tv programme that mentions unschooling
Schuyler
Channel 5 in the UK is running a show called Hidden Lives: Honey I Suckle the Kids. The webpage is here: http://www.five.tv/programmes/hiddenlives/honeyisuckle/
One of the families, living in Northumberland, are unschoolers (except for reading and math they say in an aside during the show). I stumbled across the show one night and stayed because I know the couple in Northumberland. It wasn't positive, it was snide. It was disdainful. If the viewer wasn't starting from a position of sympathy for the participants, it was a freak show.
Schuyler
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
One of the families, living in Northumberland, are unschoolers (except for reading and math they say in an aside during the show). I stumbled across the show one night and stayed because I know the couple in Northumberland. It wasn't positive, it was snide. It was disdainful. If the viewer wasn't starting from a position of sympathy for the participants, it was a freak show.
Schuyler
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-Hidden Lives: Honey I Suckle the Kids. The webpage is here: http://
www.five.tv/programmes/hiddenlives/honeyisuckle/
One of the families, living in Northumberland, are unschoolers
(except for reading and math they say in an aside during the show). I
stumbled across the show one night and stayed because I know the
couple in Northumberland. It wasn't positive, it was snide. It was
disdainful. If the viewer wasn't starting from a position of sympathy
for the participants, it was a freak show.
-=-
A reality show about nursing babies or WHAT?
Wife Swap contacted me and asked us to be on their show. My first
response was negative, but to try to be fair, I asked questions and
consulted with everyone in the family, and we thought about it. But
Holly, who has watched it more than anyone, said it was a bad idea.
Kirby, who hasn't watched it much (if at all) thought it was a good
idea because they give the family money. I didn't want to be away
from my kids for six days (they say it's two weeks on the show, but
it isn't--and do I want to be on a show that's not even honest?
maybe it used to be two weeks and season three will be six days...).
After some discussion, Marty was all for it. Kirby thought the money
would be good, but didn't intend to do anything the other mom wanted
him to. Keith was willing if the others wanted to. I was grudgingly
willing if everyone was enthusiastic. Holly was by that time
insisted that it was a bad idea not just for our family, but for ANY
unschooling family. <g>
The last show Holly watched the other day, they had flown the mom
like 1200 miles away. And you don't know where you're going and
can't contact your family.
Also, you're supposed to enforce your rules for "a week" (three
days). What rules?
The idea of unschooling (they contacted me because of unschooling,
and because the show hasn't been to New Mexico at all) for three days
is ludicrous. It would result in nothing more than those kids going
wild, which would seem to "prove" on national TV that it was a stupid
idea. And no matter how wise an explanation a participant might
make, it would most likely be edited out.
So we seriously discussed it and thought about it for a few days and
said no.
The producer was kind of insistent. I said if we changed our minds
we'd let her know, but I also recommended another couple of families
who might pull it off better.
The programs I've seen seem to have added stress without benefit to
both families. Even when one parent says "That was cool, we should
do that," it seems that only pisses off the real wife. <g> And for
me to go and tell some happy-with-school family that my kids never
had to do any of that seems to be cruel in the longrun.
The more I thought about it, the worse the idea seemed for our family.
And the feeling people say they have after being burglarized, I'd
feel like that, I think. It's not only the total-stranger mom, but a
camera crew and sound guys or whoever all comes.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
www.five.tv/programmes/hiddenlives/honeyisuckle/
One of the families, living in Northumberland, are unschoolers
(except for reading and math they say in an aside during the show). I
stumbled across the show one night and stayed because I know the
couple in Northumberland. It wasn't positive, it was snide. It was
disdainful. If the viewer wasn't starting from a position of sympathy
for the participants, it was a freak show.
-=-
A reality show about nursing babies or WHAT?
Wife Swap contacted me and asked us to be on their show. My first
response was negative, but to try to be fair, I asked questions and
consulted with everyone in the family, and we thought about it. But
Holly, who has watched it more than anyone, said it was a bad idea.
Kirby, who hasn't watched it much (if at all) thought it was a good
idea because they give the family money. I didn't want to be away
from my kids for six days (they say it's two weeks on the show, but
it isn't--and do I want to be on a show that's not even honest?
maybe it used to be two weeks and season three will be six days...).
After some discussion, Marty was all for it. Kirby thought the money
would be good, but didn't intend to do anything the other mom wanted
him to. Keith was willing if the others wanted to. I was grudgingly
willing if everyone was enthusiastic. Holly was by that time
insisted that it was a bad idea not just for our family, but for ANY
unschooling family. <g>
The last show Holly watched the other day, they had flown the mom
like 1200 miles away. And you don't know where you're going and
can't contact your family.
Also, you're supposed to enforce your rules for "a week" (three
days). What rules?
The idea of unschooling (they contacted me because of unschooling,
and because the show hasn't been to New Mexico at all) for three days
is ludicrous. It would result in nothing more than those kids going
wild, which would seem to "prove" on national TV that it was a stupid
idea. And no matter how wise an explanation a participant might
make, it would most likely be edited out.
So we seriously discussed it and thought about it for a few days and
said no.
The producer was kind of insistent. I said if we changed our minds
we'd let her know, but I also recommended another couple of families
who might pull it off better.
The programs I've seen seem to have added stress without benefit to
both families. Even when one parent says "That was cool, we should
do that," it seems that only pisses off the real wife. <g> And for
me to go and tell some happy-with-school family that my kids never
had to do any of that seems to be cruel in the longrun.
The more I thought about it, the worse the idea seemed for our family.
And the feeling people say they have after being burglarized, I'd
feel like that, I think. It's not only the total-stranger mom, but a
camera crew and sound guys or whoever all comes.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Schuyler
It is a show in a series of shows called Hidden Lives. It was about attachment parenting and breastfeeding toddlers. There is a mother from the U.S. who practices elimination communication and two other families (the one from Northumberland, and another family from Washington (or Oregon)) who were both nursing toddlers and who both (I believe) professed to be unschooling. It was a window into the lives of, with narration sort of thing. Not a docudrama.
My sister-in-law is an editor for television shows. She worked on the first U.S. wife swap series. Her opinion, never do it. At the end of the day the editing is what makes the show and they are editing for trauma not for joy. So, if you were to do it, don't expect anything but misery and conflict to be portrayed when it airs.
Schuyler
My sister-in-law is an editor for television shows. She worked on the first U.S. wife swap series. Her opinion, never do it. At the end of the day the editing is what makes the show and they are editing for trauma not for joy. So, if you were to do it, don't expect anything but misery and conflict to be portrayed when it airs.
Schuyler
----- Original Message -----
From: Sandra Dodd
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, September 01, 2006 7:56 PM
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] tv programme that mentions unschooling
-=-Hidden Lives: Honey I Suckle the Kids. The webpage is here: http://
www.five.tv/programmes/hiddenlives/honeyisuckle/
One of the families, living in Northumberland, are unschoolers
(except for reading and math they say in an aside during the show). I
stumbled across the show one night and stayed because I know the
couple in Northumberland. It wasn't positive, it was snide. It was
disdainful. If the viewer wasn't starting from a position of sympathy
for the participants, it was a freak show.
-=-
A reality show about nursing babies or WHAT?
Wife Swap contacted me and asked us to be on their show. My first
response was negative, but to try to be fair, I asked questions and
consulted with everyone in the family, and we thought about it. But
Holly, who has watched it more than anyone, said it was a bad idea.
Kirby, who hasn't watched it much (if at all) thought it was a good
idea because they give the family money. I didn't want to be away
from my kids for six days (they say it's two weeks on the show, but
it isn't--and do I want to be on a show that's not even honest?
maybe it used to be two weeks and season three will be six days...).
After some discussion, Marty was all for it. Kirby thought the money
would be good, but didn't intend to do anything the other mom wanted
him to. Keith was willing if the others wanted to. I was grudgingly
willing if everyone was enthusiastic. Holly was by that time
insisted that it was a bad idea not just for our family, but for ANY
unschooling family. <g>
The last show Holly watched the other day, they had flown the mom
like 1200 miles away. And you don't know where you're going and
can't contact your family.
Also, you're supposed to enforce your rules for "a week" (three
days). What rules?
The idea of unschooling (they contacted me because of unschooling,
and because the show hasn't been to New Mexico at all) for three days
is ludicrous. It would result in nothing more than those kids going
wild, which would seem to "prove" on national TV that it was a stupid
idea. And no matter how wise an explanation a participant might
make, it would most likely be edited out.
So we seriously discussed it and thought about it for a few days and
said no.
The producer was kind of insistent. I said if we changed our minds
we'd let her know, but I also recommended another couple of families
who might pull it off better.
The programs I've seen seem to have added stress without benefit to
both families. Even when one parent says "That was cool, we should
do that," it seems that only pisses off the real wife. <g> And for
me to go and tell some happy-with-school family that my kids never
had to do any of that seems to be cruel in the longrun.
The more I thought about it, the worse the idea seemed for our family.
And the feeling people say they have after being burglarized, I'd
feel like that, I think. It's not only the total-stranger mom, but a
camera crew and sound guys or whoever all comes.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
=-So, if you were to do it, don't expect anything but misery and
conflict to be portrayed when it airs.-=-
That's what Holly said, only I think her phrasing was "It would make
a happy family unhappy, and they make everyone look stupid."
Marty said "They would probably make you be mean to the other
kids." I asked how they could make me be mean, and he said we only
get paid if there's conflict.
Probably true. <G>
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
conflict to be portrayed when it airs.-=-
That's what Holly said, only I think her phrasing was "It would make
a happy family unhappy, and they make everyone look stupid."
Marty said "They would probably make you be mean to the other
kids." I asked how they could make me be mean, and he said we only
get paid if there's conflict.
Probably true. <G>
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]