[email protected]

We sent my DS to ps briefly -- for 7 months of K -- he's bright so he was
tested and retested and meetings were held and consultations were made and papers
were drawn up. No real change in the content of what was being taught was
proposed, so we went home.

We started off doing what I knew how to do. Very structured -- heck, I even
read the Florida State Standards (the Sunshine Standards -- isn't that
adorable).

One by one, I/we let go of things. Now we unschool. It was a gradual process
that happened over several years and I would say not at all an unusual
progression.

So, what turned me to hsing was that the usual method was inadequate to meet
the needs of my child. And what got us to unschooling was paying attention to
what really fit us.

I grew up in Florida and my mother will tell you that I was a bright child in
school but it never occurred to her that, even if I was bored, there was any
other option but ps. And there wasn't -- private school was out and hsing
wasn't a separate legal option here until 1985 (I graduated from high school in
1975 so . . . too old :) ).

But I think a lot of parents are pushier now -- in a good way. :) Regular
suburban (you don't even need to be in the wilds of Alaska :) ) Moms and Dads
are digging in their heels and looking around for something better. The message
is getting through that there are all sorts of options and we don't have to
settle.

It's interesting to hear how others did this unschooling thing way back when,
but even my relatively recent experience with my son is dated. And that was
only 5 years ago. Things on the testing/standardization front have gotten
worse, not better. At least in the straight ps options. But there are other choices
-- not everyone is going to unschool -- and parents are grabbing at them.
Maybe some will end up being unschoolers like me -- after learning and expanding
their thinking, at their own pace.

Nance


In a message dated 6/7/2004 6:17:31 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[email protected] writes:
What changes peoples' minds about unschooling (or homeschooling, for
that matter)? Lots of things, I'm sure. What changed mine was having
parents who were willing to trust me to know what was best for myself.

Helen


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