Beginning Unschooling
Wendy E
Any suggested reading for a beginning unschooler? I have read the
Unschooling Handbook.
Thanks...Wendy
Unschooling Handbook.
Thanks...Wendy
pam sorooshian
On Jun 8, 2004, at 12:47 AM, Wendy E wrote:
<SandraDodd.com/unschooling.html>
Books:
Learning All the Time --- John Holt.
The Unprocessed Child - Valerie Fitzenreiter
The Book of Learning and Forgetting -- Frank Smith
Any of Linda Dobson's books that strike your fancy.
Trust the Children - Anna Kealoha
Fundamentals of Homeschooling: Notes on Successful Family Living - Ann
Lahrson-Fisher
-pam
National Home Education Network
<www.NHEN.org>
Serving the entire homeschooling community since 1999
through information, networking and public relations.
> Any suggested reading for a beginning unschooler? I have read theWebsite with lots of great stuff - especially Sandra's own articles:
> Unschooling Handbook.
<SandraDodd.com/unschooling.html>
Books:
Learning All the Time --- John Holt.
The Unprocessed Child - Valerie Fitzenreiter
The Book of Learning and Forgetting -- Frank Smith
Any of Linda Dobson's books that strike your fancy.
Trust the Children - Anna Kealoha
Fundamentals of Homeschooling: Notes on Successful Family Living - Ann
Lahrson-Fisher
-pam
National Home Education Network
<www.NHEN.org>
Serving the entire homeschooling community since 1999
through information, networking and public relations.
[email protected]
In a message dated 6/8/2004 4:16:50 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
mommytoluc@... writes:
Any suggested reading for a beginning unschooler? I have read the
Unschooling Handbook.
<<<<<
This is my "old stand-by" that I send to folks just starting out in our
local group. It's old, with last year's conference info. I had to update a few
things---new e-lists and websites and such.
Pam, I need to get your math site info to be included!
Funny thing is: Ren names this new list UnschoolingBasics, and I'd
forgettien that was this one's name! Maybe I should rename it "Unschooling-101"! <G>
~Kelly
Unschooling Basics
Unschooling is trusting the child to learn what he needs to learn when he
needs to learn it. Unschooling is also sometimes called "natural learning"
and
"child-led learning" . But mostly unschooling is NOT school-at home: we do
not
try to replicate school in our houses. It's real living in the real
world---for and with a purpose. You cannot live and not learn---we're
surrounded by real opportunities every day to learn. And it's REAL learning, not
simulated as in
school. Living is learning is unschooling is living is learning is
unschooling.....
There are several good books on the inanity and insanity of schools and on
the marvels of unschooling.
The unschooling "patron saint" is John Holt. He was a school reformer in the
70's who came to realize that schools are NOT reformable. His most popular
books are How Children Fail, How Children Learn, Teach Your Own, and Learning
All the Time.
John Taylor Gatto was a NY city and NY state teacher of the year. He finally
quit and started on the speaking circuit. He seems completely behind
unschooling. His two big books are Dumbing Us Down and The Underground
History
of American Education.
Frank Smith has a great little book called The Book of Learning and
Forgetting that shows how little one learns in and remembers from school. He
pushes REAL learning---for a purpose.
Alfie Kohn's Punished by Rewards shows the total inanity of EXtrinsic
motivation (gold stars, grades, etc.) and the attributes of INtrinsic
motivation.
Grace Llewellyn's The Teenage Liberation Handbook (How to Quit School and
Get a REAL Education) is the "bible" for unschoolers. It's a great read for
teens, but parents should read it too. Be SURE not to skip the "cute little
story" at the beginning. Grace also hosts the "Not Back To School Camp" in
the early
fall for teen unschoolers---a place to meet other unschoolers and share
passions and interests.
Mary Griffith has two books, The Homeschooling Handbook and The Unschooling
Handbook. The Homeschooling Handbook has many great ideas for documenting
what's being learned; and, since that is a requirement in SC, it's very
helpful.
But The Unschooling Handbook is THE handbook for new unschoolers. In it she
gives real life examples and explanations. VERY understandable. Convinced my
husband that what I was suggesting made sense! <g>
David Albert has two: And the Skylark Sings with Me and Homeschooling and the
Voyage of Self-Discovery. Both are witty---and easy reads.
Valerie Fitzenreiter has a brand new book that I highly recommend: The
Unprocessed Child: Living Without School. It's about unschooling her
daughter,
Laurie. I give it as gifts a LOT!
Magazines:
"Life Learning Magazine"
"Growing Without Schooling", originally put out by John Holt. No longer in
production, but back issues available from "old" unschoolers and from FUNbooks.
Websites:
_www.unschooling.com_ (http://www.unschooling.com/) is THE website for
unschooling. There are other lists
that "say" they unschool; these are the radicals who KNOW what they are
talking
about. There are essays and FAQs which you should definitely read first.
Afterwards go to the message boards and read, read, READ! If you have
questions
after reading for a few weeks, then post---but most things have been
explained
before, so if you read, you'll run across the answers to most of your
questions.
The posters to pay attention to are Sandra Dodd, Joyce Fetteroll, Pam
Sorooshian, Anne Ohman, Lyle, and Mary Gold. There are other wonderful
posters, but
these are all radical unschoolers who all have great ways of expressing
themselves and getting to the nitty gritty of unschooling. They will all be at the
conference in August.
[email protected]_
(mailto:[email protected]) is a great e-list if you prefer your messages in mail form, but
the traffic is HIGH. 200-400/day sometimes on the Discussion list. Unless
you're hard core, or just prefer your lists this way, I'd recommend the message
boards.
There is also [email protected]_
(mailto:[email protected]) . For beginners.
_www.SchoolsOutSupport.org_ (http://www.schoolsoutsupport.org/) is the SC
unschooling support group. Membership is
free. It has a message board and info about laws and local groups. It hosts
the unschooling conference in August.
Sandra Dodd is a radical unschooler of three children, 16, 14, & 12 (I
think). She has her own website that is chocked FULL of essays and stories
about
unschooling. It's a great place to start. _www.SandraDodd.com/unschooling_
(http://www.sandradodd.com/unschooling) She
is also the keynote speaker at the August conference.
Ned Vare & Luz Shosie have an
already-graduated-from-college-always-unschooled son. Their website is full
of
short essays on unschooling. They have a
newsletter as well.
_http://borntoexplore.org/unschool/_ (http://borntoexplore.org/unschool/)
Billy and Nancy Greer own FUN-books---a mail-order catalogue for unschoolish
books and games. _www.FUN-Books.com_ (http://www.fun-books.com/)
And the conference: Here's the flyer:
School's Out Support's Live & Learn Unschooling Conference
August 22-24 in Columbia, SC at the Holiday Inn-Coliseum.
<<<<THIS YEAR IN PEABODY, MA AUGUST 27-29. 2004. Go To
_www.LiveandLaernConference.org_ (http://www.liveandlaernconference.org/) <<<<<<<
This conference is a must attend! Meet other families on the same journey,
listen to inspiring speakers, and discover the art of unschooling in
beautiful
downtown Columbia, SC. This is a non-age-discriminatory conference: anyone
can
participate in any Funshop or Presentation. Bring the whole family for a
joy-filled weekend!
School's Out Support (SOS) is a volunteer-driven, statewide organization
whose mission is to support and promote unschooling, provide information,
monitor and influence legislation, offer opportunities for families to get
together,
and empower families to make the choices that respect the rights, needs and
aspirations of their children. SOS welcomes anyone with an interest in
unschooling.
Since its inception in April 2001, SOS has supported families that have made
the decision to unschool as they face difficult questions and challenges.
These families may wonder about socialization, the legal issues surrounding
unschooling, accountability associations, or integration of John Holt's
educational philosophy into their everyday lives. Some families may doubt
their abilities, feel confused and ask themselves, "Can I really do this?". SOS
encourages
parents to trust themselves and their children to make good decisions and
empowers them to find the support and information they need.
Our Presenters
For our Keynote presenter we are very fortunate to have the popular
contributor to Unschooling.com message boards, its e-list, AlwaysLearning,
and
regular columnist in HEM---unschooling guru, Sandra Dodd. A former middle
school
teacher, Sandra has talked countless families into running away from school
and
jumping into learning for fun. Her motto: "Everything Counts!"
We're also delighted to have Anne Ohman, from the Unschooling.com message
boards, back for a return engagement. She "stole the show" last year with her
debut and is now in demand at conferences all over the country. AnneO's
passionate, gentle approach to life and learning continues to inspire
families
daily.
Pam Sorooshian is well known in "all the unschooling
circles"---Unschooling.com's message boards, the unschoolingdotcom e-list,
AlwaysLearning, NHEN, and
the California boards. When she's not teaching college level economics and
statistics, Pam's an unschooling mom of three teenagers: she's "been there,
done
that"---and will surely have a few answers for you!
Mary Gold is better known as "Zenmomma"--and you can find her wherever
unschooling is a topic! Mary "preaches" peace and trust and joy---and the
pure
delight of unschooling her children. Her encouraging words are music to a
stressed
parent's ears---and she always leaves you knowing that "Life is good!"
Jim Weiss' storytelling has captivated and delighted both adults and children
with his original stories and retellings of classics. To hear him tell a
story is to be swept into another world. Jim's award-winning tapes are
favorites
in many homes---including ours!
For more information, contact Kelly Lovejoy @ (803) 776 4849 or visit our
website-
_http://www.schoolsoutsupport.org/2003conference.html_
(http://www.schoolsoutsupport.org/2003conference.html)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
You may also all me anytime to ask questions or discuss concerns. I truly
believe that school is harmful---physically, emotionally, intellectually,
and
spiritually. It's a bad place to spend a childhood.
~Kelly Lovejoy (803) 776-4849
_kbcdlovejo@..._ (mailto:kbcdlovejo@...)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
mommytoluc@... writes:
Any suggested reading for a beginning unschooler? I have read the
Unschooling Handbook.
<<<<<
This is my "old stand-by" that I send to folks just starting out in our
local group. It's old, with last year's conference info. I had to update a few
things---new e-lists and websites and such.
Pam, I need to get your math site info to be included!
Funny thing is: Ren names this new list UnschoolingBasics, and I'd
forgettien that was this one's name! Maybe I should rename it "Unschooling-101"! <G>
~Kelly
Unschooling Basics
Unschooling is trusting the child to learn what he needs to learn when he
needs to learn it. Unschooling is also sometimes called "natural learning"
and
"child-led learning" . But mostly unschooling is NOT school-at home: we do
not
try to replicate school in our houses. It's real living in the real
world---for and with a purpose. You cannot live and not learn---we're
surrounded by real opportunities every day to learn. And it's REAL learning, not
simulated as in
school. Living is learning is unschooling is living is learning is
unschooling.....
There are several good books on the inanity and insanity of schools and on
the marvels of unschooling.
The unschooling "patron saint" is John Holt. He was a school reformer in the
70's who came to realize that schools are NOT reformable. His most popular
books are How Children Fail, How Children Learn, Teach Your Own, and Learning
All the Time.
John Taylor Gatto was a NY city and NY state teacher of the year. He finally
quit and started on the speaking circuit. He seems completely behind
unschooling. His two big books are Dumbing Us Down and The Underground
History
of American Education.
Frank Smith has a great little book called The Book of Learning and
Forgetting that shows how little one learns in and remembers from school. He
pushes REAL learning---for a purpose.
Alfie Kohn's Punished by Rewards shows the total inanity of EXtrinsic
motivation (gold stars, grades, etc.) and the attributes of INtrinsic
motivation.
Grace Llewellyn's The Teenage Liberation Handbook (How to Quit School and
Get a REAL Education) is the "bible" for unschoolers. It's a great read for
teens, but parents should read it too. Be SURE not to skip the "cute little
story" at the beginning. Grace also hosts the "Not Back To School Camp" in
the early
fall for teen unschoolers---a place to meet other unschoolers and share
passions and interests.
Mary Griffith has two books, The Homeschooling Handbook and The Unschooling
Handbook. The Homeschooling Handbook has many great ideas for documenting
what's being learned; and, since that is a requirement in SC, it's very
helpful.
But The Unschooling Handbook is THE handbook for new unschoolers. In it she
gives real life examples and explanations. VERY understandable. Convinced my
husband that what I was suggesting made sense! <g>
David Albert has two: And the Skylark Sings with Me and Homeschooling and the
Voyage of Self-Discovery. Both are witty---and easy reads.
Valerie Fitzenreiter has a brand new book that I highly recommend: The
Unprocessed Child: Living Without School. It's about unschooling her
daughter,
Laurie. I give it as gifts a LOT!
Magazines:
"Life Learning Magazine"
"Growing Without Schooling", originally put out by John Holt. No longer in
production, but back issues available from "old" unschoolers and from FUNbooks.
Websites:
_www.unschooling.com_ (http://www.unschooling.com/) is THE website for
unschooling. There are other lists
that "say" they unschool; these are the radicals who KNOW what they are
talking
about. There are essays and FAQs which you should definitely read first.
Afterwards go to the message boards and read, read, READ! If you have
questions
after reading for a few weeks, then post---but most things have been
explained
before, so if you read, you'll run across the answers to most of your
questions.
The posters to pay attention to are Sandra Dodd, Joyce Fetteroll, Pam
Sorooshian, Anne Ohman, Lyle, and Mary Gold. There are other wonderful
posters, but
these are all radical unschoolers who all have great ways of expressing
themselves and getting to the nitty gritty of unschooling. They will all be at the
conference in August.
[email protected]_
(mailto:[email protected]) is a great e-list if you prefer your messages in mail form, but
the traffic is HIGH. 200-400/day sometimes on the Discussion list. Unless
you're hard core, or just prefer your lists this way, I'd recommend the message
boards.
There is also [email protected]_
(mailto:[email protected]) . For beginners.
_www.SchoolsOutSupport.org_ (http://www.schoolsoutsupport.org/) is the SC
unschooling support group. Membership is
free. It has a message board and info about laws and local groups. It hosts
the unschooling conference in August.
Sandra Dodd is a radical unschooler of three children, 16, 14, & 12 (I
think). She has her own website that is chocked FULL of essays and stories
about
unschooling. It's a great place to start. _www.SandraDodd.com/unschooling_
(http://www.sandradodd.com/unschooling) She
is also the keynote speaker at the August conference.
Ned Vare & Luz Shosie have an
already-graduated-from-college-always-unschooled son. Their website is full
of
short essays on unschooling. They have a
newsletter as well.
_http://borntoexplore.org/unschool/_ (http://borntoexplore.org/unschool/)
Billy and Nancy Greer own FUN-books---a mail-order catalogue for unschoolish
books and games. _www.FUN-Books.com_ (http://www.fun-books.com/)
And the conference: Here's the flyer:
School's Out Support's Live & Learn Unschooling Conference
August 22-24 in Columbia, SC at the Holiday Inn-Coliseum.
<<<<THIS YEAR IN PEABODY, MA AUGUST 27-29. 2004. Go To
_www.LiveandLaernConference.org_ (http://www.liveandlaernconference.org/) <<<<<<<
This conference is a must attend! Meet other families on the same journey,
listen to inspiring speakers, and discover the art of unschooling in
beautiful
downtown Columbia, SC. This is a non-age-discriminatory conference: anyone
can
participate in any Funshop or Presentation. Bring the whole family for a
joy-filled weekend!
School's Out Support (SOS) is a volunteer-driven, statewide organization
whose mission is to support and promote unschooling, provide information,
monitor and influence legislation, offer opportunities for families to get
together,
and empower families to make the choices that respect the rights, needs and
aspirations of their children. SOS welcomes anyone with an interest in
unschooling.
Since its inception in April 2001, SOS has supported families that have made
the decision to unschool as they face difficult questions and challenges.
These families may wonder about socialization, the legal issues surrounding
unschooling, accountability associations, or integration of John Holt's
educational philosophy into their everyday lives. Some families may doubt
their abilities, feel confused and ask themselves, "Can I really do this?". SOS
encourages
parents to trust themselves and their children to make good decisions and
empowers them to find the support and information they need.
Our Presenters
For our Keynote presenter we are very fortunate to have the popular
contributor to Unschooling.com message boards, its e-list, AlwaysLearning,
and
regular columnist in HEM---unschooling guru, Sandra Dodd. A former middle
school
teacher, Sandra has talked countless families into running away from school
and
jumping into learning for fun. Her motto: "Everything Counts!"
We're also delighted to have Anne Ohman, from the Unschooling.com message
boards, back for a return engagement. She "stole the show" last year with her
debut and is now in demand at conferences all over the country. AnneO's
passionate, gentle approach to life and learning continues to inspire
families
daily.
Pam Sorooshian is well known in "all the unschooling
circles"---Unschooling.com's message boards, the unschoolingdotcom e-list,
AlwaysLearning, NHEN, and
the California boards. When she's not teaching college level economics and
statistics, Pam's an unschooling mom of three teenagers: she's "been there,
done
that"---and will surely have a few answers for you!
Mary Gold is better known as "Zenmomma"--and you can find her wherever
unschooling is a topic! Mary "preaches" peace and trust and joy---and the
pure
delight of unschooling her children. Her encouraging words are music to a
stressed
parent's ears---and she always leaves you knowing that "Life is good!"
Jim Weiss' storytelling has captivated and delighted both adults and children
with his original stories and retellings of classics. To hear him tell a
story is to be swept into another world. Jim's award-winning tapes are
favorites
in many homes---including ours!
For more information, contact Kelly Lovejoy @ (803) 776 4849 or visit our
website-
_http://www.schoolsoutsupport.org/2003conference.html_
(http://www.schoolsoutsupport.org/2003conference.html)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
You may also all me anytime to ask questions or discuss concerns. I truly
believe that school is harmful---physically, emotionally, intellectually,
and
spiritually. It's a bad place to spend a childhood.
~Kelly Lovejoy (803) 776-4849
_kbcdlovejo@..._ (mailto:kbcdlovejo@...)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Valerie
ahem.. I can think of one
The Unprocessed Child: Living Without School
by Valerie Fitzenreiter
www.ubpub.com (free chapter there)
--- In [email protected], "Wendy E"
<mommytoluc@y...> wrote:
The Unprocessed Child: Living Without School
by Valerie Fitzenreiter
www.ubpub.com (free chapter there)
--- In [email protected], "Wendy E"
<mommytoluc@y...> wrote:
> Any suggested reading for a beginning unschooler? I have read the
> Unschooling Handbook.
>
> Thanks...Wendy