[email protected]

**Thank you for your replies. I still feel it is a lie on some level to
take what they are learning and make it fit state regulations. I know my
sons do too on some level. So does my family. I worked on changing my
mind and for the most part I am satisfied they are learning and I talk
to them to get them to understand what they are learning. I don't mean
to sound defensive or to instigate anything by what I am saying. It is
more another layer of me working though the old thoughts that were put
in my head all these years. ***


Michele, I think I understand what you are saying about "lying" to the
state. I've also had a difficult time resolving that issue in my mind. Some of
us are just more highly sensitive to legalities, lies, fibs, etc. I can't
even enter a store where it is marked "exit" even if other people are doing it.
:)

Those diplomas aren't going to affect who you children are and whether or
not they are successful at their jobs. Unfortunately, they need them to get
their foot in the door, but once they are working, it is up to them to do the
work! Then they will be judged on their performance, not on the diploma.

The state doesn't care who your children are or what they do or don't do
well, really. They are interested in putting a check next to another name to
say they've done their job to "educate" them. No one cares that your son read
Moby Dick, but someone thought that was an important thing and now you are
"illegal" if you haven't read it. If he needs to read it for work, he can read
it then. Maybe your sons need a serious discussion about where the state
requirements come from and that they have no real importance in their real
lives. Do they feel like they are lying to deceive or that they are fudging some
meaningless facts that will never hurt anyone (but necessary in today's
world)?

Perhaps you can get in touch with some unschoolers in your state that have
dealt with this also. Maybe someone knows of some other options that you
don't know about.

And I agree with Deb that as long as you aren't passing yourself off to a
potential employer as something that you are not, it shouldn't be an issue. It
is a minor blip on the whole of their lives.

Leslie in SC


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Pam Sorooshian

On Jul 8, 2005, at 10:47 AM, Leslie530@... wrote:

> Thank you for your replies. I still feel it is a lie on some level to
> take what they are learning and make it fit state regulations. I know
> my
> sons do too on some level.

This depends so much on what the state regulations are. Could you give
us a sample?

If it is simply to cover various general subjects, like science,
history, reading, math, etc., then I wouldn't feel even the slightest
compunction about translating our real lives into those.

If it specifically says: "Student will learn how Native Americans were
affected by the arrival of Columbus," then I wouldn't be able to say
that was covered unless it had been, in some form or another.

But the fact that the kids learn in natural ways, not by assignments,
textbooks, lesson plans, testing, and grading?

A discussion we had last night was about whether or not there was
sexism in the Harry Potter books - this was spurred by something one of
the kids read online. To call that discussion "social studies" or
"language arts" wouldn't bother me in the slightest. School teachers
can only DREAM of kids being so involved and interested and PASSIONATE
about some assigned topic!

Rosie is out riding her bike. Is she not experimenting with the laws of
motion and gravity and inertia and learning about momentum and
acceleration and balance and far more? Do those not count? Are they not
just incredibly valuable things to learn about? There is good reason to
believe that this kind of physical activity is really truly
appropriately known as "pre-physics" or "pre-calculus."

-pam