always believed in respecting their choices and this will be a hard
pill to swallow if she does go. With this recent thread on school, I felt
ready to send my introduction.
Take care,
Shannon
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.487 / Virus Database: 269.13.21/1010 - Release Date: 9/15/2007
7:54 PM
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
I've brought this to start a new thread, because it's a point that hasn't been made here for a long while:
-=- By that I mean that when we began to deschool
during the summer past, both my husband and I had agreed to unschool and I
had him read through Sandra's site. We were on fire about this unschooling
adventure, but then... my husband began to feel it wouldn't hurt to "push"
the reading a bit or a better word "encourage" it wouldn't hurt to
encourage our 7 year old to read more. She is still in the process of
"getting" it which is what I learned during this thread and not long after,
the workbooks began. Before we knew it, they "had" to do workbooks before
they could get screen time.-=-
While parents can begin to deschool during the summer, kids who have been in school or who have been doing school at home cannot deschool in the summer. It doesn't work, and it's not fair to even consider it.
When a kid "does school" for "a year" (a school year), the biggest reward is that vacation (maybe only a month in France or the UK, but nearly three months in the U.S. And that is THEIRS. A designated time off.
Deschooling can only begin after school would have started. So using workbooks at or near the start of school means zero deschooling for that child AND adds to the schol time from which the child will need to recover.
Sandra
The original from which I quoted is here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AlwaysLearning/message/70166
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
-=- By that I mean that when we began to deschool
during the summer past, both my husband and I had agreed to unschool and I
had him read through Sandra's site. We were on fire about this unschooling
adventure, but then... my husband began to feel it wouldn't hurt to "push"
the reading a bit or a better word "encourage" it wouldn't hurt to
encourage our 7 year old to read more. She is still in the process of
"getting" it which is what I learned during this thread and not long after,
the workbooks began. Before we knew it, they "had" to do workbooks before
they could get screen time.-=-
While parents can begin to deschool during the summer, kids who have been in school or who have been doing school at home cannot deschool in the summer. It doesn't work, and it's not fair to even consider it.
When a kid "does school" for "a year" (a school year), the biggest reward is that vacation (maybe only a month in France or the UK, but nearly three months in the U.S. And that is THEIRS. A designated time off.
Deschooling can only begin after school would have started. So using workbooks at or near the start of school means zero deschooling for that child AND adds to the schol time from which the child will need to recover.
Sandra
The original from which I quoted is here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AlwaysLearning/message/70166
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
haydee deldenovese
We had been homeschooling before we began to deschool. We now are on our
second year of them being home. I do see your point though, and in addition
can see that in fact, there was no deschooling on our part because we did
continue to do workbooks, right?
I guess I thought that because she didn't go to a public school,
deschooling didn't apply. She went to a Waldorf school which uses Rudolf
Steiner's methods, which I fulishly thought that because it was so freeing
and so focused in the arts, deschooling wouldn't be needed.
Of course I don't feel that way now, and actually feel like I have to
double deschool, because the waldorf school is all about staying away from
media, games, tv, radio... its all about shielding them from the outside
world so they can imagine, and create a world of their own. Which I also do
like in a way, but I will rather leave it up to them to choose what they'd
rather do. We are taking one day at a time, and slowly step by step we will
be where they want to be.
Haydee
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
second year of them being home. I do see your point though, and in addition
can see that in fact, there was no deschooling on our part because we did
continue to do workbooks, right?
I guess I thought that because she didn't go to a public school,
deschooling didn't apply. She went to a Waldorf school which uses Rudolf
Steiner's methods, which I fulishly thought that because it was so freeing
and so focused in the arts, deschooling wouldn't be needed.
Of course I don't feel that way now, and actually feel like I have to
double deschool, because the waldorf school is all about staying away from
media, games, tv, radio... its all about shielding them from the outside
world so they can imagine, and create a world of their own. Which I also do
like in a way, but I will rather leave it up to them to choose what they'd
rather do. We are taking one day at a time, and slowly step by step we will
be where they want to be.
Haydee
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Joyce Fetteroll
On Jan 5, 2013, at 3:06 PM, haydee deldenovese wrote:
Creative people build on the creativity of others. They take in others' ideas from a variety of sources, mix them with their own thoughts and experiences and produce something that's uniquely theirs. When creative people are young, it will often look like copying. They'll be playing with other's ideas. Eventually it will become their own as they change it and build on it and experience more of life and more of others' creativity.
Though it's an old saying expressed in various forms, Isaac Newton said: "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> its all about shielding them from the outsideAn image of children creating their own worlds from pristine imaginations is pretty but false. Ultimately that desire is more about creating circumstances to produce what the adults want to see from children than what fuels the child's imagination and creativity.
> world so they can imagine, and create a world of their own
Creative people build on the creativity of others. They take in others' ideas from a variety of sources, mix them with their own thoughts and experiences and produce something that's uniquely theirs. When creative people are young, it will often look like copying. They'll be playing with other's ideas. Eventually it will become their own as they change it and build on it and experience more of life and more of others' creativity.
Though it's an old saying expressed in various forms, Isaac Newton said: "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."
Joyce
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Sandra Dodd
-=- actually feel like I have to
double deschool, because the waldorf school is all about staying away from
media, games, tv, radio... its all about shielding them from the outside
world so they can imagine, and create a world of their own.-=-
Yes. Building a fantasy world based on a fantasy world doesn't prepare people to live in the real world.
-=- Which I also do
like in a way, but I will rather leave it up to them to choose what they'd
rather do. -=-
It's very appealing, to live in a fairy-tale forest, with silk scarves and recorder music and gnomes. It prepares people to grow up and be disadvantaged in a world full of movies, the internet, and rock'n'roll.
I don't want my children to be disadvantaged. They hear recorder music (my husband and I both play) and they can play all they want with the idea of gnomes and fairies and angels. They can play with cloth AND gameboys.
But until a child can honestly and truly make choices about what to explore, in the house, among things the family aready has access to, and trust that the parents aren't going to remove that option, unschooling doesn't begin to work. Then the choices start to be broader and further afield--where to go, what to collect, what to value. If the parents are weighting academic things more than "fun things," unschooling doesn't take hold.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
double deschool, because the waldorf school is all about staying away from
media, games, tv, radio... its all about shielding them from the outside
world so they can imagine, and create a world of their own.-=-
Yes. Building a fantasy world based on a fantasy world doesn't prepare people to live in the real world.
-=- Which I also do
like in a way, but I will rather leave it up to them to choose what they'd
rather do. -=-
It's very appealing, to live in a fairy-tale forest, with silk scarves and recorder music and gnomes. It prepares people to grow up and be disadvantaged in a world full of movies, the internet, and rock'n'roll.
I don't want my children to be disadvantaged. They hear recorder music (my husband and I both play) and they can play all they want with the idea of gnomes and fairies and angels. They can play with cloth AND gameboys.
But until a child can honestly and truly make choices about what to explore, in the house, among things the family aready has access to, and trust that the parents aren't going to remove that option, unschooling doesn't begin to work. Then the choices start to be broader and further afield--where to go, what to collect, what to value. If the parents are weighting academic things more than "fun things," unschooling doesn't take hold.
Sandra
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