problems with claiming unschooling retroactively
[email protected]
I think I have always been an unschooler. Well, I was until I lost my nerve
and
sent ds to Kindergarten the first year I would have to account for him.
------------------
THIS is why I have periodic bouts of crazy objection to people whose kids
aren't school-age saying they're unschoolers.
If a child went to school the first day of kindergarten... he was a kid who
was home with his mom until he went to kindergarten.
-=- When I
researched, I heard the term "unschooler" and I read up on it and realized
that it
described our home in almost all aspects.
=-
Except for that seminal aspect of not sending the kids to school.
-=-One thing I never understood is, why call in un"school"ing? It still
contained "school" and that is totally NOT what we do. =-
EEEEEK!
It's totally what you say you did, though.
I didn't. My kids were un schooled. Not schooled. Never schooled, at home
or at school.
People can school at home, so staying home doesn't equal "UNschooling"
either. Some poor kids get more school at home than any school has time or energy
to inflict.
Unschooling (the label) does have a purpose.
-=Before we had a label, it all seemed
easier. -=-
But with support and a philosophy, you might have been brave enough to keep
your son home.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
and
sent ds to Kindergarten the first year I would have to account for him.
------------------
THIS is why I have periodic bouts of crazy objection to people whose kids
aren't school-age saying they're unschoolers.
If a child went to school the first day of kindergarten... he was a kid who
was home with his mom until he went to kindergarten.
-=- When I
researched, I heard the term "unschooler" and I read up on it and realized
that it
described our home in almost all aspects.
=-
Except for that seminal aspect of not sending the kids to school.
-=-One thing I never understood is, why call in un"school"ing? It still
contained "school" and that is totally NOT what we do. =-
EEEEEK!
It's totally what you say you did, though.
I didn't. My kids were un schooled. Not schooled. Never schooled, at home
or at school.
People can school at home, so staying home doesn't equal "UNschooling"
either. Some poor kids get more school at home than any school has time or energy
to inflict.
Unschooling (the label) does have a purpose.
-=Before we had a label, it all seemed
easier. -=-
But with support and a philosophy, you might have been brave enough to keep
your son home.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 4/18/2005 12:59:54 PM Eastern Standard Time,
SandraDodd@... writes:
labels, going on living the way we always had.
I didn't have support then or know where to find it. We talked often, he
only went for 3 hours a day, he enjoyed it. From 1130-230, for him it was
playtime, for me it was a nightmare. He still had the same freedoms he always had.
If he didn't want to go, he wouldn't. I was scared about testing and
evaluations and all that other stuff just because he had become of compulsory school
age. So I sent him. He loved it and towards the end when I was hating it, he
wanted to finish, I didn't. He did finish K and didn't want to go back. His
teacher had told him the next year would be all day and he would eat lunch
there and blah blah blah. He had fun in K but didn't like the idea of going
"all day."
Isn't it about choices? If he asked me to attend now, I would let him. I
wouldn't want it but that's not what this is about. I've heard many people say
their kids wanted to attend for the social or whatever. So they are no longer
unschoolers?
What I meant by not getting the term "unschooled" was that it almost sounded
to me like no learning at all. So in the beginning I didn't get it. I
remember telling someone that we were unschoolers and she was like, "oh, you don't
send them to school, you teach them at home ." I said yes to that but added
that unschooling as opposed to homeschooling, is life learning, no curriculum.
I will probably never explain it just right but that was the easiest way to
put it.
I thought unschooling was a lifestyle, a philosophy of natural learning, a
way for children to develop their personal and intellectual needs.
So because mine went to K, are we not unschoolers? Do you have to start from
day one and never, ever go to school? Maybe my label is wrong cuz he went
one year?
Staying home definitely doesn't mean unschooled for everyone, but for us it
did and does, as far as what I understand the term to mean.
So now that I am questioning the term again, what do you call the kids who
come home after years of schooling and then the family aims at UNschooling? Is
there another term for this? They've been to school, so they are schooled.
I don't get it. All I know is we sidetracked to K when I was not sure of
things. What we did before that year was not school at home, he was just a kid
with his Mom, true. But that's all he is now too. What we were before and now
is exactly the same except that I have to account for him because he is of
age. He is unschooled now because we don't do school anywhere. But we didn't
before either.
I get it and I don't. I really need and want to go to that Live and Learn
Conference!!!
Pamela
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
SandraDodd@... writes:
> If a child went to school the first day of kindergarten... he was a kidExactly. And he would have stayed being a kid at home with his Mom, without
> who
> was home with his mom until he went to kindergarten.
>
labels, going on living the way we always had.
I didn't have support then or know where to find it. We talked often, he
only went for 3 hours a day, he enjoyed it. From 1130-230, for him it was
playtime, for me it was a nightmare. He still had the same freedoms he always had.
If he didn't want to go, he wouldn't. I was scared about testing and
evaluations and all that other stuff just because he had become of compulsory school
age. So I sent him. He loved it and towards the end when I was hating it, he
wanted to finish, I didn't. He did finish K and didn't want to go back. His
teacher had told him the next year would be all day and he would eat lunch
there and blah blah blah. He had fun in K but didn't like the idea of going
"all day."
Isn't it about choices? If he asked me to attend now, I would let him. I
wouldn't want it but that's not what this is about. I've heard many people say
their kids wanted to attend for the social or whatever. So they are no longer
unschoolers?
What I meant by not getting the term "unschooled" was that it almost sounded
to me like no learning at all. So in the beginning I didn't get it. I
remember telling someone that we were unschoolers and she was like, "oh, you don't
send them to school, you teach them at home ." I said yes to that but added
that unschooling as opposed to homeschooling, is life learning, no curriculum.
I will probably never explain it just right but that was the easiest way to
put it.
I thought unschooling was a lifestyle, a philosophy of natural learning, a
way for children to develop their personal and intellectual needs.
So because mine went to K, are we not unschoolers? Do you have to start from
day one and never, ever go to school? Maybe my label is wrong cuz he went
one year?
Staying home definitely doesn't mean unschooled for everyone, but for us it
did and does, as far as what I understand the term to mean.
So now that I am questioning the term again, what do you call the kids who
come home after years of schooling and then the family aims at UNschooling? Is
there another term for this? They've been to school, so they are schooled.
I don't get it. All I know is we sidetracked to K when I was not sure of
things. What we did before that year was not school at home, he was just a kid
with his Mom, true. But that's all he is now too. What we were before and now
is exactly the same except that I have to account for him because he is of
age. He is unschooled now because we don't do school anywhere. But we didn't
before either.
I get it and I don't. I really need and want to go to that Live and Learn
Conference!!!
Pamela
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 4/18/05 2:27:49 PM, b229d655@... writes:
<< I've heard many people say
their kids wanted to attend for the social or whatever. So they are no
longer
unschoolers? >>
Holly talks about going to school to see what it's liked. If she does,
she'll be in school, and that's not unschooled. That's in school. If she stays
four or five years to graduate, why would I consider that we were unschooling
except Holly's in school?
-=-So because mine went to K, are we not unschoolers? Do you have to start
from
day one and never, ever go to school? Maybe my label is wrong cuz he went
one year?-=-
Others might count other ways, when there is a reason to quantify (which is
rarely), but I think you became an unschooler when you took him out of school.
Others think different things, no doubt. <g>
Sandra
<< I've heard many people say
their kids wanted to attend for the social or whatever. So they are no
longer
unschoolers? >>
Holly talks about going to school to see what it's liked. If she does,
she'll be in school, and that's not unschooled. That's in school. If she stays
four or five years to graduate, why would I consider that we were unschooling
except Holly's in school?
-=-So because mine went to K, are we not unschoolers? Do you have to start
from
day one and never, ever go to school? Maybe my label is wrong cuz he went
one year?-=-
Others might count other ways, when there is a reason to quantify (which is
rarely), but I think you became an unschooler when you took him out of school.
Others think different things, no doubt. <g>
Sandra