My ramble
Shyrley
SandraDodd@... wrote:
the sunshine!
Anyway, lets kick off with my ramble...
Just thought I'd open thedebate on 'Unschooling' or 'child led learning'
Much to my husband's horror, I do very little so-called structured
learning with my children. he's like to see filled workbooks and written
stuff but it ain't happened yet. He wants to know how they can possibly
'get on' in the world when they never pick up a pen, do maths etc
(get-on means career, money, pension plans etc etc)
Generally I am aware of how much they are learning just through our
conversations and I feel that workbooks are 'make-work' to keep adults
happy but he is concerned that they will need exams and must have the
ability to take exams and learn.
Now that DD is 10 he is getting very anxious about her future and that
she shouldn't be playing and reading all day. We spend a lot of time
seeing friends and drinking wine too (me, not the kids)
So, what this ramble is leading too is people's experiences of
unschooling older children and their thoughts on unschooling, either for
or against. Everybody on the list is much more eloquent than me so I can
just plagarise your words in arguments with DH and sound clever rather
than say its instinct :-D
On your marks, get set, go.............
Shyrley
PS Isn't it off how coffee makes your brain whirl but nothing coherant
actually comes out. I have gone all twitchy too
> Either people aren't posting or I'm not getting yahoo mail yet.They all went out and found the real world..hundreds of email addicts blinking in
>
the sunshine!
Anyway, lets kick off with my ramble...
Just thought I'd open thedebate on 'Unschooling' or 'child led learning'
Much to my husband's horror, I do very little so-called structured
learning with my children. he's like to see filled workbooks and written
stuff but it ain't happened yet. He wants to know how they can possibly
'get on' in the world when they never pick up a pen, do maths etc
(get-on means career, money, pension plans etc etc)
Generally I am aware of how much they are learning just through our
conversations and I feel that workbooks are 'make-work' to keep adults
happy but he is concerned that they will need exams and must have the
ability to take exams and learn.
Now that DD is 10 he is getting very anxious about her future and that
she shouldn't be playing and reading all day. We spend a lot of time
seeing friends and drinking wine too (me, not the kids)
So, what this ramble is leading too is people's experiences of
unschooling older children and their thoughts on unschooling, either for
or against. Everybody on the list is much more eloquent than me so I can
just plagarise your words in arguments with DH and sound clever rather
than say its instinct :-D
On your marks, get set, go.............
Shyrley
PS Isn't it off how coffee makes your brain whirl but nothing coherant
actually comes out. I have gone all twitchy too
[email protected]
Shyrley
PS Isn't it off how coffee makes your brain whirl but nothing coherant
actually comes out. I have gone all twitchy too
****I can just hear you saying this, it sounds so British.
If I said it, it would sound more like:
Dude, I am wired from waaaayy to much caffeine!
~Elissa Cleaveland
"It is nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction
have
not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry." A. Einstein
PS Isn't it off how coffee makes your brain whirl but nothing coherant
actually comes out. I have gone all twitchy too
****I can just hear you saying this, it sounds so British.
If I said it, it would sound more like:
Dude, I am wired from waaaayy to much caffeine!
~Elissa Cleaveland
"It is nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction
have
not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry." A. Einstein
Shyrley
ElissaJC@... wrote:
:-)
Shyrley
> ShyrleyI know, I know. I need to practice my American. Y'all.
>
> PS Isn't it off how coffee makes your brain whirl but nothing coherant
> actually comes out. I have gone all twitchy too
>
> ****I can just hear you saying this, it sounds so British.
> If I said it, it would sound more like:
> Dude, I am wired from waaaayy to much caffeine!
> ~Elissa Cleaveland
:-)
Shyrley
Tia Leschke
>I wonder if it would help to write out a "report card" for your daughter,
>Much to my husband's horror, I do very little so-called structured
>learning with my children. he's like to see filled workbooks and written
>stuff but it ain't happened yet. He wants to know how they can possibly
>'get on' in the world when they never pick up a pen, do maths etc
>(get-on means career, money, pension plans etc etc)
>Generally I am aware of how much they are learning just through our
>conversations and I feel that workbooks are 'make-work' to keep adults
>happy but he is concerned that they will need exams and must have the
>ability to take exams and learn.
>Now that DD is 10 he is getting very anxious about her future and that
>she shouldn't be playing and reading all day. We spend a lot of time
>seeing friends and drinking wine too (me, not the kids)
listing all the things you know she's been doing and learning, but
translating them first into "Educationese". If he was suitably impressed,
you might want to translate it all back into English so he can see that she
has really been learning lots all along.
As far as exams go, she can learn that later if she needs it. She could
study for and take the GED or the SAT or whatever. There are books out
there both to help her learn and to take practise tests from.
>So, what this ramble is leading too is people's experiences ofWell, it's been this list and the "other one" that have helped me to relax
>unschooling older children and their thoughts on unschooling, either for
>or against. Everybody on the list is much more eloquent than me so I can
>just plagarise your words in arguments with DH and sound clever rather
>than say its instinct :-D
and see that my non-academic teen is doing just fine, learning what *he*
needs to know and doing the things *he* needs to do.
Tia
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
Eleanor Roosevelt
*********************************************
Tia Leschke
leschke@...
On Vancouver Island
[email protected]
In a message dated 3/19/02 10:57:36 AM Mountain Standard Time,
shyrley@... writes:
not going to change courses when there are no problems.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
shyrley@... writes:
> So, what this ramble is leading too is people's experiences ofMy kids are 10, 13 and 15 and unschooling has worked great all along. I'm
> unschooling older children and their thoughts on unschooling, either for
>
not going to change courses when there are no problems.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 3/19/2002 9:56:35 PM Pacific Standard Time,
SandraDodd@... writes:
months looking like they're doing nothing, sometimes, and then have
explosions of intense focus on specific things. There has been little to
nothing that looks like regular, progresive, systematic learning of any
particular subjects - but somehow they seem to know stuff. Now that they're
older, they aren't really unschooling, I guess, since they take college
courses - my 17 yo has about 60 units of college work - all her GE
requirements finished except math (along with a lot of art classes). Even
though we never did formal studies - no history, math, science, etc., she
doesn't seem to have any "gaps" in her background knowledge to hinder her in
her college courses. In fact, she says that she feels like she usually knows
a LOT more than most of the other students. If you asked her where she
learned the stuff, she'd say, "From reading, traveling, talking to people,
watching movies and tv, whatever....". Hard to really say where it came from
- just from life. Really.
Roxana, who is 14 (hi Rox) has just started to take a few courses at the
college - a website design class, an introduction to opera (studying about
it, not performing), and a beginning voice class. She was nervous about
"going to college," worried about things like note taking and writing essays
for exams, but she's doing really well - really happy with the classes and
learning a LOT and, as it turns out, getting good grades too.
My 11 yo has a friend who is in a public school homeschooling program. She
has to turn in work samples every month. So Rosie (my 11 yo) was spending the
night at her friend's house and her friend had to do a bunch of workbook
stuff so she'd have some work samples to turn in. They decided to play school
- and Rosie did the worksheets too. It was pretty dismal. The other mom was
the "teacher" and she marked wrong all the math questions and spelling words
that Rosie missed. There were a LOT of them. I was kind of annoyed by the
whole thing - because I didn't want Rosie getting the feeling she's "behind"
or something. I'm not worried about her - she's fine - she knows a LOT of
stuff and can simply THINK way more clearly than the other girl - even if she
can't spell <G>. The time the other girl has spent doing worksheets, Rosie
has spent on things she's INTERESTED in. So, for example, the worksheets
didn't "test" knowledge of the geography of the world - it isn't part of the
5th grade curriculum <G>. But Rosie knows a LOT about world geography - more
than many adults, probably. Why? Because she LOVES soccer and follows
international soccer - follows teams from Europe and South America, mostly,
but also is very very aware of other countries because of the World Cup
qualifying rounds going on all over the world right now.
So - she knows interesting information about lots of countries in the world,
but didn't know how to multiply multiple digit decimal numbers. It hasn't
come up. Big deal - she can learn that in minutes - and will, I'm sure, one
of these days, because it'll come up and she'll want to.
--Pam S
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
SandraDodd@... writes:
> > So, what this ramble is leading too is people's experiences ofMine are 11, 14, and 17 and unschooling has been fine for us. My kids spend
> > unschooling older children and their thoughts on unschooling, either for
> >
>
> My kids are 10, 13 and 15 and unschooling has worked great all along. I'm
> not going to change courses when there are no problems.
months looking like they're doing nothing, sometimes, and then have
explosions of intense focus on specific things. There has been little to
nothing that looks like regular, progresive, systematic learning of any
particular subjects - but somehow they seem to know stuff. Now that they're
older, they aren't really unschooling, I guess, since they take college
courses - my 17 yo has about 60 units of college work - all her GE
requirements finished except math (along with a lot of art classes). Even
though we never did formal studies - no history, math, science, etc., she
doesn't seem to have any "gaps" in her background knowledge to hinder her in
her college courses. In fact, she says that she feels like she usually knows
a LOT more than most of the other students. If you asked her where she
learned the stuff, she'd say, "From reading, traveling, talking to people,
watching movies and tv, whatever....". Hard to really say where it came from
- just from life. Really.
Roxana, who is 14 (hi Rox) has just started to take a few courses at the
college - a website design class, an introduction to opera (studying about
it, not performing), and a beginning voice class. She was nervous about
"going to college," worried about things like note taking and writing essays
for exams, but she's doing really well - really happy with the classes and
learning a LOT and, as it turns out, getting good grades too.
My 11 yo has a friend who is in a public school homeschooling program. She
has to turn in work samples every month. So Rosie (my 11 yo) was spending the
night at her friend's house and her friend had to do a bunch of workbook
stuff so she'd have some work samples to turn in. They decided to play school
- and Rosie did the worksheets too. It was pretty dismal. The other mom was
the "teacher" and she marked wrong all the math questions and spelling words
that Rosie missed. There were a LOT of them. I was kind of annoyed by the
whole thing - because I didn't want Rosie getting the feeling she's "behind"
or something. I'm not worried about her - she's fine - she knows a LOT of
stuff and can simply THINK way more clearly than the other girl - even if she
can't spell <G>. The time the other girl has spent doing worksheets, Rosie
has spent on things she's INTERESTED in. So, for example, the worksheets
didn't "test" knowledge of the geography of the world - it isn't part of the
5th grade curriculum <G>. But Rosie knows a LOT about world geography - more
than many adults, probably. Why? Because she LOVES soccer and follows
international soccer - follows teams from Europe and South America, mostly,
but also is very very aware of other countries because of the World Cup
qualifying rounds going on all over the world right now.
So - she knows interesting information about lots of countries in the world,
but didn't know how to multiply multiple digit decimal numbers. It hasn't
come up. Big deal - she can learn that in minutes - and will, I'm sure, one
of these days, because it'll come up and she'll want to.
--Pam S
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Carol & Mac
SandraDodd@... wrote:
because it won't be the unschooling that's the problem. Problems are
just part of the life that unschoolers learn from. (Yeah, I know Sandra
knows that.)
Carol
>My kids are 10, 13 and 15 and unschooling has worked great all along. I'mAnd when there are problems, don't go changing courses then either -
>not going to change courses when there are no problems.
>
because it won't be the unschooling that's the problem. Problems are
just part of the life that unschoolers learn from. (Yeah, I know Sandra
knows that.)
Carol
[email protected]
You're way sounded better
~Elissa Cleaveland
"It is nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction
have
not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry." A. Einstein
~Elissa Cleaveland
"It is nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction
have
not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry." A. Einstein
Shyrley
PSoroosh@... wrote:
mathematician/phycisist. He does research into mathematical concepts that the
rest of the world hasn't even heard of and thats part of the problem. He forgets
that generally, for every day life, people don't need to know how to do
simultaneous equations or plot a curve on a graph etc.
He had been looking at the Standards of Learning for Virginia and the English
National Curriculum which sets out what kids *should* know at particular ages.
I've been trying to get across to him that just because he went to a private,
well motivated school and is amaths genius that generally most children don't
*know* all this stuff that the NC says they should. It gets done in class, ticked
off the list and the class moves on. Very few actually retain it or were
interested in it but it's down as being *done* and therefore learnt.
My daughter is into reading the Classics in abig way at the moment. Dickens,
Hardy etc etc. I find them tedious beyond words but she loves them. This does not
interest DH though.
He tried to give her one of the Maths Sat tests (done at 7, 11 and 14 in the UK)
for 11 yo's (she's nearly 10) but she got flustered cos it was timed, burst into
tears andran away. This led to a majorly long rant about how was she ever going
to take exams etc etc with me saying 'well isn't there something wrong with the
whole exam system. Why should they be timed. pressure blocks memory, you never
need to do timed things in your job etc.
Ho hum. We're going away for 3 months this summer. Without DH. As I can't afford
to fly home. I'm chucking the tent in the car and heading out into the US to see
how far I get.
Anyone want a visit from 4 brits?
Shyrley
> In a message dated 3/19/2002 9:56:35 PM Pacific Standard Time,Thanks for that. I think some of the maths pressure comes because my husband is a
> SandraDodd@... writes:
>
> > > So, what this ramble is leading too is people's experiences of
> > > unschooling older children and their thoughts on unschooling, either for
> > >
> >
> So - she knows interesting information about lots of countries in the world,
> but didn't know how to multiply multiple digit decimal numbers. It hasn't
> come up. Big deal - she can learn that in minutes - and will, I'm sure, one
> of these days, because it'll come up and she'll want to.
>
> --Pam S
>
mathematician/phycisist. He does research into mathematical concepts that the
rest of the world hasn't even heard of and thats part of the problem. He forgets
that generally, for every day life, people don't need to know how to do
simultaneous equations or plot a curve on a graph etc.
He had been looking at the Standards of Learning for Virginia and the English
National Curriculum which sets out what kids *should* know at particular ages.
I've been trying to get across to him that just because he went to a private,
well motivated school and is amaths genius that generally most children don't
*know* all this stuff that the NC says they should. It gets done in class, ticked
off the list and the class moves on. Very few actually retain it or were
interested in it but it's down as being *done* and therefore learnt.
My daughter is into reading the Classics in abig way at the moment. Dickens,
Hardy etc etc. I find them tedious beyond words but she loves them. This does not
interest DH though.
He tried to give her one of the Maths Sat tests (done at 7, 11 and 14 in the UK)
for 11 yo's (she's nearly 10) but she got flustered cos it was timed, burst into
tears andran away. This led to a majorly long rant about how was she ever going
to take exams etc etc with me saying 'well isn't there something wrong with the
whole exam system. Why should they be timed. pressure blocks memory, you never
need to do timed things in your job etc.
Ho hum. We're going away for 3 months this summer. Without DH. As I can't afford
to fly home. I'm chucking the tent in the car and heading out into the US to see
how far I get.
Anyone want a visit from 4 brits?
Shyrley
[email protected]
In a message dated 3/20/02 8:06:55 AM, shyrley@... writes:
<< I'm chucking the tent in the car and heading out into the US to see
how far I get.
Anyone want a visit from 4 brits? >>
If you come to New Mexico, come here!! We're near the intersection of I-40
and I-25!
<< I'm chucking the tent in the car and heading out into the US to see
how far I get.
Anyone want a visit from 4 brits? >>
If you come to New Mexico, come here!! We're near the intersection of I-40
and I-25!
Kate Green
> He tried to give her one of the Maths Sat tests (done at 7, 11 and 14 inWe have lots of UK-based curriculum schools here. I see my friend's kids
>the UK)
> for 11 yo's (she's nearly 10) but she got flustered cos it was timed,
>burst into
> tears andran away.
doing 3 hours of homework a night (and they are ages 10 -- 13) and cramming
madly for the SATs. When you ask them about school they get twitchy and
look positively wild-eyed. Apparantly they aren't even sleeping properly
and 2 have dropped all sports in order to have more time to study for the
SATs. Yep, sounds like something I would want to subject my kids too -- NOT!
Blair talks a good line about the standards of schools since National
Curriculum but in reality they are just forcing kids to become more little
factory model neurotic people. It's also interesting that crime by
adolescents in the UK is reaching an all time high and has doubled in the
last few years (any relation to national curriculum???).
>I love heading out on my own with the kids. Can't do it here as we hit
> Ho hum. We're going away for 3 months this summer. Without DH. As I can't
>afford
> to fly home. I'm chucking the tent in the car and heading out into the US
>to see
> how far I get.
> Anyone want a visit from 4 brits?
Saudi and I would be arrested for driving!
Kate
PS where's home in the UK? I was born in Scarborough (Yorkshire lass:)
>
> Shyrley
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ADVERTISEMENT
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> [email protected]
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
Shyrley
Kate Green wrote:
Worcestershire.
ee by gum :-)
Shyrley
> I love heading out on my own with the kids. Can't do it here as we hitEyup, I'm from Cornwall but the kids were born and grew up Malvern,
> Saudi and I would be arrested for driving!
>
> Kate
>
> PS where's home in the UK? I was born in Scarborough (Yorkshire lass:)
Worcestershire.
ee by gum :-)
Shyrley
Kate Green
> Eyup, I'm from Cornwall but the kids were born and grew up Malvern,Bugger, can't think of any Cornwallian stuff to say back:)
> Worcestershire.
> ee by gum :-)
>
> Shyrley
Kate
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ADVERTISEMENT
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> [email protected]
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
Shyrley
Kate Green wrote:
Shyrley
> > Eyup, I'm from Cornwall but the kids were born and grew up Malvern,Right you are then (deep Cornish accent)
> > Worcestershire.
> > ee by gum :-)
> >
> > Shyrley
>
> Bugger, can't think of any Cornwallian stuff to say back:)
>
> Kate
>
Shyrley
Dan Vilter
on 3/19/02 9:10 AM, Shyrley at shyrley@... wrote:
from their childhood. The stuff they did without prompting. Like making up
games, working on cars, scouting, whatever. I get them talking about how
much they learned doing these things outside of school. I can then talk
about how unschooling capitalizes on that kind of learning.
That usually works without having to go into the inefficiencies and
counterproductive nature of classroom schooling. But I go there if I need
to.
-Dan Vilter
> . He wants to know how they can possiblyHaving discussions like this with a friend or brother, I try to use examples
> 'get on' in the world when they never pick up a pen, do maths etc
> (get-on means career, money, pension plans etc etc)
from their childhood. The stuff they did without prompting. Like making up
games, working on cars, scouting, whatever. I get them talking about how
much they learned doing these things outside of school. I can then talk
about how unschooling capitalizes on that kind of learning.
That usually works without having to go into the inefficiencies and
counterproductive nature of classroom schooling. But I go there if I need
to.
-Dan Vilter
Joylyn
I love hearing about the older unschooled
kids. How they do in college courses,e tc.
It helps us a lot, those of us who are only
just starting on this journey.
We belong to a charter and for work samples
we just had Lexie dictate to us some
paragraphs. Let's see, she talked about the
difference between volcanic mountains and
ones made by earthquakes, about learning
Spanish, about reading the American girl
books and learning about history in that way,
about doing community service through
brownies, going to serve a lunch at a place
that serves lunches for the homeless and
about collecting cookies to donate to this
same food bank, and about learning how to
count money, multiply and give change out
while selling cookies. Our EA came back and
asked that Lexie rewrite the last two, saying
that we were not supposed to name
organizations like Girl Scouts. I said that
I had agreed to call it a "girls club" in the
learning records that the EA is supposed to
write but that I actually write each month
(as a former teacher, I have all the
educatational language down) but that I
refused to change Lexie's words. That Girl
Scouts were/are a part of the public schools
(although our troop meets at a catholic
church), meeting in their classrooms, being a
part of the school (flag ceremonies, etc.),
and that I wouldn't change Lexie's words. She
replied that it was OK, but in the future if
I could ask Lexie to refer to it as a girls
club that would be better but then she said
that it was OK if I didn't ask Lexie to do
that, or that it was OK if Lexie didn't want
to or whatever. I won't even bring it to
Lexie's attention--I thought the entire thing
was stupid!
I do like all the lovely art supplies we've
gotten, including a bunch of paints and
stuff. And loads of paper. The learning
records I do at work and they take me very
little time, and the samples are only needed
2x a year so I put up with it.....especially
as long as they accept these paragraphs and I
don't have to do any stupid worksheets, etc.
Joylyn
PSoroosh@... wrote:
Joylyn
Mom to Lexie (6) and Janene (3)
For great nursing clothes and slings, go to
www.4mommyandme.com
"Wasn't it Mark Twain who said it takes a
very dull person to spell a word only one
way?"
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
kids. How they do in college courses,e tc.
It helps us a lot, those of us who are only
just starting on this journey.
We belong to a charter and for work samples
we just had Lexie dictate to us some
paragraphs. Let's see, she talked about the
difference between volcanic mountains and
ones made by earthquakes, about learning
Spanish, about reading the American girl
books and learning about history in that way,
about doing community service through
brownies, going to serve a lunch at a place
that serves lunches for the homeless and
about collecting cookies to donate to this
same food bank, and about learning how to
count money, multiply and give change out
while selling cookies. Our EA came back and
asked that Lexie rewrite the last two, saying
that we were not supposed to name
organizations like Girl Scouts. I said that
I had agreed to call it a "girls club" in the
learning records that the EA is supposed to
write but that I actually write each month
(as a former teacher, I have all the
educatational language down) but that I
refused to change Lexie's words. That Girl
Scouts were/are a part of the public schools
(although our troop meets at a catholic
church), meeting in their classrooms, being a
part of the school (flag ceremonies, etc.),
and that I wouldn't change Lexie's words. She
replied that it was OK, but in the future if
I could ask Lexie to refer to it as a girls
club that would be better but then she said
that it was OK if I didn't ask Lexie to do
that, or that it was OK if Lexie didn't want
to or whatever. I won't even bring it to
Lexie's attention--I thought the entire thing
was stupid!
I do like all the lovely art supplies we've
gotten, including a bunch of paints and
stuff. And loads of paper. The learning
records I do at work and they take me very
little time, and the samples are only needed
2x a year so I put up with it.....especially
as long as they accept these paragraphs and I
don't have to do any stupid worksheets, etc.
Joylyn
PSoroosh@... wrote:
> In a message dated 3/19/2002 9:56:35 PMADVERTISEMENT
> Pacific Standard Time,
> SandraDodd@... writes:
>
>
> > > So, what this ramble is leading too is
> people's experiences of
> > > unschooling older children and their
> thoughts on unschooling, either for
> > >
> >
> > My kids are 10, 13 and 15 and unschooling
> has worked great all along. I'm
> > not going to change courses when there
> are no problems.
>
> Mine are 11, 14, and 17 and unschooling has
> been fine for us. My kids spend
> months looking like they're doing nothing,
> sometimes, and then have
> explosions of intense focus on specific
> things. There has been little to
> nothing that looks like regular,
> progresive, systematic learning of any
> particular subjects - but somehow they seem
> to know stuff. Now that they're
> older, they aren't really unschooling, I
> guess, since they take college
> courses - my 17 yo has about 60 units of
> college work - all her GE
> requirements finished except math (along
> with a lot of art classes). Even
> though we never did formal studies - no
> history, math, science, etc., she
> doesn't seem to have any "gaps" in her
> background knowledge to hinder her in
> her college courses. In fact, she says that
> she feels like she usually knows
> a LOT more than most of the other students.
> If you asked her where she
> learned the stuff, she'd say, "From
> reading, traveling, talking to people,
> watching movies and tv, whatever....". Hard
> to really say where it came from
> - just from life. Really.
>
> Roxana, who is 14 (hi Rox) has just started
> to take a few courses at the
> college - a website design class, an
> introduction to opera (studying about
> it, not performing), and a beginning voice
> class. She was nervous about
> "going to college," worried about things
> like note taking and writing essays
> for exams, but she's doing really well -
> really happy with the classes and
> learning a LOT and, as it turns out,
> getting good grades too.
>
> My 11 yo has a friend who is in a public
> school homeschooling program. She
> has to turn in work samples every month. So
> Rosie (my 11 yo) was spending the
> night at her friend's house and her friend
> had to do a bunch of workbook
> stuff so she'd have some work samples to
> turn in. They decided to play school
> - and Rosie did the worksheets too. It was
> pretty dismal. The other mom was
> the "teacher" and she marked wrong all the
> math questions and spelling words
> that Rosie missed. There were a LOT of
> them. I was kind of annoyed by the
> whole thing - because I didn't want Rosie
> getting the feeling she's "behind"
> or something. I'm not worried about her -
> she's fine - she knows a LOT of
> stuff and can simply THINK way more clearly
> than the other girl - even if she
> can't spell <G>. The time the other girl
> has spent doing worksheets, Rosie
> has spent on things she's INTERESTED in.
> So, for example, the worksheets
> didn't "test" knowledge of the geography of
> the world - it isn't part of the
> 5th grade curriculum <G>. But Rosie knows a
> LOT about world geography - more
> than many adults, probably. Why? Because
> she LOVES soccer and follows
> international soccer - follows teams from
> Europe and South America, mostly,
> but also is very very aware of other
> countries because of the World Cup
> qualifying rounds going on all over the
> world right now.
>
> So - she knows interesting information
> about lots of countries in the world,
> but didn't know how to multiply multiple
> digit decimal numbers. It hasn't
> come up. Big deal - she can learn that in
> minutes - and will, I'm sure, one
> of these days, because it'll come up and
> she'll want to.
>
> --Pam S
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have
> been removed]
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
>--
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an
> email to:
> [email protected]
>
>
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Joylyn
Mom to Lexie (6) and Janene (3)
For great nursing clothes and slings, go to
www.4mommyandme.com
"Wasn't it Mark Twain who said it takes a
very dull person to spell a word only one
way?"
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 3/20/02 12:33:22 PM, joylyn@... writes:
<< Our EA came back and
asked that Lexie rewrite the last two, saying
that we were not supposed to name
organizations like Girl Scouts. >>
Why?
I really can't figure out why.
Would she want her not to name a specific book and author, but say "A book
about a 19th century family"?
You might already know about it, and it's not an unschooling site, but
there's a link at sandradodd.com/unschoolingotherwise about using scouting
activities and 4-H to fulfill requirements, so for those here who are wanting
more hoity-toity sounding educational jargon, there will be some!
Sandra
<< Our EA came back and
asked that Lexie rewrite the last two, saying
that we were not supposed to name
organizations like Girl Scouts. >>
Why?
I really can't figure out why.
Would she want her not to name a specific book and author, but say "A book
about a 19th century family"?
You might already know about it, and it's not an unschooling site, but
there's a link at sandradodd.com/unschoolingotherwise about using scouting
activities and 4-H to fulfill requirements, so for those here who are wanting
more hoity-toity sounding educational jargon, there will be some!
Sandra
Joylyn
SandraDodd@... wrote:
obviously made no impression because I don't
remember it.
I really dont' mind doing this in the
learning records, it's not a big deal, but I
will not enforce this on my child. period.
Joylyn
Joylyn
Mom to Lexie (6) and Janene (3)
For great nursing clothes and slings, go to
www.4mommyandme.com
"Wasn't it Mark Twain who said it takes a
very dull person to spell a word only one
way?"
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>neither can I. She explained it once and it
> In a message dated 3/20/02 12:33:22 PM,
> joylyn@... writes:
>
> << Our EA came back and
> asked that Lexie rewrite the last two,
> saying
> that we were not supposed to name
> organizations like Girl Scouts. >>
>
> Why?
> I really can't figure out why.
obviously made no impression because I don't
remember it.
I really dont' mind doing this in the
learning records, it's not a big deal, but I
will not enforce this on my child. period.
>that's a very good poing.
>
> Would she want her not to name a specific
> book and author, but say "A book
> about a 19th century family"?
>No I should go look.
>
> You might already know about it, and it's
> not an unschooling site, but
> there's a link at
> sandradodd.com/unschoolingotherwise about
> using scouting
> activities and 4-H to fulfill requirements,
> so for those here who are wanting
> more hoity-toity sounding educational
> jargon, there will be some!
>
Joylyn
>ADVERTISEMENT
> Sandra
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
>--
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an
> email to:
> [email protected]
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the
> Yahoo! Terms of Service.
Joylyn
Mom to Lexie (6) and Janene (3)
For great nursing clothes and slings, go to
www.4mommyandme.com
"Wasn't it Mark Twain who said it takes a
very dull person to spell a word only one
way?"
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
homeschoolmd
--- In AlwaysLearning@y..., PSoroosh@a... wrote:
<Snip>
>Even though we never did formal studies - no history, math, science,
etc., she
> doesn't seem to have any "gaps" in her background knowledge to
hinder her in
> her college courses. In fact, she says that she feels like she
usually knows
> a LOT more than most of the other students. If you asked her where
she
> learned the stuff, she'd say, "From reading, traveling, talking to
people,
> watching movies and tv, whatever....". Hard to really say where it
came from
> - just from life. Really.
I see this happening at my house. My kids are just learning with no
rhyme or reason but I know they are learning. The problem I am
having is with the *thought* that they could learn more by having a
little focused learning. They would still learn from life but in
addition they would focus on a small amount of information such as
what you might get out of a course on something. This focus would
help introduce them to more things they might enjoy knowing about
than we are being exposed to now.
An example of this is when we were doing school-at-home we studied
ancient history. To do this we went to museums, watched the history
channel when ever something came on about ancient history, got books
out of the library etc. My kids would some day like to visit Egypt
because of our focus on ancient history. They pretended they were
archeologists and paleontologists because of this exposure to ancient
history. That might not have happened if it were just left up to
chance.
It is not that I am worried about gaps or specific information. I am
concerned that there is a lot of lost opportunity for learning.
Learning that would ultimately be enriching and of course very
enjoyable.
There is always the possibility that we would have overlooked
something while we were focused on ancient history that may have been
more enjoyable however, looking at the small amount we are doing now,
it is hard to imagine that we wouldn't have had time for ancient
history in addition to what we are doing now.
We go places, we talk about a lot of things, they watch movies and
tv, spend a lot of time on the computer (playing games and looking
stuff up), they play sports and do occasional projects, we play board
games. The problem as I see it is there is no focus and therefore
lost opportunities.
Pat
[email protected]
On Wed, 20 Mar 2002 10:04:15 -0500 Shyrley <shyrley@...> writes:
cozy house and lots of critters, so be warned! We're about mid way
between Yellowstone and Glacier Parks, and lot's of western historical
sites.
We're nice too! And we always have chocolate. What more could you
want?
Deb L
> Ho hum. We're going away for 3 months this summer. Without DH. As IIf you get all the way to Montana you can stay with us! We have a small
> can't afford
> to fly home. I'm chucking the tent in the car and heading out into
> the US to see
> how far I get.
> Anyone want a visit from 4 brits?
>
> Shyrley
cozy house and lots of critters, so be warned! We're about mid way
between Yellowstone and Glacier Parks, and lot's of western historical
sites.
We're nice too! And we always have chocolate. What more could you
want?
Deb L
[email protected]
In a message dated 3/20/2002 6:15:34 PM Pacific Standard Time,
homeschoolmd@... writes:
history, then there is something else you're not doing. There is ALWAYS an
opportunity cost to every decision.
So if you decide to have the kids do just a little of something formal - then
that means there is just that same little bit of time they aren't doing what
else they would have done during that time. It is always going to be a
tradeoff. Heck, its a trade-off when I ask my kids to unload the dishwasher
or set the table or pick up their clothes, too. The question for unschoolers
is what are the benefits of insisting the kids do just a bit of studying a
subject of the parents' choosing versus the costs.
The benefits - I guess - are like this last post said - the kids learned
something that they would maybe not have gotten interested in and now they
ARE interested.
The costs? I'll toss that one out to the rest of the list - we'll probably
have a lengthy list of costs.
Number one, for me, is that it is unnecessary. Parents can "offer" stuff and
parents can "learn" about stuff and share what they are learning with their
kids and be excited about something and draw the kids into it, too, and the
kids can often be attracted/enticed to something that the parents want them
to learn about. If not, then they aren't likely to get all that much out of
it if the parents insist on it anyway.
So if I think, "Gee, my daughter ought to learn some American history," and
"Wow - here is a really great history series (say, History of Us by Joy
Hakim)" then I can certainly offer it to her in a way that seems to me to be
most likely to catch her interest. (Often I'll say, "Here - let me read you
some of this - it is very cool.") If she likes it - we'll go on. If, at some
point, she says, "Mom, this is boring," or "I'm just not interested in this"
or whatever, then it'll get put aside. Or I might say, "Okay - hey - how
about I read it to you at bedtime instead?" Because just maybe she does like
it but doesn't like it to take up precious daytime hours. Who knows? MAYBE
she just isn't going to be interested - that is something I have to judge as
her parent - when to just let go of something that I MYSELF thought was going
to be cool.
--pam
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
homeschoolmd@... writes:
> It is not that I am worried about gaps or specific information. I amEvery minute is just one minute <G>. If you spend it studying ancient
> concerned that there is a lot of lost opportunity for learning.
> Learning that would ultimately be enriching and of course very
> enjoyable.
history, then there is something else you're not doing. There is ALWAYS an
opportunity cost to every decision.
So if you decide to have the kids do just a little of something formal - then
that means there is just that same little bit of time they aren't doing what
else they would have done during that time. It is always going to be a
tradeoff. Heck, its a trade-off when I ask my kids to unload the dishwasher
or set the table or pick up their clothes, too. The question for unschoolers
is what are the benefits of insisting the kids do just a bit of studying a
subject of the parents' choosing versus the costs.
The benefits - I guess - are like this last post said - the kids learned
something that they would maybe not have gotten interested in and now they
ARE interested.
The costs? I'll toss that one out to the rest of the list - we'll probably
have a lengthy list of costs.
Number one, for me, is that it is unnecessary. Parents can "offer" stuff and
parents can "learn" about stuff and share what they are learning with their
kids and be excited about something and draw the kids into it, too, and the
kids can often be attracted/enticed to something that the parents want them
to learn about. If not, then they aren't likely to get all that much out of
it if the parents insist on it anyway.
So if I think, "Gee, my daughter ought to learn some American history," and
"Wow - here is a really great history series (say, History of Us by Joy
Hakim)" then I can certainly offer it to her in a way that seems to me to be
most likely to catch her interest. (Often I'll say, "Here - let me read you
some of this - it is very cool.") If she likes it - we'll go on. If, at some
point, she says, "Mom, this is boring," or "I'm just not interested in this"
or whatever, then it'll get put aside. Or I might say, "Okay - hey - how
about I read it to you at bedtime instead?" Because just maybe she does like
it but doesn't like it to take up precious daytime hours. Who knows? MAYBE
she just isn't going to be interested - that is something I have to judge as
her parent - when to just let go of something that I MYSELF thought was going
to be cool.
--pam
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Nancy Wooton
on 3/20/02 9:30 AM, Dan Vilter at dvilter@... wrote:
field phone calls and emails from inquiring minds. I came up with a good
way to explain unschooling while talking to someone once.
In answer to the "but how will they learn if you don't teach (make) them?"
question, I pointed out that the caller was, at that moment, learning in the
same way a child can/will learn: She had a need and an interest in home
education; she did some research on the internet, and found my name there;
she called me -- found a mentor/teacher -- to learn more. All of that was
interest-driven, non-coercive, and learner-initiated.
I could almost hear the lightbulb switching on in her head <g>
Nancy
--
Outside of a dog, a book is probably man's best friend; inside of a dog,
it's too dark to read.
-- Groucho Marx
>> . He wants to know how they can possiblyI'm a county contact for the HomeSchool Association of California, so I
>> 'get on' in the world when they never pick up a pen, do maths etc
>> (get-on means career, money, pension plans etc etc)
>
> Having discussions like this with a friend or brother, I try to use examples
> from their childhood. The stuff they did without prompting. Like making up
> games, working on cars, scouting, whatever. I get them talking about how
> much they learned doing these things outside of school. I can then talk
> about how unschooling capitalizes on that kind of learning.
>
> That usually works without having to go into the inefficiencies and
> counterproductive nature of classroom schooling. But I go there if I need
> to.
field phone calls and emails from inquiring minds. I came up with a good
way to explain unschooling while talking to someone once.
In answer to the "but how will they learn if you don't teach (make) them?"
question, I pointed out that the caller was, at that moment, learning in the
same way a child can/will learn: She had a need and an interest in home
education; she did some research on the internet, and found my name there;
she called me -- found a mentor/teacher -- to learn more. All of that was
interest-driven, non-coercive, and learner-initiated.
I could almost hear the lightbulb switching on in her head <g>
Nancy
--
Outside of a dog, a book is probably man's best friend; inside of a dog,
it's too dark to read.
-- Groucho Marx
[email protected]
In a message dated 3/20/2002 6:15:34 PM Pacific Standard Time,
homeschoolmd@... writes:
now? Is it because the kids are not interested in ancient history? You can't
get them interested? Then, there ya go, they're just not interested and if
you insist on it, what lessons ARE they going to learn from that?
We went to a Viking exhibit at a local museum because Roxana wanted to go -
Rosie and I went through it in about an hour and Roxana wanted to spend a lot
more time. So we left her there and went and did some other stuff and came
back. Rosie and I weren't all THAT interested in the Vikings, but Roxana
already had an interest, having spent a lot of time reading Norse mythology,
having a Norwegian online buddy, and having spent the last six months
studying Norwegian. Rosie and I spent some time looking at fossils of
prehistoric horses - SHE is interested in horses - takes riding lessons and
reads everything she can get her hands on about horses - from magazines to a
series of books (SaddleClub). A few weeks later we went to the La Brea Tar
Pits -- and learned MORE about horses -- there were horses trapped in the tar
pits 10 to 40 thousand years ago. In the process of following the kids'
interests - we picked up a lot of other info - about Mammoths and the early
inhabitants of our area and so on. We didn't have to study ancient history --
it just happened along the way of having a good time.
I was thinking that maybe some people don't live in places where they can
visit different museums. Or maybe their kids don't like museums? But that
just means they do other things - watch movies, listen to music, read, play
games.... there are a b'zillion ways to learn anything and EVERYTHING is
connected.
--pam
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
homeschoolmd@... writes:
> There is always the possibility that we would have overlookedI should have added something, Pat.... why can't you "do ancient history"
> something while we were focused on ancient history that may have been
> more enjoyable however, looking at the small amount we are doing now,
> it is hard to imagine that we wouldn't have had time for ancient
> history in addition to what we are doing now.
now? Is it because the kids are not interested in ancient history? You can't
get them interested? Then, there ya go, they're just not interested and if
you insist on it, what lessons ARE they going to learn from that?
We went to a Viking exhibit at a local museum because Roxana wanted to go -
Rosie and I went through it in about an hour and Roxana wanted to spend a lot
more time. So we left her there and went and did some other stuff and came
back. Rosie and I weren't all THAT interested in the Vikings, but Roxana
already had an interest, having spent a lot of time reading Norse mythology,
having a Norwegian online buddy, and having spent the last six months
studying Norwegian. Rosie and I spent some time looking at fossils of
prehistoric horses - SHE is interested in horses - takes riding lessons and
reads everything she can get her hands on about horses - from magazines to a
series of books (SaddleClub). A few weeks later we went to the La Brea Tar
Pits -- and learned MORE about horses -- there were horses trapped in the tar
pits 10 to 40 thousand years ago. In the process of following the kids'
interests - we picked up a lot of other info - about Mammoths and the early
inhabitants of our area and so on. We didn't have to study ancient history --
it just happened along the way of having a good time.
I was thinking that maybe some people don't live in places where they can
visit different museums. Or maybe their kids don't like museums? But that
just means they do other things - watch movies, listen to music, read, play
games.... there are a b'zillion ways to learn anything and EVERYTHING is
connected.
--pam
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
moonmeghan
> Ho hum. We're going away for 3 months this summer. WithoutDH. As I can't afford
> to fly home. I'm chucking the tent in the car and heading outinto the US to see
> how far I get.Oh yes please!!
> Anyone want a visit from 4 brits?
>
> Shyrley
We'd love to meet you Shyrley!
Meghan
moonmeghan
> If you get all the way to Montana you can stay with us! We havea small
> cozy house and lots of critters, so be warned! We're aboutmid way
> between Yellowstone and Glacier Parks, and lot's of westernhistorical
> sites.could you
> We're nice too! And we always have chocolate. What more
> want?Okay, I want to come too now <g>.
>
> Deb L
Meghan
Shyrley
ddzimlew@... wrote:
This country needs to be smaller!!
Shyrley
> On Wed, 20 Mar 2002 10:04:15 -0500 Shyrley <shyrley@...> writes:Chocolate!!!! how far is Montana? Over 2000 miles?
> > Ho hum. We're going away for 3 months this summer. Without DH. As I
> > can't afford
> > to fly home. I'm chucking the tent in the car and heading out into
> > the US to see
> > how far I get.
> > Anyone want a visit from 4 brits?
> >
> > Shyrley
>
> If you get all the way to Montana you can stay with us! We have a small
> cozy house and lots of critters, so be warned! We're about mid way
> between Yellowstone and Glacier Parks, and lot's of western historical
> sites.
> We're nice too! And we always have chocolate. What more could you
> want?
>
> Deb L
>
This country needs to be smaller!!
Shyrley
homeschoolmd
--- In AlwaysLearning@y..., PSoroosh@a... wrote:
and very little gets done. My kids don't get up until 10:00 then
they lounge around and do stuff on the computer.
I've asked them at least to try some type of morning routine which
includes them eating breakfast(sometimes), washing up and taking care
of their animals. I generally have to remind them to finish. So
usually around noon they are ready for the day.
Then it is lunch time so we have lunch. I ask them what they want to
do for the day and try to suggest something interesting if they don't
know. If we were schooling, we would have something planned and we
would at least do that.
They are easily distracted and jump on the computer for a game or two
or take some time to pick at each other and fight so what they said
they wanted to do probably won't get done. At 3:00 their ps friends
come home so they go out and play or get back on the computer for
games.
At night they watch tv which they never used to do. They often fall
asleep watching tv instead of reading which they used to enjoy.
Sometimes I read to them if they will stop what they are doing by
10:00 otherwise I am too tired.
This is all so hard for me because I am a focused, organized person.
I can't even be happy with my life because their lives prevent me
from being focused and organized in my life. I don't know if that
makes sense or not. Anyway it is tough for me to feel so much
responsibility for their learning and so little control.
Basicly, they learn through conversation. I answer their questions
or look it up if I don't know. I show them what I find. It seems
like so little.
can't
want to be focused in their quest to learn. Virginia said she
doesn't want to feel like she *has* to do anything. I don't want her
to feel like she has to do anything she doesn't want to do but I
think she should feel like she should do it now instead of when ever.
It feels as if we are on vacation somewhere and spend most of our
time in the hotel room. What a waste!
I appreciate your ideas.
Pat
>history"
> I should have added something, Pat.... why can't you "do ancient
> now?The reason is because there is no focus to our day. It just goes by
and very little gets done. My kids don't get up until 10:00 then
they lounge around and do stuff on the computer.
I've asked them at least to try some type of morning routine which
includes them eating breakfast(sometimes), washing up and taking care
of their animals. I generally have to remind them to finish. So
usually around noon they are ready for the day.
Then it is lunch time so we have lunch. I ask them what they want to
do for the day and try to suggest something interesting if they don't
know. If we were schooling, we would have something planned and we
would at least do that.
They are easily distracted and jump on the computer for a game or two
or take some time to pick at each other and fight so what they said
they wanted to do probably won't get done. At 3:00 their ps friends
come home so they go out and play or get back on the computer for
games.
At night they watch tv which they never used to do. They often fall
asleep watching tv instead of reading which they used to enjoy.
Sometimes I read to them if they will stop what they are doing by
10:00 otherwise I am too tired.
This is all so hard for me because I am a focused, organized person.
I can't even be happy with my life because their lives prevent me
from being focused and organized in my life. I don't know if that
makes sense or not. Anyway it is tough for me to feel so much
responsibility for their learning and so little control.
Basicly, they learn through conversation. I answer their questions
or look it up if I don't know. I show them what I find. It seems
like so little.
>Is it because the kids are not interested in ancient history? You
can't
> get them interested?They really seem to be interested in everything. They just don't
want to be focused in their quest to learn. Virginia said she
doesn't want to feel like she *has* to do anything. I don't want her
to feel like she has to do anything she doesn't want to do but I
think she should feel like she should do it now instead of when ever.
It feels as if we are on vacation somewhere and spend most of our
time in the hotel room. What a waste!
I appreciate your ideas.
Pat
Shyrley
moonmeghan wrote:
far :-) and surprise everyone.
Shyrley
> > Ho hum. We're going away for 3 months this summer. WithoutGetting a lot of offers from over 2000 miles away. Maybe I'll just drive that
> DH. As I can't afford
> > to fly home. I'm chucking the tent in the car and heading out
> into the US to see
> > how far I get.
> > Anyone want a visit from 4 brits?
> >
> > Shyrley
>
> Oh yes please!!
> We'd love to meet you Shyrley!
>
> Meghan
>
far :-) and surprise everyone.
Shyrley
[email protected]
Gen out of the house. Use humor and a light tone to encourage them.
Say:
Would you rather go to the aquarium or the history museum today?
There's a new film at the IMAX theater about Dinosaurs and it's 3-D, Do you
guys want to go before lunch or after?
I have to run some errands, do you guys want to stop and see a movie
afterwards or just come home?
Read the newspaper everyday. Not necessarily the articles, but the ads.
Hey! The library is having a class on making marionettes. I really want to
see that, you guys can hang out with me or just wander the stacks if you
want.
Unschoolers are "allowed" to plan things! They are also "allowed" to have a
structured day (some call it routines) I have to structure myself in order
to feel comfortable. I make breakfast for whoever is around when I get up,
make my coffee, check my email, empty the DW, read the paper, make my bed
and then get dressed. The rest of the am is free for whatever. My evenings
are also "structured". I make dinner, have relaxed time, pick up a little,
make coffee for Joe in the AM if I remember, check what I do tomorrow.
Routines are all around us.
Anyway, back to the topic.
As the kids learn that they are free, they may need some help seeing what
there is out there. They aren't going to magically find friends and play
with them unless *I* connect with the other HSing moms with kids, and then
*I* drive them there. They aren't going to just do stuff they haven't even
thought of yet! Point things out, keep their interests in mind so that you
can show them when something related is going on. Go for a walk everyday and
ask them to come along.
They may be doing more than you think. Don't discount the value of "doing
nothing"
~Elissa Cleaveland
"It is nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction
have
not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry." A. Einstein
Say:
Would you rather go to the aquarium or the history museum today?
There's a new film at the IMAX theater about Dinosaurs and it's 3-D, Do you
guys want to go before lunch or after?
I have to run some errands, do you guys want to stop and see a movie
afterwards or just come home?
Read the newspaper everyday. Not necessarily the articles, but the ads.
Hey! The library is having a class on making marionettes. I really want to
see that, you guys can hang out with me or just wander the stacks if you
want.
Unschoolers are "allowed" to plan things! They are also "allowed" to have a
structured day (some call it routines) I have to structure myself in order
to feel comfortable. I make breakfast for whoever is around when I get up,
make my coffee, check my email, empty the DW, read the paper, make my bed
and then get dressed. The rest of the am is free for whatever. My evenings
are also "structured". I make dinner, have relaxed time, pick up a little,
make coffee for Joe in the AM if I remember, check what I do tomorrow.
Routines are all around us.
Anyway, back to the topic.
As the kids learn that they are free, they may need some help seeing what
there is out there. They aren't going to magically find friends and play
with them unless *I* connect with the other HSing moms with kids, and then
*I* drive them there. They aren't going to just do stuff they haven't even
thought of yet! Point things out, keep their interests in mind so that you
can show them when something related is going on. Go for a walk everyday and
ask them to come along.
They may be doing more than you think. Don't discount the value of "doing
nothing"
~Elissa Cleaveland
"It is nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction
have
not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry." A. Einstein
zenmomma *
>>Basicly, they learn through conversation. I answer their questionsor look it up if I don't know. I show them what I find. It seems
like so little.>>
But human interaction is what it all comes down to really. How many kids
have that benefit of a caring adult who is truly willing to listen to them
and answer their questions? Not many from what I've seen. It may feel like
more if you also go into their world a little more. Share some tv shows, let
them teach *you* a video game. You'd be amazed at the conversations that
come up during those times.
>>They really seem to be interested in everything. They just don'twant to be focused in their quest to learn. Virginia said she
doesn't want to feel like she *has* to do anything. I don't want her
to feel like she has to do anything she doesn't want to do but I
think she should feel like she should do it now instead of when ever.>>
But you really can't control what she feels, or how she learns. Schools have
us believing that learning comes in neat little packages like chapters or
unit studies or courses or grade levels. It works to help keep the schools
operating, but I don't think it's the best way to learn. And for some people
that *learn it all now* approach can be disastrous. It can turn off their
natural curiosity and questioning.
True learning comes in all the connections we make. It's about how we make
sense of the world. It's about seeing how the past ties in with the present
ties in with the future. It's understanding the impact that one statement
made 100 years ago can have on present day society. It's flipping numbers
around because we need the result it will bring. It's about being in the
world today and learning what we need for today. Over the course of a life
(or even 18 years, when a schooled kid would graduate) that's a lot of
learning.
>>It feels as if we are on vacation somewhere and spend most of ourtime in the hotel room. What a waste!>>
Why not try actually making it like a vacation? Get some guide books for
your area and hit the hot spots. Don't try to make them educational, try to
make them cool, eye catching and fun. Talk and giggle and take one of their
friends if they prefer. Answer questions, point out cool stuff, and back off
on expecting it to look like anything. The learning will flow.
Oh and be sure to buy some cheap souvenir trinkets along the way. ;-)
Life is good.
~Mary
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