Good Morning America
[email protected]
Did anyone see the segment about unschooling on Good Morning America this morning? My mom saw me reading Sandra's "big book" yesterday and called me to tell me it would be on. It was an ok segment, but trying to distill a life of learning into a few minutes and through a very school minded lens is pretty difficult, so needless to say there was so much left out, but they stopped short of making unschooling families look completely nutty. Well, just thought it was interesting that it was on since I am new to this group and determining if unschooling is right for our family. What did anyone else think?
Steph
Steph
Rebecca M.
> Did anyone see the segment about unschooling on Good Morning America this morning? >Here's the link for the video, for a written piece, and for viewer/reader comments:
<http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Parenting/unschooling-homeschooling-book-tests-classes/story?id=10410867>
That reporter was pretty hard hitting with the kids. I didn't like her approach with them at all. I imagine that the parents had no idea she'd be so aggressive with her questioning. Quite unfair to grill them like that.
Very "mainstream" perspective presented and not well-researched at all. They make it sound like unschooling is some "new-fangled" idea. Obviously, they didn't look up John Holt. Or much of anything else.
That's one brave family. I just don't know if there is any win-win possible in pieces like this when the presenters are so unwilling to put aside their own bias.
(I'm just browsing the comments now...)
- Rebecca
Sandra Dodd
-=-Did anyone see the segment about unschooling on Good Morning
America this morning? My mom saw me reading Sandra's "big book"
yesterday and called me to tell me it would be on.-=-
DOH! I wish your mom had called me!
I was ready to see it Wednesday, and then Friday I only watched the
last half hour of the show, and thought I had missed it, and now I
really have missed it.
Maybe they'll have it on a website, though I bet only Americans could
see it there.
I'm glad to hear "they stopped short of making unschooling families
look completely nutty."
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
America this morning? My mom saw me reading Sandra's "big book"
yesterday and called me to tell me it would be on.-=-
DOH! I wish your mom had called me!
I was ready to see it Wednesday, and then Friday I only watched the
last half hour of the show, and thought I had missed it, and now I
really have missed it.
Maybe they'll have it on a website, though I bet only Americans could
see it there.
I'm glad to hear "they stopped short of making unschooling families
look completely nutty."
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
delialowell
******** What did anyone else think?*******
I thought it was limited by time and approach.
Unschooling is a huge pie, and to me the segment showed only a sliver. What bothers me about it is that viewers may wholly judge unschooling on that sliver and consider themselves to have a good understanding of what it is based upon what they saw (or didn't see).
Kris
I thought it was limited by time and approach.
Unschooling is a huge pie, and to me the segment showed only a sliver. What bothers me about it is that viewers may wholly judge unschooling on that sliver and consider themselves to have a good understanding of what it is based upon what they saw (or didn't see).
Kris
Joyce Fetteroll
On Apr 19, 2010, at 9:15 AM, stephanielabarge@... wrote:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Parenting/unschooling-homeschooling-book-tests-classes/story?id=10410867
(there's an ad at the beginning)
20 years ago the same types of segments played about homeschooling
with the same fear and doubt responses. Now they need to report on
unschooling to unsettle the audience in the same way ;-) I doubt there
was enough in the segment to intrigue parents and draw them to
investigating unschooling, but at least a lot more people know about
and have a start to a foundation if they encounter unschoolers out in
the wild.
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> Did anyone see the segment about unschooling on Good Morning AmericaFor those who didn't, you can see it here:
> this morning?
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Parenting/unschooling-homeschooling-book-tests-classes/story?id=10410867
(there's an ad at the beginning)
20 years ago the same types of segments played about homeschooling
with the same fear and doubt responses. Now they need to report on
unschooling to unsettle the audience in the same way ;-) I doubt there
was enough in the segment to intrigue parents and draw them to
investigating unschooling, but at least a lot more people know about
and have a start to a foundation if they encounter unschoolers out in
the wild.
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Deb Lewis
***For those who didn't, you can see it here:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Parenting/unschooling-homeschooling-book-tests-classes/story?id=10410867***
Lots of comments there about nutty unschoolers.
From the article: *He added that sports "haven't really been an interest of mine," but he also hasn't been exposed to many sports because he doesn't participate in a PE class.*
Dylan had a lot of exposure to sports before he was seven (compulsory school age in our state.) He watched his dad play softball, he played miniature golf, played soccer, played some kind of tiny kid basketball at the park, dangled off the climbing wall, played tennis and badminton and croquet and bocce and Frisbee, went swimming, bounced on the trampoline... And without one minute of PE.
He saw PAHlenty of baseball on TV,<g> and some football and various other sports.
I can't imagine an American kid with a TV, a city park, a back yard, a stick, a ball or a city street not being "exposed to many sports." Silly.
Deb Lewis
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Parenting/unschooling-homeschooling-book-tests-classes/story?id=10410867***
Lots of comments there about nutty unschoolers.
From the article: *He added that sports "haven't really been an interest of mine," but he also hasn't been exposed to many sports because he doesn't participate in a PE class.*
Dylan had a lot of exposure to sports before he was seven (compulsory school age in our state.) He watched his dad play softball, he played miniature golf, played soccer, played some kind of tiny kid basketball at the park, dangled off the climbing wall, played tennis and badminton and croquet and bocce and Frisbee, went swimming, bounced on the trampoline... And without one minute of PE.
He saw PAHlenty of baseball on TV,<g> and some football and various other sports.
I can't imagine an American kid with a TV, a city park, a back yard, a stick, a ball or a city street not being "exposed to many sports." Silly.
Deb Lewis
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
stephanie
I just heard that they are flying the family out to be on tomorrow's show live. I hope it goes well. I thought this mornings segment was incredibly biased.
Steph
Sent from my BlackBerry� smartphone with Nextel Direct Connect
-----Original Message-----
From: "Deb Lewis" <d.lewis@...>
Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 11:03:38
To: <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] Good Morning America
***For those who didn't, you can see it here:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Parenting/unschooling-homeschooling-book-tests-classes/story?id=10410867***
Lots of comments there about nutty unschoolers.
From the article: *He added that sports "haven't really been an interest of mine," but he also hasn't been exposed to many sports because he doesn't participate in a PE class.*
Dylan had a lot of exposure to sports before he was seven (compulsory school age in our state.) He watched his dad play softball, he played miniature golf, played soccer, played some kind of tiny kid basketball at the park, dangled off the climbing wall, played tennis and badminton and croquet and bocce and Frisbee, went swimming, bounced on the trampoline... And without one minute of PE.
He saw PAHlenty of baseball on TV,<g> and some football and various other sports.
I can't imagine an American kid with a TV, a city park, a back yard, a stick, a ball or a city street not being "exposed to many sports." Silly.
Deb Lewis
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Steph
Sent from my BlackBerry� smartphone with Nextel Direct Connect
-----Original Message-----
From: "Deb Lewis" <d.lewis@...>
Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 11:03:38
To: <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] Good Morning America
***For those who didn't, you can see it here:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Parenting/unschooling-homeschooling-book-tests-classes/story?id=10410867***
Lots of comments there about nutty unschoolers.
From the article: *He added that sports "haven't really been an interest of mine," but he also hasn't been exposed to many sports because he doesn't participate in a PE class.*
Dylan had a lot of exposure to sports before he was seven (compulsory school age in our state.) He watched his dad play softball, he played miniature golf, played soccer, played some kind of tiny kid basketball at the park, dangled off the climbing wall, played tennis and badminton and croquet and bocce and Frisbee, went swimming, bounced on the trampoline... And without one minute of PE.
He saw PAHlenty of baseball on TV,<g> and some football and various other sports.
I can't imagine an American kid with a TV, a city park, a back yard, a stick, a ball or a city street not being "exposed to many sports." Silly.
Deb Lewis
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Jenny Cyphers
***What did anyone else think?***
The part I found mostly frustrating, was when the reporter was asking the kids leading questions without really giving them much of a chance to respond. Typical adult dismissal of teenagers. I wonder how often they interview or even talk to teenagers. You could see the bright openness in those kids' eyes. It's that same bright openness that I see in all unschooled kids that I don't see in schooled kids much.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
The part I found mostly frustrating, was when the reporter was asking the kids leading questions without really giving them much of a chance to respond. Typical adult dismissal of teenagers. I wonder how often they interview or even talk to teenagers. You could see the bright openness in those kids' eyes. It's that same bright openness that I see in all unschooled kids that I don't see in schooled kids much.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Schuyler
Thanks for sending the link. Simon got quite worked up watching it. It spawned a very cool conversation.
The one thing that struck me was right at the beginning, where she was describing the well meaning parents. She said that there is a huge gap between the utopian and the reality. As though that wasn't the case for school. I mean I knew kids who ended their lives in part because of the pressure of school. I know kids who were pulled out of school in response to the suicidal ideation they were expressing. That's a big gap between the utiopian and the reality. At least I assume it is. Maybe if you lower your standards the gap would be less apparent.
Although, given the discussion about success, my guess is that the gap isn't really there. In a paradigm that looks to the child there shouldn't be a gap between what is and what is aspired to. That was part of our conversation. I have expectations for Simon and Linnaea but they aren't grandiose, they aren't outside of who they are now. It isn't that I have low expectations, it is more that I've stopped looking toward the future to define my now with them.
It was interesting to see how dismissive they were.
Schuyler
________________________________
From: Joyce Fetteroll <jfetteroll@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, 19 April, 2010 17:45:57
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] Good Morning America
The one thing that struck me was right at the beginning, where she was describing the well meaning parents. She said that there is a huge gap between the utopian and the reality. As though that wasn't the case for school. I mean I knew kids who ended their lives in part because of the pressure of school. I know kids who were pulled out of school in response to the suicidal ideation they were expressing. That's a big gap between the utiopian and the reality. At least I assume it is. Maybe if you lower your standards the gap would be less apparent.
Although, given the discussion about success, my guess is that the gap isn't really there. In a paradigm that looks to the child there shouldn't be a gap between what is and what is aspired to. That was part of our conversation. I have expectations for Simon and Linnaea but they aren't grandiose, they aren't outside of who they are now. It isn't that I have low expectations, it is more that I've stopped looking toward the future to define my now with them.
It was interesting to see how dismissive they were.
Schuyler
________________________________
From: Joyce Fetteroll <jfetteroll@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, 19 April, 2010 17:45:57
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] Good Morning America
On Apr 19, 2010, at 9:15 AM, stephanielabarge@... wrote:
> Did anyone see the segment about unschooling on Good Morning America
> this morning?
For those who didn't, you can see it here:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Parenting/unschooling-homeschooling-book-tests-classes/story?id=10410867
(there's an ad at the beginning)
20 years ago the same types of segments played about homeschooling
with the same fear and doubt responses. Now they need to report on
unschooling to unsettle the audience in the same way ;-) I doubt there
was enough in the segment to intrigue parents and draw them to
investigating unschooling, but at least a lot more people know about
and have a start to a foundation if they encounter unschoolers out in
the wild.
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Jenny Cyphers
***I can't imagine an American kid with a TV, a city park, a back yard, a stick, a ball or a city street not being "exposed to many sports." Silly.***
I was thinking the exact same thing! Isn't the whole idea of PE, to help kids be physically fit? Jeez, they showed the kids doing boffer fights together. Most of Chamille's friends go to school. The boys are skate boarders who love to parkour, neither of which are in any way done in PE classes. They are very physically adept and physically fit kids, but it has nothing to do with PE classes which they all admittedly dislike. One of them dislikes it primarily because he's forced to dress and undress in public, and routinely gets marked down for refusing to do so.
Chamille's experience with sports has been taking tennis classes and martial arts, riding bikes, skate boarding, swimming, and when she was a lot younger, gymnastics and dance. The only things out of that list that she would've maybe done in school would be tennis or swimming, assuming the school she attended had a pool.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I was thinking the exact same thing! Isn't the whole idea of PE, to help kids be physically fit? Jeez, they showed the kids doing boffer fights together. Most of Chamille's friends go to school. The boys are skate boarders who love to parkour, neither of which are in any way done in PE classes. They are very physically adept and physically fit kids, but it has nothing to do with PE classes which they all admittedly dislike. One of them dislikes it primarily because he's forced to dress and undress in public, and routinely gets marked down for refusing to do so.
Chamille's experience with sports has been taking tennis classes and martial arts, riding bikes, skate boarding, swimming, and when she was a lot younger, gymnastics and dance. The only things out of that list that she would've maybe done in school would be tennis or swimming, assuming the school she attended had a pool.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Schuyler
I wanted to also add Simon's comment. He said "I'm surprised to see her lips move when she's talking." and I said "what?" "Well, since she's talking out of her ass."
Schuyler
________________________________
From: Schuyler <s.waynforth@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, 19 April, 2010 19:27:51
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] Good Morning America
Thanks for sending the link. Simon got quite worked up watching it. It spawned a very cool conversation.
The one thing that struck me was right at the beginning, where she was describing the well meaning parents. She said that there is a huge gap between the utopian and the reality. As though that wasn't the case for school. I mean I knew kids who ended their lives in part because of the pressure of school. I know kids who were pulled out of school in response to the suicidal ideation they were expressing. That's a big gap between the utiopian and the reality. At least I assume it is. Maybe if you lower your standards the gap would be less apparent.
Although, given the discussion about success, my guess is that the gap isn't really there. In a paradigm that looks to the child there shouldn't be a gap between what is and what is aspired to. That was part of our conversation. I have expectations for Simon and Linnaea but they aren't grandiose, they aren't outside of who they are now. It isn't that I have low expectations, it is more that I've stopped looking toward the future to define my now with them.
It was interesting to see how dismissive they were.
Schuyler
________________________________
From: Joyce Fetteroll <jfetteroll@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, 19 April, 2010 17:45:57
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] Good Morning America
Schuyler
________________________________
From: Schuyler <s.waynforth@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, 19 April, 2010 19:27:51
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] Good Morning America
Thanks for sending the link. Simon got quite worked up watching it. It spawned a very cool conversation.
The one thing that struck me was right at the beginning, where she was describing the well meaning parents. She said that there is a huge gap between the utopian and the reality. As though that wasn't the case for school. I mean I knew kids who ended their lives in part because of the pressure of school. I know kids who were pulled out of school in response to the suicidal ideation they were expressing. That's a big gap between the utiopian and the reality. At least I assume it is. Maybe if you lower your standards the gap would be less apparent.
Although, given the discussion about success, my guess is that the gap isn't really there. In a paradigm that looks to the child there shouldn't be a gap between what is and what is aspired to. That was part of our conversation. I have expectations for Simon and Linnaea but they aren't grandiose, they aren't outside of who they are now. It isn't that I have low expectations, it is more that I've stopped looking toward the future to define my now with them.
It was interesting to see how dismissive they were.
Schuyler
________________________________
From: Joyce Fetteroll <jfetteroll@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, 19 April, 2010 17:45:57
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] Good Morning America
On Apr 19, 2010, at 9:15 AM, stephanielabarge@... wrote:
> Did anyone see the segment about unschooling on Good Morning America
> this morning?
For those who didn't, you can see it here:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Parenting/unschooling-homeschooling-book-tests-classes/story?id=10410867
(there's an ad at the beginning)
20 years ago the same types of segments played about homeschooling
with the same fear and doubt responses. Now they need to report on
unschooling to unsettle the audience in the same way ;-) I doubt there
was enough in the segment to intrigue parents and draw them to
investigating unschooling, but at least a lot more people know about
and have a start to a foundation if they encounter unschoolers out in
the wild.
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Robin Bentley
>Exposed to sports means "forced to play them" doesn't it? <g>
> From the article: *He added that sports "haven't really been an
> interest of mine," but he also hasn't been exposed to many sports
> because he doesn't participate in a PE class.*
>
> Dylan had a lot of exposure to sports before he was seven
> (compulsory school age in our state.) He watched his dad play
> softball, he played miniature golf, played soccer, played some kind
> of tiny kid basketball at the park, dangled off the climbing wall,
> played tennis and badminton and croquet and bocce and Frisbee, went
> swimming, bounced on the trampoline... And without one minute of PE.
> He saw PAHlenty of baseball on TV,<g> and some football and various
> other sports.
>
> I can't imagine an American kid with a TV, a city park, a back yard,
> a stick, a ball or a city street not being "exposed to many
> sports." Silly.
>
Robin B.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
k
I thought the reporter was brusque even with the parents who looked very
much on top of things-- reasonable, intelligent, and cogent. The reporter
seemed rather uninformed but that's ok because she's supposedly on an
inquiry about just what is this thing called unschooling. She started out
with her conclusion first. Nice already (sarcasm). So going in, everyone can
be on notice that the reporter is biased against unschooling. I thought the
way she questioned the teens and the things she asked them about were
obviously intended to make them look goofy ... which they didn't. They were
respectful to a reporter who was being silly.
It was definitely goofy that the reporter showed the questions about sports
in conjunction with footage of teens who were outside actively playing with
bolsters and having a relaxed good time, not only with each other but with
their mom. They look happy! Bite that, lady. How many teens in school (who
mostly worry about bustin' their cool) would unabashedly play like that? I
totally wouldn't have been caught dead on film playing in the yard with my
parents as a teen in school. No way.
That's my perspective as an unschooling parent who went to school as a kid.
~Katherine
much on top of things-- reasonable, intelligent, and cogent. The reporter
seemed rather uninformed but that's ok because she's supposedly on an
inquiry about just what is this thing called unschooling. She started out
with her conclusion first. Nice already (sarcasm). So going in, everyone can
be on notice that the reporter is biased against unschooling. I thought the
way she questioned the teens and the things she asked them about were
obviously intended to make them look goofy ... which they didn't. They were
respectful to a reporter who was being silly.
It was definitely goofy that the reporter showed the questions about sports
in conjunction with footage of teens who were outside actively playing with
bolsters and having a relaxed good time, not only with each other but with
their mom. They look happy! Bite that, lady. How many teens in school (who
mostly worry about bustin' their cool) would unabashedly play like that? I
totally wouldn't have been caught dead on film playing in the yard with my
parents as a teen in school. No way.
That's my perspective as an unschooling parent who went to school as a kid.
~Katherine
On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 2:27 PM, Schuyler <s.waynforth@...>wrote:
> Thanks for sending the link. Simon got quite worked up watching it. It
> spawned a very cool conversation.
>
> The one thing that struck me was right at the beginning, where she was
> describing the well meaning parents. She said that there is a huge gap
> between the utopian and the reality. As though that wasn't the case for
> school. I mean I knew kids who ended their lives in part because of the
> pressure of school. I know kids who were pulled out of school in response to
> the suicidal ideation they were expressing. That's a big gap between the
> utiopian and the reality. At least I assume it is. Maybe if you lower your
> standards the gap would be less apparent.
>
> Although, given the discussion about success, my guess is that the gap
> isn't really there. In a paradigm that looks to the child there shouldn't be
> a gap between what is and what is aspired to. That was part of our
> conversation. I have expectations for Simon and Linnaea but they aren't
> grandiose, they aren't outside of who they are now. It isn't that I have low
> expectations, it is more that I've stopped looking toward the future to
> define my now with them.
>
> It was interesting to see how dismissive they were.
>
> Schuyler
>
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Joyce Fetteroll <jfetteroll@...>
> To: [email protected]
> Sent: Monday, 19 April, 2010 17:45:57
> Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] Good Morning America
>
>
> On Apr 19, 2010, at 9:15 AM, stephanielabarge@... wrote:
>
> > Did anyone see the segment about unschooling on Good Morning America
> > this morning?
>
> For those who didn't, you can see it here:
>
>
> http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Parenting/unschooling-homeschooling-book-tests-classes/story?id=10410867
>
> (there's an ad at the beginning)
>
> 20 years ago the same types of segments played about homeschooling
> with the same fear and doubt responses. Now they need to report on
> unschooling to unsettle the audience in the same way ;-) I doubt there
> was enough in the segment to intrigue parents and draw them to
> investigating unschooling, but at least a lot more people know about
> and have a start to a foundation if they encounter unschoolers out in
> the wild.
>
> Joyce
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Cara Barlow
I just watched it with Anna, who is 14. Her comment was "the reporter talked
about what they (the family) didn't do instead of what they did."
Best wishes, Cara
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
about what they (the family) didn't do instead of what they did."
Best wishes, Cara
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
jennifer.neary
I'm sure that those families who were featured are wonderful folks and great unschoolers, and I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but I thought the Good Morning America piece was a train wreck.
It seemed to me that the families were not prepared to speak to their audience. (Good Morning America viewers.) Regardless of how nice the reporter was to them during the interview, GMA is going to have a bias, and of course that bias is going to be against anything as radical as unschooling.
I don't think the reporter was hard on the teens, I thought she lobbed them a few softballs.
I am quite sure that the families featured had better moments than the ones GMA chose to air. However, if a family is going to do an interview like that, they have to make sure that they have only (or at least mostly) good moments for the TV guys to pick from.
I would urge any family who is considering doing something like this to prepare in a big way. Brainstorm questions that you think the journalist might ask. Come up with awesome answers and practice saying them so they flow easily. Remember who your audience is. Craft your responses accordingly. You don't have to answer stupid questions, turn the question into something that plays to your strengths. Watch the Sunday morning talk shows, the guests do that all the time. "That's a good point, George, but what's really important is....."
Get some help from someone who is media savvy if you have the opportunity.
After watching the segment by myself, I watched it with my kids and we discussed what they might say if they were asked such questions. It's a good skill to have just for the relatives, even if those relatives aren't hostile. I want my children and my husband and I to be able to explain what we do to the clueless in an articulate way.
What we're doing is radical and most people think it's ridiculous. Although we can usually avoid hostile people, it's a good idea to at least have an "elevator" answer at the ready.
Jennie
It seemed to me that the families were not prepared to speak to their audience. (Good Morning America viewers.) Regardless of how nice the reporter was to them during the interview, GMA is going to have a bias, and of course that bias is going to be against anything as radical as unschooling.
I don't think the reporter was hard on the teens, I thought she lobbed them a few softballs.
I am quite sure that the families featured had better moments than the ones GMA chose to air. However, if a family is going to do an interview like that, they have to make sure that they have only (or at least mostly) good moments for the TV guys to pick from.
I would urge any family who is considering doing something like this to prepare in a big way. Brainstorm questions that you think the journalist might ask. Come up with awesome answers and practice saying them so they flow easily. Remember who your audience is. Craft your responses accordingly. You don't have to answer stupid questions, turn the question into something that plays to your strengths. Watch the Sunday morning talk shows, the guests do that all the time. "That's a good point, George, but what's really important is....."
Get some help from someone who is media savvy if you have the opportunity.
After watching the segment by myself, I watched it with my kids and we discussed what they might say if they were asked such questions. It's a good skill to have just for the relatives, even if those relatives aren't hostile. I want my children and my husband and I to be able to explain what we do to the clueless in an articulate way.
What we're doing is radical and most people think it's ridiculous. Although we can usually avoid hostile people, it's a good idea to at least have an "elevator" answer at the ready.
Jennie
--- In [email protected], "stephanielabarge@..." <stephanielabarge@...> wrote:
>
> Did anyone see the segment about unschooling on Good Morning America this morning? My mom saw me reading Sandra's "big book" yesterday and called me to tell me it would be on. It was an ok segment, but trying to distill a life of learning into a few minutes and through a very school minded lens is pretty difficult, so needless to say there was so much left out, but they stopped short of making unschooling families look completely nutty. Well, just thought it was interesting that it was on since I am new to this group and determining if unschooling is right for our family. What did anyone else think?
>
> Steph
>
Sandra Dodd
I worry about that kind of exposure because some state legislators
will press for more laws.
But I thought the family looked great! And some of the things the
broadcasters said were lame as could be.
This quote is way in our favor:
"Most educators say there's often a huge gap between the utopian ideal
and the reality."
Nowhere is that gap bigger than in the public school system.
Sandra
will press for more laws.
But I thought the family looked great! And some of the things the
broadcasters said were lame as could be.
This quote is way in our favor:
"Most educators say there's often a huge gap between the utopian ideal
and the reality."
Nowhere is that gap bigger than in the public school system.
Sandra
Sandra Dodd
-=-The part I found mostly frustrating, was when the reporter was
asking the kids leading questions without really giving them much of a
chance to respond. Typical adult dismissal of teenagers. I wonder how
often they interview or even talk to teenagers. You could see the
bright openness in those kids' eyes. It's that same bright openness
that I see in all unschooled kids that I don't see in schooled kids
much.-=-
Yes. And when the teenaged boy was talking to her she said with some
real derision, "But you were seven! What do you know!?"
It's been many years since he was seven.
It's been many years since she was seven, but he remembers and his
parents cared what he thought, when she was seven.
I'm assuming the reporter's parents gave her the "What do YOU know"?
treatment, and that if she has children now, she's doing that to them.
My kids knew a ton of stuff at seven. I still remember being seven,
and I knew things the teachers didn't know, even about what was going
on in the classroom and what could be done better. I knew, at seven,
how they had taught reading at the school where I was in first grade,
in Texas. And I learned phonics in 2nd grade in New Mexico. I could
have discussed the differences even then.
Sandra
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asking the kids leading questions without really giving them much of a
chance to respond. Typical adult dismissal of teenagers. I wonder how
often they interview or even talk to teenagers. You could see the
bright openness in those kids' eyes. It's that same bright openness
that I see in all unschooled kids that I don't see in schooled kids
much.-=-
Yes. And when the teenaged boy was talking to her she said with some
real derision, "But you were seven! What do you know!?"
It's been many years since he was seven.
It's been many years since she was seven, but he remembers and his
parents cared what he thought, when she was seven.
I'm assuming the reporter's parents gave her the "What do YOU know"?
treatment, and that if she has children now, she's doing that to them.
My kids knew a ton of stuff at seven. I still remember being seven,
and I knew things the teachers didn't know, even about what was going
on in the classroom and what could be done better. I knew, at seven,
how they had taught reading at the school where I was in first grade,
in Texas. And I learned phonics in 2nd grade in New Mexico. I could
have discussed the differences even then.
Sandra
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Sandra Dodd
-=- She said that there is a huge gap between the utopian and the
reality. -=-
I replayed that to get the quote exactly, and have already posted a
note about that at facebook.
"Most educators say there's often a huge gap between the utopian ideal
and the reality."
NO SHIT, and nowhere is there so huge a gap as in school. School
doesn't even HAVE a utopian ideal. They know right now that for kids
who aren't even born yet, they're going to give failing marks to some
percentage of them, and brand most kids "average."
Sandra
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reality. -=-
I replayed that to get the quote exactly, and have already posted a
note about that at facebook.
"Most educators say there's often a huge gap between the utopian ideal
and the reality."
NO SHIT, and nowhere is there so huge a gap as in school. School
doesn't even HAVE a utopian ideal. They know right now that for kids
who aren't even born yet, they're going to give failing marks to some
percentage of them, and brand most kids "average."
Sandra
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Sandra Dodd
-=-Exposed to sports means "forced to play them" doesn't it? <g>-=-
It certainly did at our school.
We were "exposed" by force to tetherball in elementary, and dodgeball
and kickball. Some days we were made to play on the swings, or the
slide. This was accomplished by assigning different areas in the
playground to different classes, so everyone could be made to play
those competitive ball games, in rotation. There were two recesses,
but that year one became "PE" because of President Kennedy's exercise
program, so Americans could beat the Soviets to the moon. So we lost
a recess. It still looked like a recess, but it involved pressure to
perform. I'm sure the teachers were even more bummed than we were.
In Jr. High PE I was exposed by force to volleyball, girl's basketball
(not quite real basketball), gymnastics, folk dance (the only part I
didn't hate) and interpretive dance.
I lived, but I still have resentment 40 years later, it seems. <g>
Sandra
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It certainly did at our school.
We were "exposed" by force to tetherball in elementary, and dodgeball
and kickball. Some days we were made to play on the swings, or the
slide. This was accomplished by assigning different areas in the
playground to different classes, so everyone could be made to play
those competitive ball games, in rotation. There were two recesses,
but that year one became "PE" because of President Kennedy's exercise
program, so Americans could beat the Soviets to the moon. So we lost
a recess. It still looked like a recess, but it involved pressure to
perform. I'm sure the teachers were even more bummed than we were.
In Jr. High PE I was exposed by force to volleyball, girl's basketball
(not quite real basketball), gymnastics, folk dance (the only part I
didn't hate) and interpretive dance.
I lived, but I still have resentment 40 years later, it seems. <g>
Sandra
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Sandra Dodd
-=- I thought the
way she questioned the teens and the things she asked them about were
obviously intended to make them look goofy ... which they didn't. They
were
respectful to a reporter who was being silly.-=-
Very true.
AND she didn't know she was being silly. Because there are dialogs in
people's heads about kids and school, she thought (without really
thinking) that she was actually conversing with other humans, but she
was just parotting things that were in her head, it seemed, and not
interviewing the people who were there about their own particular lives.
She was a big wad of "Yeah, but..."
Sandra
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way she questioned the teens and the things she asked them about were
obviously intended to make them look goofy ... which they didn't. They
were
respectful to a reporter who was being silly.-=-
Very true.
AND she didn't know she was being silly. Because there are dialogs in
people's heads about kids and school, she thought (without really
thinking) that she was actually conversing with other humans, but she
was just parotting things that were in her head, it seemed, and not
interviewing the people who were there about their own particular lives.
She was a big wad of "Yeah, but..."
Sandra
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Deb Lewis
***He said "I'm surprised to see her lips move when she's talking." and I said "what?" "Well, since she's talking out of her ass."***
I have finally stopped laughing... laughed so loud I woke up the dog who is mostly deaf. <g> Simon is a very funny guy.
***That's a big gap between the utopian and the reality. ***
I know a couple of kids in college right now who are there just to keep their parents off their case. They are there just to look busy and to be busy so that they don't have to answer questions about their future. I know they're getting some interesting stuff out of their college experience but they are not there in pursuit of their life's joy. I keep thinking how much better it would have been for their parents to spend that college money in pursuit of what their kids really wanted. The trouble is, the kids didn't really have a chance to figure that out. Maybe it's still looking utopian from the parents point of view, but not so much from where the kids are.
I liked how the daughter in the GMA interview looked right at the camera when she closed the door to her (I presume) bedroom and said, "You guys can't go in there." <g> I have friends in their forties and fifties who would be apologizing and blushing and making excuses over an untidy room (in their own house!) and this young woman just said no.<g> Too bad they used it to insinuate these kids might not be learning how to look after themselves.
Which is my segue into my little morning news bit.<g>
When we heard the shuttle would be descending over Montana we thought we'd like to go see if we could spot it. I was going to just stay up all night but around one in the morning I flaked out and went to bed. We planned to leave the house a little after five to drive up the hill and find a good spot to watch. I set my clock to get up early enough to take care of the critters before we left because we thought we might go out to breakfast after. Dylan stayed up. When I got up he had already let the dog out and in again, had fed him, had changed his water, watered the bird and fed the cats and cleaned out the litter pans.
A kid who never had chores, who could watch TV and eat what he wanted, the kind of kid some of the thoughtful readers at the Good Morning America website predicted would turn out "a loser," who was awake in a house with three TV's, cable, Netflix movies, two computers, a game system, a telephone, beer and CUPCAKES forgodssake, was up at four thirty in the morning reading "The Filmmaker's Handbook," eating organic salad.
What a loser! <g>
We did drive up the hill, set up the telescope, swill hot chocolate, gaze at stars, hang out, talk, finally give up and go to breakfast. Shuttle landing delayed. <g>
Deb Lewis
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I have finally stopped laughing... laughed so loud I woke up the dog who is mostly deaf. <g> Simon is a very funny guy.
***That's a big gap between the utopian and the reality. ***
I know a couple of kids in college right now who are there just to keep their parents off their case. They are there just to look busy and to be busy so that they don't have to answer questions about their future. I know they're getting some interesting stuff out of their college experience but they are not there in pursuit of their life's joy. I keep thinking how much better it would have been for their parents to spend that college money in pursuit of what their kids really wanted. The trouble is, the kids didn't really have a chance to figure that out. Maybe it's still looking utopian from the parents point of view, but not so much from where the kids are.
I liked how the daughter in the GMA interview looked right at the camera when she closed the door to her (I presume) bedroom and said, "You guys can't go in there." <g> I have friends in their forties and fifties who would be apologizing and blushing and making excuses over an untidy room (in their own house!) and this young woman just said no.<g> Too bad they used it to insinuate these kids might not be learning how to look after themselves.
Which is my segue into my little morning news bit.<g>
When we heard the shuttle would be descending over Montana we thought we'd like to go see if we could spot it. I was going to just stay up all night but around one in the morning I flaked out and went to bed. We planned to leave the house a little after five to drive up the hill and find a good spot to watch. I set my clock to get up early enough to take care of the critters before we left because we thought we might go out to breakfast after. Dylan stayed up. When I got up he had already let the dog out and in again, had fed him, had changed his water, watered the bird and fed the cats and cleaned out the litter pans.
A kid who never had chores, who could watch TV and eat what he wanted, the kind of kid some of the thoughtful readers at the Good Morning America website predicted would turn out "a loser," who was awake in a house with three TV's, cable, Netflix movies, two computers, a game system, a telephone, beer and CUPCAKES forgodssake, was up at four thirty in the morning reading "The Filmmaker's Handbook," eating organic salad.
What a loser! <g>
We did drive up the hill, set up the telescope, swill hot chocolate, gaze at stars, hang out, talk, finally give up and go to breakfast. Shuttle landing delayed. <g>
Deb Lewis
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Sandra Dodd
-=-I'm sure that those families who were featured are wonderful folks
and great unschoolers, and I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but
I thought the Good Morning America piece was a train wreck.-=-
I think that would mean you haven't seen very many news reports on
unschooling. <g>
I've BEEN in those train wrecks. This one was barely a fender-bender.
Sandra
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and great unschoolers, and I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but
I thought the Good Morning America piece was a train wreck.-=-
I think that would mean you haven't seen very many news reports on
unschooling. <g>
I've BEEN in those train wrecks. This one was barely a fender-bender.
Sandra
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Sandra Dodd
-=
What we're doing is radical and most people think it's ridiculous.
Although we can usually avoid hostile people, it's a good idea to at
least have an "elevator" answer at the ready.-=-
The news crew was there all day. You don't get to edit the piece.
They'll pick what they want out of hours and hours of footage.
I thought the parents' answers at the table were really good!
Sandra
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What we're doing is radical and most people think it's ridiculous.
Although we can usually avoid hostile people, it's a good idea to at
least have an "elevator" answer at the ready.-=-
The news crew was there all day. You don't get to edit the piece.
They'll pick what they want out of hours and hours of footage.
I thought the parents' answers at the table were really good!
Sandra
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Sandra Dodd
-=A kid who never had chores, who could watch TV and eat what he
wanted, the kind of kid some of the thoughtful readers at the Good
Morning America website predicted would turn out "a loser," who was
awake in a house with three TV's, cable, Netflix movies, two
computers, a game system, a telephone, beer and CUPCAKES forgodssake,
was up at four thirty in the morning reading "The Filmmaker's
Handbook," eating organic salad.
What a loser! <g>-=-
DEB!
I hope you will go and post that on the ABC site. <g>
Sandra
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wanted, the kind of kid some of the thoughtful readers at the Good
Morning America website predicted would turn out "a loser," who was
awake in a house with three TV's, cable, Netflix movies, two
computers, a game system, a telephone, beer and CUPCAKES forgodssake,
was up at four thirty in the morning reading "The Filmmaker's
Handbook," eating organic salad.
What a loser! <g>-=-
DEB!
I hope you will go and post that on the ABC site. <g>
Sandra
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Robin Bentley
>Being married to someone who is/was interviewed rather frequently, I
> I would urge any family who is considering doing something like this
> to prepare in a big way. Brainstorm questions that you think the
> journalist might ask. Come up with awesome answers and practice
> saying them so they flow easily. Remember who your audience is.
> Craft your responses accordingly. You don't have to answer stupid
> questions, turn the question into something that plays to your
> strengths. Watch the Sunday morning talk shows, the guests do that
> all the time. "That's a good point, George, but what's really
> important is....."
>
> Get some help from someone who is media savvy if you have the
> opportunity.
agree that preparation is key. Assessing the intent of the interviewer
or show makes a huge difference in how one might prepare. If I am
being interviewed for, say, Home Education Magazine, the interviewer
comes from a totally different perspective (encouraging, curious) than
one from GMA or the Today show, where they might like to make a fool
of me for not buying into their worldview. They'll do it with smiles
and even polite inquiry, but you can see it in their eyes when they're
going in for the juicy sound bite that will tip the scales in the
"wacko" direction.
Sometimes, reporters will chat with you in advance and go over their
questions so you feel comfortable. Then, they ask you something
completely out of left field, that they didn't happen to mention in
the pre-interview interview. We got caught a few times in that until
we wised up. It was painful, thinking that interviewers really wanted
to know what your thoughts were, then finding out they could have
cared less. They were getting a story, the more controversial the
better.
Having been involved in media at both ends (as a reporter and an
interviewee), I've learned that there are some things you can do to
hold your own. Ross makes a list of 3 to 5 "messages" he practices to
get across. He's learned how to turn the conversation back to what
"he" wants to say. It might be manipulation in a way, but that's what
the journalist is doing, too. Make it a lively manipulation! It can
lead to further discussion, less agenda and even a relationship.
Robin B.
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Robin Bentley
Snort, Schuyler! Simon's our kind of guy <g>
Robin B.
Robin B.
On Apr 19, 2010, at 8:38 AM, Schuyler wrote:
> I wanted to also add Simon's comment. He said "I'm surprised to see
> her lips move when she's talking." and I said "what?" "Well, since
> she's talking out of her ass."
>
> Schuyler
>
Robin Bentley
> -=A kid who never had chores, who could watch TV and eat what heYeah, you bunch of losers, waiting for something that didn't happen
> wanted, the kind of kid some of the thoughtful readers at the Good
> Morning America website predicted would turn out "a loser," who was
> awake in a house with three TV's, cable, Netflix movies, two
> computers, a game system, a telephone, beer and CUPCAKES forgodssake,
> was up at four thirty in the morning reading "The Filmmaker's
> Handbook," eating organic salad.
>
> What a loser! <g>-=-
>
> DEB!
> I hope you will go and post that on the ABC site. <g>
>
> Sandra
>
<g>. Go for it, Deb.
Robin B.
k
>>>Yes. And when the teenaged boy was talking to her she said with somereal derision, "But you were seven! What do you know!?"<<<
Not sure how being seven applies to right now in "what do you know!?" which
she didn't seem the least bit curious about.
To me, it's very obvious that the whole idea of unschooling and the happy,
dare-I-say poised (and totally unposed) calm of these young people pushed
her buttons. And right, Sandra, she didn't know that it looks like that to
some viewers, the ones she was talking so uninformed about. The thought
crossed my mind that she's jealous ... more than once.
~Katherine
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k
>>>Having been involved in media at both ends (as a reporter and aninterviewee), I've learned that there are some things you can do to
hold your own. Ross makes a list of 3 to 5 "messages" he practices to
get across. He's learned how to turn the conversation back to what
"he" wants to say. It might be manipulation in a way, but that's what
the journalist is doing, too. Make it a lively manipulation! It can
lead to further discussion, less agenda and even a relationship.<<<
I saw Phil do that a couple of times, Robin. I liked their responses even if
the reporter didn't. ;)
~Katherine
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Deb Lewis
***Exposed to sports means "forced to play them" doesn't it? <g>***
Well, yeah. <g>
I remember having to play softball in PE in Jr. High School. I had twenty forty vision in one eye and twenty four hundred in the other. Hit the ball? What ball? Where? <g>
Our PE teacher, Miss Sheehan, weighed easily over three hundred pounds, and would sit on a bench and yell, "Lengthen those strides!" at running, panting kids while she ate Snickers bars.
My kid got to run when he felt like it, strides however long he liked, no reoccurring fantasies of beheading a PE teacher and shoving Snickers bars down her head hole well into his forties.
And he knows how to run! He didn't need instruction or forced practice, he can run! He'll probably never run a marathon but if he has to, you know, get away from the police, he'll do ok. <g>
Deb Lewis
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Well, yeah. <g>
I remember having to play softball in PE in Jr. High School. I had twenty forty vision in one eye and twenty four hundred in the other. Hit the ball? What ball? Where? <g>
Our PE teacher, Miss Sheehan, weighed easily over three hundred pounds, and would sit on a bench and yell, "Lengthen those strides!" at running, panting kids while she ate Snickers bars.
My kid got to run when he felt like it, strides however long he liked, no reoccurring fantasies of beheading a PE teacher and shoving Snickers bars down her head hole well into his forties.
And he knows how to run! He didn't need instruction or forced practice, he can run! He'll probably never run a marathon but if he has to, you know, get away from the police, he'll do ok. <g>
Deb Lewis
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