Reading, Writing, Balloons and PJ's
cookiesforthree
I took the sweetest picture of my son today.
Every year we go to our county fair. We count down the days because we love it so. This year the fair is offering a read to ride program. My 10 year old son said that he would love to do it to get free tickets to ride carnival rides. So...we snuggle up together on the couch (not just he and I, but ALL of us, dogs included)and I'll read or if he wants to he might read a bit. Then, he will dictate to me what he wants to write his bookreport about (required 25 word book report for the ride tickets). Then, in his own hand, he copies what I wrote.
So...he's sitting down at the table with the cutest little smile, in his p.j.'s. A pencil in one hand writing away and a balloon in the other. That's when I snapped a photo. I was happy, as was he, that in a school setting, he would more than likely never be this content and comfortable doing a book report but at home and because he wants to, he can be comfy and happy.
Every year we go to our county fair. We count down the days because we love it so. This year the fair is offering a read to ride program. My 10 year old son said that he would love to do it to get free tickets to ride carnival rides. So...we snuggle up together on the couch (not just he and I, but ALL of us, dogs included)and I'll read or if he wants to he might read a bit. Then, he will dictate to me what he wants to write his bookreport about (required 25 word book report for the ride tickets). Then, in his own hand, he copies what I wrote.
So...he's sitting down at the table with the cutest little smile, in his p.j.'s. A pencil in one hand writing away and a balloon in the other. That's when I snapped a photo. I was happy, as was he, that in a school setting, he would more than likely never be this content and comfortable doing a book report but at home and because he wants to, he can be comfy and happy.
plaidpanties666
"cookiesforthree" <cookiesforthree@...> wrote:
While its a sweet story, I don't want people to think that unschoolers do book reports for fun. My kids don't, and a lot of other kids won't, even to get free stuff. There are other ways to get free stuff, for sure.
Ray just spent a week cleaning out a house for some people who are moving. It was difficult and disgusting. There was rotting food stashed under furniture and similar garbage, truck loads of garbage hauled to the dump daily for five days (no exaggeration) while he and two other young men sorted and boxed and trash-bagged and moved furniture and appliances. It wasn't fun per se, but he tackled it with aplomb and has a host of new funny stories to tell. That doesn't have much to do with book reports - real life doesn't, for the most part - its just a picture of how one unschooler approaches a crappy job that he chose to do for reasons of his own.
Offering to do a task for free stuff is a sweet thing for a kid to do, I don't want to put down that aspect of it. Writing a book report is Only a task, though. Its not inherently more special than a child being so kind as to wash dishes or take out the garbage. The sweetness lies in the gift of time and effort, not the task per se.
---Meredith (Mo 9, Ray 16)
> I was happy, as was he, that in a school setting, he would more than likely never be this content and comfortable doing a book report but at home and because he wants to, he can be comfy and happy.******************
While its a sweet story, I don't want people to think that unschoolers do book reports for fun. My kids don't, and a lot of other kids won't, even to get free stuff. There are other ways to get free stuff, for sure.
Ray just spent a week cleaning out a house for some people who are moving. It was difficult and disgusting. There was rotting food stashed under furniture and similar garbage, truck loads of garbage hauled to the dump daily for five days (no exaggeration) while he and two other young men sorted and boxed and trash-bagged and moved furniture and appliances. It wasn't fun per se, but he tackled it with aplomb and has a host of new funny stories to tell. That doesn't have much to do with book reports - real life doesn't, for the most part - its just a picture of how one unschooler approaches a crappy job that he chose to do for reasons of his own.
Offering to do a task for free stuff is a sweet thing for a kid to do, I don't want to put down that aspect of it. Writing a book report is Only a task, though. Its not inherently more special than a child being so kind as to wash dishes or take out the garbage. The sweetness lies in the gift of time and effort, not the task per se.
---Meredith (Mo 9, Ray 16)
Sandra Dodd
-=-That doesn't have much to do with book reports - real life doesn't,
for the most part - its just a picture of how one unschooler
approaches a crappy job that he chose to do for reasons of his own. -=-
A book report can be fun, though. People voluntarily write reviews on
Amazon all the time. And also reports on flashlights, cameras, office
supplies...
My kids did a library reading program one summer, for free pencils,
for the heck of it. As a game, a challenge. They didn't want to do
it the next year, but that one year, they found it entertaining.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
for the most part - its just a picture of how one unschooler
approaches a crappy job that he chose to do for reasons of his own. -=-
A book report can be fun, though. People voluntarily write reviews on
Amazon all the time. And also reports on flashlights, cameras, office
supplies...
My kids did a library reading program one summer, for free pencils,
for the heck of it. As a game, a challenge. They didn't want to do
it the next year, but that one year, they found it entertaining.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]