Clare Kirkpatrick

My sister has decided to deregister her 13 year old daughter. My niece has been very damaged by school and by the relationship issues that have ensued as a result of that damage with her mum, dad and step-dad. My sister has asked my advice and I have suggested helping my niece to do plenty of what she loves, at least for the first few weeks, and to focus on healing their relationship - building trust and connection.

I asked her what my niece loves doing the most at the moment, and she said 'music and drama'.

So I wondered if anyone had any links and/or we could have a discussion of how music and drama can benefit someone's life and learning - a bit like Sandra's page of 'what can you learn from video games'. So that I can send my sister some reassuring words that her daughter doing music and drama all day could be of real benefit for her and that she will be learning much more than it may appear on the surface.

Thanks

Clare

Sandra Dodd

-=-I asked her what my niece loves doing the most at the moment, and she said 'music and drama’.-=-

While that’s a great idea, I think deschooling would be more important for all of them and they should step away from any and everything that any of them associate with school or schoolishness for a few months or a year.

http://sandradodd.com/later has links and ideas about those coming to unschooling with older kids.

Sandra

Jo Isaac

==So I wondered if anyone had any links and/or we could have a discussion of how music and drama can benefit someone's life and learning==

Off the top of my head, and it depends what aspects of music and drama she loves - but

Music:
History, art (covers, videos), art - music, rhythm, learning to read music, play an instrument, relaxation, technologies, rhythm is math, lyrics are english and language and poetry, pop culture, geography and other cultures..(there is no doubt loads more!)

Drama:
Social aspects, story telling, reading, memorisation, self-confidence and self-expression, art including wardrobes and costumes, sets, etc, various aspects of technology including lighting, sound, recording, etc., often includes aspects of history, geography and culture - especially in the story and wardrobe, and maybe set?

I'll also try and find some links :) 





.

Jo Isaac

I don't' suggest sending this to your sister, but it might be a helpful list for you, Clare - to give you some ideas:

https://79reasonswhykidsneedtostudydramaathighschool.wordpress.com/2012/10/19/home/

(I found similar lists for music )

79reasonswhykidsneedtostudydramaathighschool.wordpress.com
Overview: I am a beginning teacher in the field of drama education. I realise that what I am about to say is rather radical, however please bear with me.



Jo Isaac, PhD

Post-Doctoral Research Assistant, 
Centre of Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change, 
James Cook University, Townsville.

Scientific Writer and Researcher: http://joisaac.wordpress.com


From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Clare Kirkpatrick claremkirkpatrick@... [AlwaysLearning] <[email protected]>
Sent: 14 November 2016 18:28
To: [email protected]
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] music and drama
 
 

My sister has decided to deregister her 13 year old daughter. My niece has been very damaged by school and by the relationship issues that have ensued as a result of that damage with her mum, dad and step-dad. My sister has asked my advice and I have suggested helping my niece to do plenty of what she loves, at least for the first few weeks, and to focus on healing their relationship - building trust and connection.

I asked her what my niece loves doing the most at the moment, and she said 'music and drama'.

So I wondered if anyone had any links and/or we could have a discussion of how music and drama can benefit someone's life and learning - a bit like Sandra's page of 'what can you learn from video games'. So that I can send my sister some reassuring words that her daughter doing music and drama all day could be of real benefit for her and that she will be learning much more than it may appear on the surface.

Thanks

Clare

Clare Kirkpatrick

" While that’s a great idea, I think deschooling would be more important for all of them and they should step away from any and everything that any of them associate with school or schoolishness for a few months or a year."

I have impressed on her the importance of deschooling. But, the situation is fragile and very complex with a dad and step-dad who are both very anti-home ed. I figured that, if my niece wants to play music and go to her drama club more than anything, then knowing things she's likely to be learning from it other than the obvious will give my sister some negotiating tools when the inevitable 'but she's not doing anything' complaints come.

Sandra Dodd

-=-Music:
History, art (covers, videos), art - music, rhythm, learning to read music, play an instrument, relaxation, technologies, rhythm is math, lyrics are english and language and poetry, pop culture, geography and other cultures..(there is no doubt loads more!)-=-

Part of the mom’s deschooling should be NOT LOOKING FOR LEARNING for a while. Looking at learning that does NOT look like what she thinks she’s looking for.

At least try to get her off formal music lessons and onto connections.

http://sandradodd.com/dot/elvis

These aren’t really beginners’ things…
http://sandradodd.com/music/

http://sandradodd.com/strew/shakespeare

http://sandradodd.com/strew/simpsons
That leads back to music, but AFTER deschooling she will see that everything leads to everything else.

Sandra

Sandra Dodd

-=-My niece has been very damaged by school and by the relationship issues that have ensued as a result of that damage with her mum, dad and step-dad.-=-

Maybe don’t press for unschooling, so much, then.

It’s going to be very hard if the two dads are going to be preventing a cure for damage they have already contributed to.

Sandra

Clare Kirkpatrick

" Maybe don’t press for unschooling, so much, then. It’s going to be very hard if the two dads are going to be preventing a cure for damage they have already contributed to."

I'm not in the slightest. I'm trying to help my sister facilitate a period of deschooling from which they can reassess and make better decisions. In order to do that, she needs bargaining tools and who better to ask than a group of people who really deeply understand how children learn about how she and the dad/step-dad can value the learning inherent in music and drama?

sukaynalabboun@...

Yes! I was going to say what helped was deschooling and not *needing* to find academically defined learning everywhere.
It takes time- and cannot be done by others- to develop confidence and to see connections are constantly being made. If we are clinging to schoolish definitions of success, then we miss many chances to see the incredible learning that just happens in life. That is a long process- getting there.

Maybe your sister's home ed doesn't need to be unschooling, or at least for now. Maybe some form of relaxed homeschooling would be a better fit- for their family- than unschooling?
>
>
> -=-Music:
> History, art (covers, videos), art - music, rhythm, learning to read music, play an instrument, relaxation, technologies, rhythm is math, lyrics are english and language and poetry, pop culture, geography and other cultures..(there is no doubt loads more!)-=-
>
> Part of the mom’s deschooling should be NOT LOOKING FOR LEARNING for a while. Looking at learning that does NOT look like what she thinks she’s looking for.
>
> At least try to get her off formal music lessons and onto connections.
>
> http://sandradodd.com/dot/elvis
>
> These aren’t really beginners’ things…
> http://sandradodd.com/music/
>
> http://sandradodd.com/strew/shakespeare
>
> http://sandradodd.com/strew/simpsons
> That leads back to music, but AFTER deschooling she will see that everything leads to everything else.
>
> Sandra
>
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> Posted by: Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...>
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> Yahoo Groups Links
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