Re: [AlwaysLearning] Reading- and writing
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/10/2008 11:19:46 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
Sandra@... writes:
<<<I know of zero unschoolers who totally failed to learn to read by the
time they were grown, and none who hate the sight, touch and smell of
books.>>>
I'm having some first-hand experience with that myself, that "imposed
rejection".
Wyl wanted to try an online school this year. It *sounded* cool. I tried to
find ways to replace what was so cool about it, but only the online school
would do. Our computer hadn't arrived by the time we left for the Live and Learn
conference, and on the way home, I commented to Dave that now we were going
from wonderful freedom to having to go by someone else's curriculum. Wyl
overheard and said, "I don't want to do it, now." Well, the computer had already
arrived and so after we got the packages from the neighbor, we set it up
today and started on a workbook (easy, one page) "story" that they wanted him to
write-about travel in his home city or state. The instructions stated "with a
partner", so I offered to write for him. He knows how and does write, but
not long things and still finds the process of making letters and words with a
pencil or pen tedious, so I figured he'd prefer help. He did. He wanted to
write about Kalahari (a waterpark in Ohio where there was an unschooler
gathering this past January), and so I poised my pen and waited. As I waited, I
realized typing would be faster, so I pulled up a blank page and waited. He
started out with something he saw, and as I suggested he might think about telling
the story to Scott (whom he just spent a good deal of time with at Live and
Learn), who hadn't been there before, and pretend he was telling the story to
Scott. He tried to start a couple times but shortly melted down in teary
whines of distress: "It's to HARD!"
Now for those of you who know Wyl, I'm sure you'll be astounded at this
comment from one of the most prolific, descriptive, verbose story-tellers I know!
I sure was. But I knew. I knew it was the pressure to perform that was
making it tough. It didn't flow. It wasn't natural. It didn't happen in real life.
I'm learning that it's a darn good thing we didn't get into online school
before we found unschooling, because it would be too easy for the
follow-the-instructions, start-to-finish parts of my brain to get sucked into this whole
shebang and become the demon mother-teacher from hell. I've had to re-center
myself several times already today. I'm hoping that Wyl will get whatever
curiosity he had about this thing satisfied soon and we can quit the repetitious
busy-work and get back to real learning. He's already made several comments
about the questions posed to him ("What do they think, we're stupid?!?") that
tell me how monotonously drilling this "education" is, and I'm even more
ready to be done with it than when we first started the process of signing up for
it. Bleah. Hopefully, it will be over before any real damage is done.
Because if my super self-confident story-teller can be sidetracked by one *day* of
schooling, I can only imagine what weeks, months, years can do to make a
person hate the things that are being forced upon them in the most unnatural ways.
Off to research who to notify when we're unschooling again,
De
**************Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion blog,
plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com.
(http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra@... writes:
<<<I know of zero unschoolers who totally failed to learn to read by the
time they were grown, and none who hate the sight, touch and smell of
books.>>>
I'm having some first-hand experience with that myself, that "imposed
rejection".
Wyl wanted to try an online school this year. It *sounded* cool. I tried to
find ways to replace what was so cool about it, but only the online school
would do. Our computer hadn't arrived by the time we left for the Live and Learn
conference, and on the way home, I commented to Dave that now we were going
from wonderful freedom to having to go by someone else's curriculum. Wyl
overheard and said, "I don't want to do it, now." Well, the computer had already
arrived and so after we got the packages from the neighbor, we set it up
today and started on a workbook (easy, one page) "story" that they wanted him to
write-about travel in his home city or state. The instructions stated "with a
partner", so I offered to write for him. He knows how and does write, but
not long things and still finds the process of making letters and words with a
pencil or pen tedious, so I figured he'd prefer help. He did. He wanted to
write about Kalahari (a waterpark in Ohio where there was an unschooler
gathering this past January), and so I poised my pen and waited. As I waited, I
realized typing would be faster, so I pulled up a blank page and waited. He
started out with something he saw, and as I suggested he might think about telling
the story to Scott (whom he just spent a good deal of time with at Live and
Learn), who hadn't been there before, and pretend he was telling the story to
Scott. He tried to start a couple times but shortly melted down in teary
whines of distress: "It's to HARD!"
Now for those of you who know Wyl, I'm sure you'll be astounded at this
comment from one of the most prolific, descriptive, verbose story-tellers I know!
I sure was. But I knew. I knew it was the pressure to perform that was
making it tough. It didn't flow. It wasn't natural. It didn't happen in real life.
I'm learning that it's a darn good thing we didn't get into online school
before we found unschooling, because it would be too easy for the
follow-the-instructions, start-to-finish parts of my brain to get sucked into this whole
shebang and become the demon mother-teacher from hell. I've had to re-center
myself several times already today. I'm hoping that Wyl will get whatever
curiosity he had about this thing satisfied soon and we can quit the repetitious
busy-work and get back to real learning. He's already made several comments
about the questions posed to him ("What do they think, we're stupid?!?") that
tell me how monotonously drilling this "education" is, and I'm even more
ready to be done with it than when we first started the process of signing up for
it. Bleah. Hopefully, it will be over before any real damage is done.
Because if my super self-confident story-teller can be sidetracked by one *day* of
schooling, I can only imagine what weeks, months, years can do to make a
person hate the things that are being forced upon them in the most unnatural ways.
Off to research who to notify when we're unschooling again,
De
**************Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion blog,
plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com.
(http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-the demon mother-teacher from hell-=-
What a phrase. I'm thinking scary movie, posters, movie trailer...
Ghost story.
Halloween costume.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
What a phrase. I'm thinking scary movie, posters, movie trailer...
Ghost story.
Halloween costume.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Robyn L. Coburn
<<<< Wyl overheard and said, "I don't want to do it, now." Well, the
computer had already
up and start doing it, just because it was there?
Just put the entire pile out on the table and forget about treating it like
a sequence. Treat it like a bunch of games with no particular order. Let him
pick and choose what looks interesting, and use the material however he
wants. Ignore their instructions.
Or alternatively, put the whole curriculum on ebay and use the money to buy
some computer games or online gaming subscriptions.
Robyn L. Coburn
www.Iggyjingles.etsy.com
www.iggyjingles.blogspot.com
computer had already
> arrived and so after we got the packages from the neighbor, we set it upI thought he said he did NOT want to do it now. What possessed you to set it
> today and started on a workbook (easy, one page) "story" that they wanted
> him to>>>>
up and start doing it, just because it was there?
Just put the entire pile out on the table and forget about treating it like
a sequence. Treat it like a bunch of games with no particular order. Let him
pick and choose what looks interesting, and use the material however he
wants. Ignore their instructions.
Or alternatively, put the whole curriculum on ebay and use the money to buy
some computer games or online gaming subscriptions.
Robyn L. Coburn
www.Iggyjingles.etsy.com
www.iggyjingles.blogspot.com
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/11/2008 2:04:17 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
dezigna@... writes:
<<<What possessed you to set it
up and start doing it, just because it was there?>>>
That evil demon mother-teacher from hell rearing its ugly head? Curiosity
about what it was all about? I'm not sure. I've caught myself twice already
again today. I think the whole shebang is a nasty catalyst. Maybe I'm just
anthropomorphising...
He *is* interested in dabbling, but there are "requirements". I'm still
fishing around trying to determine exactly what they are, but I know there are
tests and quizzes that have to be turned in. (or he gets expelled-big threat,
right?) I'm still trying to find the balance between feeding that interest and
making the requirements to keep the stuff while he explores it. Once I have a
better idea of what the requirement-assignments are, I think it will be
easier to find that balance.... Plus some unschooling holy water to keep that
demon teacher-mother at bay...
Peace,
De
**************Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion blog,
plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com.
(http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
dezigna@... writes:
<<<What possessed you to set it
up and start doing it, just because it was there?>>>
That evil demon mother-teacher from hell rearing its ugly head? Curiosity
about what it was all about? I'm not sure. I've caught myself twice already
again today. I think the whole shebang is a nasty catalyst. Maybe I'm just
anthropomorphising...
He *is* interested in dabbling, but there are "requirements". I'm still
fishing around trying to determine exactly what they are, but I know there are
tests and quizzes that have to be turned in. (or he gets expelled-big threat,
right?) I'm still trying to find the balance between feeding that interest and
making the requirements to keep the stuff while he explores it. Once I have a
better idea of what the requirement-assignments are, I think it will be
easier to find that balance.... Plus some unschooling holy water to keep that
demon teacher-mother at bay...
Peace,
De
**************Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion blog,
plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com.
(http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]