luv_my_three_kids

Hi my name is Elaina. I'm 26 and have a 7 year old DD, 5 year old DS,
and 3 year old DD. This has been our first year homeschooling. I've
noticed over the past few months that we follow a more unschool
approach. So I'm looking more into just what the unschool philosphy
is, what works for different families and just how do you get over
your own self doubts. Right now we are with a charter school but I'm
not sure if I want to use a charter school again next year. Mostly
since my DS likes to do the majority of his learning through watching
and talking about what he sees and the charter school makes you tuen
in worksheets as proof of schooling. My son would rather die than sit
still and do a worksheet. But then I come full circle back to my own
self doubts and think how can he learn if he isn't sitting down doing
any actual lessons. I look forward to hearing what everyone has to say.
Elaina

scrapgal

--- In [email protected], "luv_my_three_kids"
<elaina.morrison@g...> wrote:
>
> Right now we are with a charter school but I'm
> not sure if I want to use a charter school again next year. Mostly
> since my DS likes to do the majority of his learning through
watching
> and talking about what he sees

<snip> But then I come full circle back to my own
> self doubts and think how can he learn if he isn't sitting down
doing
> any actual lessons.

You already answered your own question. For your son he learns
best through watching and talking. The first thing that I had to
get over was the idea that my kids had to be "on grade level." You
have to decide if being "on grade level" is an appropriate standard
to measure your children. We pulled our children from school for
many reasons, but many of us did so because we saw the school
systems failing our children (not letter grades, but letting them
down.) They were bored, uninterested, antsy, labelled, humiliated,
held back (either grade wise or learning wise), test-driven, etc.
What does it really mean to read on a second grade level? It's an
arbitrary list of words that some committee (that probably doesn't
know children well at all) came up with that they think children
should be able to read. What if you have a child who isn't
physically and emotionally ready to read? I think many children are
hindered when it comes to reading because they aren't ready and are
made to feel stupid. They have to be in "reading group 1" which
everyone knows is where the "stupid" kids are. Or they are sent
to "remedial reading." UGH!!! Letting go of the entire "my kids
need to know X by Y" is a big step, but if you trust that your
children are experiencing life and thusly learning through those
experiences, then you will be on the road to learning freedom.

So your son learns best from watching and talking. Sounds like a
great place to talk about what he is interested in.

Michelle