Billy or Nancy

Wife Swap, the reality TV show, is looking for an unschooling family to
feature in a future episode. I had a long conversation with Will Nothacker
who seemed truly interested in homeschooling and especially the concept of
unschooling.

He said "... I think featuring a family that embraces the unschooling
philosophy would make a very interesting episode. Wife Swap always strives
to have families learn from each other by experiencing each other's lives
and discussing differences in philosophy."

However, it is important to realize that while they may strive "to have
families learn from each other," they also seem to like to combine very
different families to see what conflicts may arise. If you are interested in
being included in an upcoming episode, please note the info below:

Deadline for contact: Feb 1, 2005

Who: Will Nothacker
E-mail: Will.Nothacker@... (preferred contact method)
Phone: 212.404.1469

Requirements: Two-parent unschooling family with no small children (or if
any children are under 5, also have older children capable of providing
childcare). Must be willing to clear their schedule and swap for 10 days
(husbands can be swapped as well as wives so can work if one or both parents
are up to it). Shooting of episode likely for Feb 24 through March 6.

More info: To learn more about the show go to www.wifeswaptvshow.com or
contact Will directly with any questions you may have.

Thanks,

Billy
www.FUN-Books.com
www.unschooling.org

- Feel free to pass this information on to any individuals or lists you
think may find it of interest; however, please include the entire message
(including this note) and also do not distribute after Feb 1, 2005.
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[email protected]

There are some real painful things that happen on that show.

I wouldn't put my kid through it.

Karen


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Sylvia Toyama

Requirements: Two-parent unschooling family with no small children (or if any children are under 5, also have older children capable of providing childcare). Must be willing to clear their schedule and swap for 10 days (husbands can be swapped as well as wives so can work if one or both parents are up to it). Shooting of episode likely for Feb 24 through March 6.

*******

Should read more like this:

Requirements: Two parent unschooling family where one parent is willing to leave the rest of the family at the mercy of a complete stranger, whose intent is to upset your entire way of life.

Yanno, I just can't imagine a scenario where an unschooling parent -- given the level of responsible connection we have with our children -- would even be tempted to participate in this show. I'll admit I've never watched an entire episode of the show, but who abandons their family to be tortured by someone else, and goes somewhere else to disrupt another family's life? Where is there anything redeeming or mentally healthy in that? The bits and after-show interviews I've seen come across as sanctimonious people who went off determined to prove their rightness of their own ways (and the wrongness of the other wife's ways), so that they could return home and continue to mistreat their own families, who would be so grateful to have the interloper gone that they'd eagerly welcome the parent home!

I just don't get any of it, not the participant or the spectator aspect of it. Then again, I don't get the appeal of any of the 'reality' shows out there, so maybe it's just me.

Sylvia


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Elizabeth Hill

** There are some real painful things that happen on that show.

I wouldn't put my kid through it.**


I agree with that part. I don't have strangers watch my kid, even for a
few hours. I wouldn't send him to live with them for 10(?) days. I
don't think most unschooling kids would find it too delightful to be in
families where parents had arbitrary rules. Or, perish the thought, the
kids had to get up and go to school 5 days a week. ::::: shudders :::::

BUT, it's really fun to imagine, and maybe write about what it would be
like for a kid/teen from a mainstream background to come over to an
unschooling house with all the games and goodies and food platters and
"sure, let me help you get to what you want".

(Oh, I'm screwing up the TV show concept. Only the mom changes houses
-- not the kids. I guess that is less disruptive.)

I can imagine a pretty interesting article or "fantasy" short story on
this topic.

Betsy

kayb85

> BUT, it's really fun to imagine, and maybe write about what it
would be
> like for a kid/teen from a mainstream background to come over to an
> unschooling house with all the games and goodies and food platters
and
> "sure, let me help you get to what you want".


Yeah, but the problem would be that in just one week, the mainstream
kids wouldn't get past the "let me take everything I can because it's
available now, never was before, and never may be again" stage.
That's all the people watching on tv would see...mainstream kids
gorging themselves on stuff the mainstreamers perceive as bad. They
wouldn't get to see the kids unschooling AFTER they've deschooled,
they'd just see them at the sometimes difficult, just being freed
from the chains stage.

Still, something about the idea of wifeswap kind of appeals to me.
I'm not sure what it is...just first hand observations about how life
really is for another family and experiencing it I guess. Kind of
like how sometimes I think it would be cool if some of you could come
and live with me for a week and give me opinions on stuff that you
could only give after hanging out with us for awhile...sometimes you
just can't really tell stuff by just reading each other's email. But
I'd never do Wifeswap without the consent of the rest of my family
and I do NOT have anyone else's consent. lol

Sheila

queenjane555

--- In [email protected], Elizabeth Hill
<ecsamhill@e...> wrote:
> I don't think most unschooling kids would find it too delightful
>to be in families where parents had arbitrary rules. Or, perish
>the thought, the kids had to get up and go to school 5 days a
>week. ::::: shudders :::::

Seamus and i talked about this while watching the last WifeSwap. The
meditating mom took the tv/videogame loving kid's gameboy and tv
away during the week. She said they would do other fun stuff
together, play games, have fun, it just wouldnt be tv or videogames.
The kid freaked out. He couldnt stand it. Seamus didnt get it. He
said if he knew it was just for the show (five days, not the rest of
his life), and the mom was willing to play with him and do other
activities, it would be fine (and this is a kid who LOVES his
videogames!)

My sister was telling me about one show in which all the kids (teens
i think)were homeschooled (it sounded like unschooling to me, they
apparently didnt have lessons or anything---this was a punk rock
Christian family who's mom traded with a super christian
conservative family)...the teens didnt have much of a problem
respecting the "new mom"s rules, they knew it wasnt permanent and
they were openminded. I think if the kids in the family wanted to do
it, treated it like some kind of sociology experiment, it wouldnt be
harmful.

I would never do it if i had really little children, though. Most of
the families seem to have kids that are older, not babies.


Katherine

Dawn Adams

> Yeah, but the problem would be that in just one week, the mainstream
> kids wouldn't get past the "let me take everything I can because it's
> available now, never was before, and never may be again" stage.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Yeah, I've often imagined that if I were doing the wifeswap thing I wouldn't
try completely unschooling the kids. They could sleep in, stay home from
school, have a quiet time instead of bedtime but we'd be out the door a lot
to local museums and such. I'd be planning lots of stuff simply because I
doubt they could manage their own days like our kids can. I think it would
just be silly to try to unschool completely for one week (it would be like
dropping the bottom out from under the poor kids) and would definately look
bad on the TV.

But I doubt I'd ever be willing to do something like that. I know, based on
the formula of the show that my kids would likely go to school and come home
to some disrespectful, ultra disciplined taskmaster. I'd come home to
Catherine hiding and crying in her room and Harry throwing everything he
could get his hands on at anyone in the way. :)

Dawn (in NS)