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This is an interesting topic....
I think there ARE some people who can't or shouldn't unschool. A big issue is
trust...the bottom line is that you have to trust (your child? the universe?)
that your kid WILL learn, left to his or her own whims. You also have to
trust that that learning will help them have good lives.

Some people trust their kids, for the most part, but are afraid in some
cases. I think about an unnamed person who worries that some of her kids have
too many "issues" or disabilities to be trusted. These people mean well, but
the fear gets in their way.

I would never suggest unschooling, or even homeschooling to my sister. She
adores her kids, and is VERY involved in my nephew's school and advocates for
him passionately. If they were home, though, she'd drive him nuts (and
vice-versa). She worries too much, and she could never let go enough.
Everyone would be in tears regularly.

I think most, if not all kids can probably unschool (unless they've been to
damaged in the curiosity department, maybe?), but that there aren't that many
parents who can. And lots of those parents REALLY want to be able to, or
there wouldn't be all those people SAYING they do unschool, when they clearly
don't.

So, the real question is...how do we figure out who can/should unschool? I
recently talked to a beginning homeschooler who wanted to know what to do. I
suggested he read around at Unschooling.com. I said he'd likely have one of
two reactions: "This could never work. My kid would never do anything!" or
"This is really exciting! I wish I could have done this!" (He turned out to
be an unschooler.) I suppose you could also get the "This sounds cool, but
you have to TEACH math." (Maybe that's the eclectic homeschooler?)

Maybe we need one of those personality quizzes to determine what kind of
Homeschooler you are?

Kathryn


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