Penn Acres

Hi. The people who started this list have all my respect so I followed them
over.
I am fast on the delete and not too much bothers me about list discussions
as I usually breeze on past .
Much harder for those moderating or spending huge amounts of their time
helping all of us.
My husband and I have twin great grandaughters almost nine years old.
We have raised them and began homeschooling half way through kindergarten
They decided to try some more public school for part of second grade (only
two weeks of it for one of the girls).
We moved into unschooling a year ago. We have come a long way-especially
me -my husband is way laid back and the girls are the joy of his life as
was their mother who just didn't get the dependable mother bit and lives a
long way away.
We have 6 older children all married (including the girls mother who is
our first grandaughter and we legally adopted her)
11 other grandchildren.
Guess what-none of my family Ever questions what we are doing (not to our
face anyway-cause I am the Mother, the Mother in Law and the Grandma and I
am Unschooling ! LOL ;-) sweet!
I spend a lot of late night hours on these lists .I cant begin to tell you
what it means to have the generous sharing from so many loving parents. I
have never met another unschooler in person except Stephanie Judy whom I
heard speak briefly at a homeschooling conference in Creston, BC.
Unschooling Conferences sound like the greatest fun.
grace
in the cool and drizzly BC Rockies where the moon is coming out and maybe
it will dry up and warm up for a few days.

Betjeman and Barton Tea Merchants

Hello
 
Just my quick intro.  I've been on the "main" lists for awhile but went no e-mail to regain my sanity (my inbox was flooded - a good thing when you've got time to keep up - not so good during the busy holiday season).
 
I'm Karen, married to dh, Stuart for 13 years.  DD, Brogan is 4  1/2.  Neat fact about us - Brogan was born 10 days early on our 9th wedding anniversary :-)
 
A couple of years ago dh suggested Homeschooling.  I have to be honest and say I laughed - my first thought was 'no way could I do that'.  Dh laughed too and then started talking about his school years - he hated school - with a passion.  He was dyslexic and always felt "stupid" and "left behind".  I  knew most of it already, but to hear him talking about it and advocating homeschooling really struck home.  It made me think about my own schooling experiences.  I was the opposite - "smart", good grades got into a great college easily etc.  I realized however, that I spent a LOT of time being bored in school, doodling in my notebook, staring out the window, counting the minutes left, praying for snow (in NC a longshot but...)  I went to the library the next day and checked out 2 homeschooling books. One was Mary Griffith The Unschooling Handbook - I don't remember what the other one was - probably one of Linda Dobson's.  I fell in love with Unschooling and haven't looked back. 
 
Dh has had his doubts here and there along the way - especially right now.  But I think the conference in MA is really going to open his eyes that unschooling does work.
 
While some people wouldn't consider us to be Unschooling "yet" I think we are.  In our area of the country (New England) it seems like 'everyone' sends their childrent to preschool - we're looked at as a bit of an oddity because we don't.
 
It stuns me that (in theory) my little girl 'could' go off to kindergarten in a few short months - our cut off (here in CT ) is January 1st.  People keep saying how "lucky" we are that she makes the cut off.  They just don't get "it" IMO that kids are only kids once.  It scares me that people want to rush their kids into school.
 
I love hanging out with Brogan and doing all of the fun things that we do.  Her interests are so varied.  We tend to get a lot of odd looks from the librarians when looking for books - I guess most 4 year olds don't look for books on volcanos, the loch ness monster, how Mummies are made etc.  That surprises me as they're all interesting subjects.
 
Sorry this has turned so long - guess once I get typing/ talking it's hard to shut me up LOL
 
Karen (in  Groton CT)  I used to just be Karen in CT but I recently found out there's someone else who signs off like that (hi Karen).
 

Debbie Gillett

 
.  I realized however, that I spent a LOT of time being bored in school, doodling in my notebook, staring out the window, counting the minutes left, praying for snow (in NC a longshot but...) 
 
 
Hi Karen lol I love it that you were praying for snow days as a long shot in NC lol my kids wish for one here in Michigan and seems even though we are in a snow belt the school district would never call of school lol now they can never complain for one lol it can be everyday lol
Debbie
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G&M Contracting Inc., Kenneth Gillilan

>>>While some people wouldn't consider us to be Unschooling "yet" I think we are.  In our area of the country (New England) it seems like 'everyone' sends their childrent to preschool - we're looked at as a bit of an oddity because we don't.>>>
 
I'm from New England also and get the same reaction.  I thought maybe it was just the town I live in, but guess not...
 
AnnMarie
-----Original Message-----
From: Betjeman and Barton Tea Merchants [mailto:karen@...]
Sent: Monday, May 31, 2004 2:01 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [unschoolingbasics] Hi and Intro

Hello
 
Just my quick intro.  I've been on the "main" lists for awhile but went no e-mail to regain my sanity (my inbox was flooded - a good thing when you've got time to keep up - not so good during the busy holiday season).
 
I'm Karen, married to dh, Stuart for 13 years.  DD, Brogan is 4  1/2.  Neat fact about us - Brogan was born 10 days early on our 9th wedding anniversary :-)
 
A couple of years ago dh suggested Homeschooling.  I have to be honest and say I laughed - my first thought was 'no way could I do that'.  Dh laughed too and then started talking about his school years - he hated school - with a passion.  He was dyslexic and always felt "stupid" and "left behind".  I  knew most of it already, but to hear him talking about it and advocating homeschooling really struck home.  It made me think about my own schooling experiences.  I was the opposite - "smart", good grades got into a great college easily etc.  I realized however, that I spent a LOT of time being bored in school, doodling in my notebook, staring out the window, counting the minutes left, praying for snow (in NC a longshot but...)  I went to the library the next day and checked out 2 homeschooling books. One was Mary Griffith The Unschooling Handbook - I don't remember what the other one was - probably one of Linda Dobson's.  I fell in love with Unschooling and haven't looked back. 
 
Dh has had his doubts here and there along the way - especially right now.  But I think the conference in MA is really going to open his eyes that unschooling does work.
 
While some people wouldn't consider us to be Unschooling "yet" I think we are.  In our area of the country (New England) it seems like 'everyone' sends their childrent to preschool - we're looked at as a bit of an oddity because we don't.
 
It stuns me that (in theory) my little girl 'could' go off to kindergarten in a few short months - our cut off (here in CT ) is January 1st.  People keep saying how "lucky" we are that she makes the cut off.  They just don't get "it" IMO that kids are only kids once.  It scares me that people want to rush their kids into school.
 
I love hanging out with Brogan and doing all of the fun things that we do.  Her interests are so varied.  We tend to get a lot of odd looks from the librarians when looking for books - I guess most 4 year olds don't look for books on volcanos, the loch ness monster, how Mummies are made etc.  That surprises me as they're all interesting subjects.
 
Sorry this has turned so long - guess once I get typing/ talking it's hard to shut me up LOL
 
Karen (in  Groton CT)  I used to just be Karen in CT but I recently found out there's someone else who signs off like that (hi Karen).
 

mooosey3

Thanks Kelly and Zenmomma for your responses. The last few days I have
been making more of a conscious effort to be in the moment and not worry
about the what ifs and the future that I have no control over anyway.

Kelly you are absolutely right about doing more.

I didn't think I was looking for schoolish results, but I guess I really
have been all along. That is something I'm going to have to get rid
of!! The spelling and writing have been sticky points for me because I
think they are skills he is going to need in his life. But I'm coming
to understand it is HIS life and he will accomplish these skills when it
is important to HIM. I just feel fortunate I get to share in his
journey.

Zenmomma, my heart tells me it's been me. I know I need to stop
worrying about all the things he can't do and honor the things he can
do.

I think I'm getting us back on the right path by me shifting my
perspective.

~Heather