fear and living
carnationsgalore
I was reading an article this morning and it included a quote that resonated within me.
"Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live." -- Dorothy Thompson
It's a great idea to begin moving someone towards unschooling. We've discussed facing and conquering fears on this list. It's a good thing to sometimes think about our fears one at a time. It encourages the process of delving our fears to begin to change them. But this quote also brought to mind that there is a shift in how and why we want to change our lives. Our reason for beginning may not be the reason we continue. It's been said that change can only happen from within, and yet we see people on this list seeking permission to change.
It might be helpful to ask yourself why you want to change and how you want to live. Facing my fears about schooling issues seemed a move towards understanding unschooling. But somewhere along the way, I stopped thinking in terms of school at all, and started thinking about changing my life just to be happy. I missed being curious and interested in the world around me, some ideas I lived fully when I was a child. Making changes in my life helped me push past the idea that adulthood is unpleasantly difficult. I'm hoping my children will not get that idea at all. We can marvel at how happy and free-spirited our children are, but are we thinking about our children being that way as adults? I sure hope my children continue to have a positive way of thinking as they grow older.
I once had a homeschool mom tell me that she thought unschooling was the best way for children to follow interests and learn about the world, but that once the children hit middle school age, they needed to learn that life can't be all roses. I remember thinking how sad that was, but I didn't really grasp what was wrong with that idea until much later.
Beth M.
"Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live." -- Dorothy Thompson
It's a great idea to begin moving someone towards unschooling. We've discussed facing and conquering fears on this list. It's a good thing to sometimes think about our fears one at a time. It encourages the process of delving our fears to begin to change them. But this quote also brought to mind that there is a shift in how and why we want to change our lives. Our reason for beginning may not be the reason we continue. It's been said that change can only happen from within, and yet we see people on this list seeking permission to change.
It might be helpful to ask yourself why you want to change and how you want to live. Facing my fears about schooling issues seemed a move towards understanding unschooling. But somewhere along the way, I stopped thinking in terms of school at all, and started thinking about changing my life just to be happy. I missed being curious and interested in the world around me, some ideas I lived fully when I was a child. Making changes in my life helped me push past the idea that adulthood is unpleasantly difficult. I'm hoping my children will not get that idea at all. We can marvel at how happy and free-spirited our children are, but are we thinking about our children being that way as adults? I sure hope my children continue to have a positive way of thinking as they grow older.
I once had a homeschool mom tell me that she thought unschooling was the best way for children to follow interests and learn about the world, but that once the children hit middle school age, they needed to learn that life can't be all roses. I remember thinking how sad that was, but I didn't really grasp what was wrong with that idea until much later.
Beth M.
Sandra Dodd
-=-I once had a homeschool mom tell me that she thought unschooling
was the best way for children to follow interests and learn about the
world, but that once the children hit middle school age, they needed
to learn that life can't be all roses-=-
At least she was putting it off until midschool. Some people think or
say such things about first graders.
When Kirby was little I think probably 2/3 of the people who started
homeschooling fully believed it to be a substitute for elementary
school and mid- or jr.-high, and that the kids would go to high school.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
was the best way for children to follow interests and learn about the
world, but that once the children hit middle school age, they needed
to learn that life can't be all roses-=-
At least she was putting it off until midschool. Some people think or
say such things about first graders.
When Kirby was little I think probably 2/3 of the people who started
homeschooling fully believed it to be a substitute for elementary
school and mid- or jr.-high, and that the kids would go to high school.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Pam Sorooshian
> -=-I once had a homeschool mom tell me that she thought unschoolingThere are some kids whose interests eventually lead them to learning in
> was the best way for children to follow interests and learn about the
> world, but that once the children hit middle school age, they needed
> to learn that life can't be all roses-=-
>
a way that looks more like conventional studies. I don't think it is
necessary at ALL, but when kids interests start to get more focused,
they might do things that look more school-like. When my oldest got to
be 14 or so, she very very much wanted group singing - she wanted to
sing harmonies, etc. She took some vocal classes at the community
college and got into a vocal ensemble, there. If her interest had been
in astronomy, she might have moved toward studying from texts or taking
science courses at the college, along with meeting up with the local
astronomy club and visiting observatories, etc.
We don't need to impose these kinds of more "studious" activities on
kids - those who want to move in those directions will indicate the
desire to do so and we'll help them, if that's what they want. They
don't "need to learn that life can't all be roses." They need to know
that their parents will inform them and support them in exploring their
interests, including trying out more formal learning approaches IF that
seems interesting to them.
-pam
claire.horsley08
There was a fantastic little Australian movie made some years back called Strictly Ballroom (directed by Baz Luhrmann, who went on to do Moulin Rouge & Australia among others). The key phrase in that movie was *a life lived in fear is a life half-lived*.
Claire
Claire
Sandra Dodd
-=-Strictly Ballroom=-
Really good movie.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Really good movie.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]