Sandra Dodd

"I have read, researched and even completed my Master's thesis on homeschooling. However, I want you to know that in all of that meta analysis, in all of the reading and educational research, nothing has proven to be more valuable to me than what I have learned from reading your list, AlwaysLearning.”

There have been places online I have loved. The AOL forum when we got a special area for unschooling. Unschooling.com (long defunct) which Home Education Magazine (now defunct) set up.

But Always Learning has been the best. And nowadays, people are using facebook more than e-mail. I understand it. I do miss the days when this forum was busier.

Today I was reading some in a thank-you book that Heather Booth organized for me, for one of a Always Learning Live symposium (a defunct series of gatherings). :-) Her husband, Monty, formatted it, and because I wanted to keep it where my kids could read it someday, it’s hidden (not “hidden,” but…) on my site: http://sandradodd.com/feedback/Thank_You_Sandra.pdf
Safari wouldn’t open it, but Google Chrome did.

The mom who wrote the very-sweet quote above is stealth in the group, so I would rather not name her, but it made me feel good this morning, again, and I appreciate it.

Always Learning is nearly 16 years old. That’s older than most people’s children. :-)
But there are people still here whose unschooled children are grown now, and that’s valuable.

The first post, in Novermber 2001, was by Deb Lewis. That’s a treasure.

We used to have hundreds of posts a month here. Now…dozens, usually.

Thank you, all, for reading and contributing (if you did either or both).
I’m still here. :-)

Here’s what I wrote last fall about being tired.
http://sandradodd.blogspot.com/2016/11/slowing-down.html

Sandra

Deb Lewis

***The first post, in November 2001, was by Deb Lewis.***

OH! I went and read that!

UPDATE:

(Nearly) sixteen years later Dylan is twenty five. His interest in religion
as it pertained to his own beliefs lasted only a couple of months. Maybe
that's no surprise with an atheist mother and an noncommittal dad. <g>

We have Jewish, Christian, vague-ish Christian, Cult-ish-who knows what,
Baptist, New Age (I'm old, maybe there's a new word?) Catholic family, and
extended family members. We have wiccan, Muslim, Jewish, Catholic,
Christian, New-agey friends. Dylan is an atheist.

I wrote then that I didn't want to tell him what to believe, but if I was
writing today... I'd tell him what to believe. <g> I suspect it wouldn't
have made much difference to the way it turned out.

Dylan was always unschooled. He's pretty nice. He's smart. He can read, and
keep track of his money. He has a keen interest in economics. I find myself
staying up late at night reading about Keynesian economics, and other things
I barely understand, just so I won't feel as stupid as I really am while
conversing with him. (It hasn't helped much) He has a job, speaks two
languages, plays piano, drives an old Jeep CJ 5, likes to travel. He loves
music, movies, art, animals, irony, decency and peace. He's kind, and once
shut down his job site to rescue a spider. He's vegan, liberal, hopeful,
funny, and sometimes grumpy. His boss trusts, and likes him. Dogs take
advantage of him. He knows every Godzilla movie ever made.

The AlwaysLearning list was essential to my wellbeing and peace of mind when
my son was little. I live in a small town, in a rural area of a western,
primarily agricultural state. I was (or felt) alone here in my philosophy,
and beliefs about children, and AlwaysLearning gave me hope that the wider
world included many moms like me, with oddball children who would probably
turn out ok. It worked! Ta-da! Dylan had recently lost both his
grandfathers when Sandra started AlwaysLearning, and we had cared for each
of them during their final illness. AlwaysLearning helped me put the world
in perspective. It's easy to think you're the only one with X problem, if
you don't listen to the wider world. AlwaysLearning helped me stop and
listen. "Read a little, try a little, wait a while, watch."

I have loved the discussion. I'm old, and tired, but, thank you Sandra, and
everyone who came to your party, for such a good, thoughtful, funny,
worthwhile time! You've made my life a better life, a more joyful life. I'm
so grateful.

Deb Lewis

Vicki Dennis

How wonderful to see this "update ". Much of what wad ssid in the final paragraphs is applicable to how I felt discovering cybercommunities and making online friends. ...about way more than childraising and unschooling. I was soooo isolated and the web provided such a larger :pool" to find compatible fish like me. Or to gain insight into some not like me.

Vicki

On Jun 24, 2017 3:22 PM, "'Deb Lewis' d.lewis@... [AlwaysLearning]" <[email protected]> wrote:
 

***The first post, in November 2001, was by Deb Lewis.***

OH! I went and read that!

UPDATE:

(Nearly) sixteen years later Dylan is twenty five. His interest in religion
as it pertained to his own beliefs lasted only a couple of months. Maybe
that's no surprise with an atheist mother and an noncommittal dad. <g>

We have Jewish, Christian, vague-ish Christian, Cult-ish-who knows what,
Baptist, New Age (I'm old, maybe there's a new word?) Catholic family, and
extended family members. We have wiccan, Muslim, Jewish, Catholic,
Christian, New-agey friends. Dylan is an atheist.

I wrote then that I didn't want to tell him what to believe, but if I was
writing today... I'd tell him what to believe. <g> I suspect it wouldn't
have made much difference to the way it turned out.

Dylan was always unschooled. He's pretty nice. He's smart. He can read, and
keep track of his money. He has a keen interest in economics. I find myself
staying up late at night reading about Keynesian economics, and other things
I barely understand, just so I won't feel as stupid as I really am while
conversing with him. (It hasn't helped much) He has a job, speaks two
languages, plays piano, drives an old Jeep CJ 5, likes to travel. He loves
music, movies, art, animals, irony, decency and peace. He's kind, and once
shut down his job site to rescue a spider. He's vegan, liberal, hopeful,
funny, and sometimes grumpy. His boss trusts, and likes him. Dogs take
advantage of him. He knows every Godzilla movie ever made.

The AlwaysLearning list was essential to my wellbeing and peace of mind when
my son was little. I live in a small town, in a rural area of a western,
primarily agricultural state. I was (or felt) alone here in my philosophy,
and beliefs about children, and AlwaysLearning gave me hope that the wider
world included many moms like me, with oddball children who would probably
turn out ok. It worked! Ta-da! Dylan had recently lost both his
grandfathers when Sandra started AlwaysLearning, and we had cared for each
of them during their final illness. AlwaysLearning helped me put the world
in perspective. It's easy to think you're the only one with X problem, if
you don't listen to the wider world. AlwaysLearning helped me stop and
listen. "Read a little, try a little, wait a while, watch."

I have loved the discussion. I'm old, and tired, but, thank you Sandra, and
everyone who came to your party, for such a good, thoughtful, funny,
worthwhile time! You've made my life a better life, a more joyful life. I'm
so grateful.

Deb Lewis