new to the list
Stella
hello- I am new to the unschooling dotcom list. (did sign on for
a short while in the past)
I live in England. (hello Tracy)
We have 3 children. The youngest two are home educated, 7yod and
3½yod.
Neither have been to school. We don't follow any curriculum and
we do pretty much what takes our fancy. We have a few things that
we do on a regular basis- iceskating twice a week, twice monthly
get together with other 'natural nurturers'
7yod attends a rainbows group (this is the precursor to brownies
in England which is in turn pre girl guides)
Our eldest is 19yod and now at university.
looking forward to joining with you.
Stella
a short while in the past)
I live in England. (hello Tracy)
We have 3 children. The youngest two are home educated, 7yod and
3½yod.
Neither have been to school. We don't follow any curriculum and
we do pretty much what takes our fancy. We have a few things that
we do on a regular basis- iceskating twice a week, twice monthly
get together with other 'natural nurturers'
7yod attends a rainbows group (this is the precursor to brownies
in England which is in turn pre girl guides)
Our eldest is 19yod and now at university.
looking forward to joining with you.
Stella
Tracy Oldfield
Hi Stella <g>
Tracy
Tracy
On 4 Jul 2000, at 18:52, Stella wrote:
hello- I am new to the unschooling dotcom list. (did
sign on for
a short while in the past)
I live in England. (hello Tracy)
Pam Hartley
> but I'm really struggling with the ...concept I guessI got up with a nasty backache of some new kind (yes, I'm getting old <g>)
> or the guilt maybe of not doing "anything". Can you tell me what you did
> today?
and ignored it and went and fed the guinea pigs and baby rabbits (I'm
handraising one litter now that Mom doesn't want anything to do with).
Mikey (5) was up next after me and began puttering around doing Mikey
things. There is no point in interrupting her as she does these things, as
she doesn't hesitate to show you, by answering in monosyllables (if at all)
that it IS an interruption.
Wally (47) was up next and on the computer. Mikey eventually finished
whatever it is she was doing (to the outside eye, what she was doing looked
like staring fixedly at a dollhouse we have downstairs. To those of us who
are keen Mikey observers, we're pretty sure she was plotting the fates of
worlds.)
I had finished playing with rabbits and guinea pigs and fixed Mikey some
breakfast. Brit (8) was up by now and playing Spyro on the Playstation.
Mikey asked for breakfast, Brit did not (Brit, like me, eschews food until
she's been up for an hour or three). I asked Mikey what she wanted and she
said, "What do we have?" and I recited everything I could think of and then,
as I felt she was not impressed, added, "Would you like me to fix you some
nice hippopotamus?" which made her laugh and say, "No!" and then,
thoughtfully, "Besides, I don't think we *have* any hippopotamus," in a tone
of voice that tells me we may be making a trip to the Weird Meats store a
few towns away sometime. <g> She settled for frozen waffles.
Then Brit and Wally and Mikey sat down at his computer to look over the
digital camera photos the girls had taken with their camera the night before
(a camera bought two Christmases ago that we all had forgotten existed and
was somehow unearthed somewhere yesterday). The photos were blurry and so
Wally and the girls all went out in the yard and practiced taking more
photos. While this was going on I was doing book orders, and left for our
storage space while they were still outside.
When I got back, they were reviewing the new set on the computer and noting
where they'd got them right and where some were still bad.
And now I'm reading email and maybe doing more work and Wally is researching
bulk upload systems and the girls are downstairs doing I-don't-know-what but
in awhile they'll come to check on us or we'll go to check on them.
The next organized thing I can think of that we're doing is park day next
Tuesday, but we'll be doing a whole lot of things between now and then that
just come up or that we think of as we go through our days.
> Can you tell me your definition of unschooling?It's aiding and abetting your children in living their lives and doing the
things they want to do, they find important, or they are curious about. It's
being on the lookout for things that fit in with their current interests, or
that might become an interest. It's being willing and ready to help them
with your time, money, interest, support and enthusiasm for whatever is on
their agenda for the day, the week, the year, their lives.
Workbooks have nothing to do with anything. Workbooks are to unschooling as
gravity is to hummingbirds.
> Right now my oldest just wants to read his Garfield comic books or watch TVYes -- your child has it completely right and you have it completely wrong.
> or listen to the radio or play on the computer or go sledding. ANYTHING,
> but "school". So I thought, well maybe he's stressed by the workbooks, so we
> cut some out of our day. No change in him. Sometimes I think he's just
> taking this being home thing for granted and needs a dose of what it could
> be like!
>
> Anyone have any tips?
:) He knows what he wants to do -- in unschooling, it's your job to help
him. In an unschooling household you would be on eBay looking for more
Garfield comic books for him, watching TV with him and looking up cool
programs that fit in with what he already watches or is interested in,
making sure the radio occupies a place of importance and honor and that he
has ready access to it, that the computer has a comfortable chair and good
fast internet access, and that if a snowfall was predicted for Tuesday you'd
clear the calendar and grab the mittens and the sleds.
Welcome to unschooling -- if you're brave enough, it's a wonderful world to
live in.
Pam
[email protected]
In a message dated 2/6/03 3:21:03 PM, pamhartley@... writes:
<< Brit did not (Brit, like me, eschews food until
she's been up for an hour or three). >>
I don't think "eschew" should be used with food.
It sounds like a Chico Marx set up.
I can't e-chew my food that long. I keep swallowing it.
<<It's aiding and abetting your children in living their lives and doing the
things they want to do, they find important, or they are curious about. It's
being on the lookout for things that fit in with their current interests, or
that might become an interest. It's being willing and ready to help them
with your time, money, interest, support and enthusiasm for whatever is on
their agenda for the day, the week, the year, their lives.>>
That's beautiful.
<<Workbooks have nothing to do with anything. Workbooks are to unschooling as
gravity is to hummingbirds.>>
That's...
what?
Workbooks have something to do with schoolwork.
Gravity has something to do with hummingbirds.
Sandra
<< Brit did not (Brit, like me, eschews food until
she's been up for an hour or three). >>
I don't think "eschew" should be used with food.
It sounds like a Chico Marx set up.
I can't e-chew my food that long. I keep swallowing it.
<<It's aiding and abetting your children in living their lives and doing the
things they want to do, they find important, or they are curious about. It's
being on the lookout for things that fit in with their current interests, or
that might become an interest. It's being willing and ready to help them
with your time, money, interest, support and enthusiasm for whatever is on
their agenda for the day, the week, the year, their lives.>>
That's beautiful.
<<Workbooks have nothing to do with anything. Workbooks are to unschooling as
gravity is to hummingbirds.>>
That's...
what?
Workbooks have something to do with schoolwork.
Gravity has something to do with hummingbirds.
Sandra
Kelly
Well...my 11 year old read a book on dinosaurs and read more of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", which she picked up on her own at the library. She describes it as 'different, but very interesting'. She also made lunch and dinner. She spent an hour on the computer with "Jumpstart Typing". She spent time playing with her youngest brother and sister, and played the piano, as well as her guitar. She also practiced her Tae Kwon Do (she takes lessons in piano, guitar, and martial arts).
My 8 year old played alot of Nintendo. He's thrilled at having reached the final level in some game that he's been working on for awhile. He also read a few "Magic School Bus" science books.
My 3 year old practiced writing his name (his latest skill) and played with his train set, and played for a good hour with some math pattern blocks.
My 1 year old played and nursed alot. :)
That's a fairly typical day in our house!
Kelly
My 8 year old played alot of Nintendo. He's thrilled at having reached the final level in some game that he's been working on for awhile. He also read a few "Magic School Bus" science books.
My 3 year old practiced writing his name (his latest skill) and played with his train set, and played for a good hour with some math pattern blocks.
My 1 year old played and nursed alot. :)
That's a fairly typical day in our house!
Kelly
----- Original Message -----
From: Pam Hartley
To: [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2003 5:18 PM
Subject: [Unschooling-dotcom] Re: new to the list
> but I'm really struggling with the ...concept I guess
> or the guilt maybe of not doing "anything". Can you tell me what you did
> today?
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
ed hodgins
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kelly" <apmomto4@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2003 6:37 PM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] Re: new to the list
> Well...my 11 year old read a book on dinosaurs and read more of
Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", which she picked up on her own at the
library. She describes it as 'different, but very interesting'. She also
made lunch and dinner. She spent an hour on the computer with "Jumpstart
Typing". She spent time playing with her youngest brother and sister, and
played the piano, as well as her guitar. She also practiced her Tae Kwon Do
(she takes lessons in piano, guitar, and martial arts).
>
> My 8 year old played alot of Nintendo. He's thrilled at having reached
the final level in some game that he's been working on for awhile. He also
read a few "Magic School Bus" science books.
>
> My 3 year old practiced writing his name (his latest skill) and played
with his train set, and played for a good hour with some math pattern
blocks.
>
> My 1 year old played and nursed alot. :)
>
> That's a fairly typical day in our house!
>
> Kelly
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Pam Hartley
> To: [email protected]
> Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2003 5:18 PM
> Subject: [Unschooling-dotcom] Re: new to the list
>
>
> > but I'm really struggling with the ...concept I guess
> > or the guilt maybe of not doing "anything". Can you tell me what you
did
> > today?
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
> ~~~~ Don't forget! If you change topics, change the subject line! ~~~~
>
> If you have questions, concerns or problems with this list, please email
the moderator, Joyce Fetteroll (fetteroll@...), or the list owner,
Helen Hegener (HEM-Editor@...).
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, click on the following link or address an
email to:
> [email protected]
>
> Visit the Unschooling website: http://www.unschooling.com
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
We had a relaxed morning I did alot of laundrey and cleaning while my friend
watch my children dauughter 2 1/2 yrs and 20 mths. They played and watched
some Dragon Tales. We all had lunch. Then I took my son for a walk while
daddy and daughter played. The did puzzles looked at books. I read a few
stories and time for a bath. Sang a fews songs. Watched some wiggles and
played ball.
Pam Hartley
> << Brit did not (Brit, like me, eschews food untilLOL -- I sort of used it as a near-pun, but couldn't think of anything funny
> she's been up for an hour or three). >>
>
> I don't think "eschew" should be used with food.
> It sounds like a Chico Marx set up.
>
> I can't e-chew my food that long. I keep swallowing it.
to say once it was written.
> <<Workbooks have nothing to do with anything. Workbooks are to unschooling asDon't tell the hummingbirds. :) They don't believe it. But yeah, I know.
> gravity is to hummingbirds.>>
>
> That's...
> what?
>
> Workbooks have something to do with schoolwork.
> Gravity has something to do with hummingbirds.
Pam
P.S. Since this morning's report we've all played with the newest guinea pig
litter (one day old guinea pigs are nearly the cutest things possible in
nature, beat only by 3 week old rabbits) and the girls spent quite awhile
outside on their bikes on the back patio, my back feels a lot better, the
girls and I played a Little Bear card game and a Bazaar game very kindly
given to us by Sandra in August (it is easily one of our favorite games,
which Michael-Anne nearly always manages to win in spite of her magpie
tendency to hoard jewels <g>) and Mikey and Wally were clamoring for pizza
so I walked next door to the store (much as I hate living next door to a
store, there are significant advantages!) and bought some which is now
cooking. Mikey is looking through scrapbooks of baby photos of herself and
Brit is back where she started, playing Spyro on the Playstation. A very
typical day for us.
the_clevengers <[email protected]>
--- In [email protected], Pam Hartley
<pamhartley@m...> wrote:
workbooks drag one down or you have to fight against them to keep
flying?
We have a place for workbooks in our unschooling. My son saw some at
the drugstore and fell in love with them. So I buy them for him when
he wants them (usually math, sometimes handwriting or other things).
Sometimes he works through them, sometimes he ignores them for months
on end. He must find them useful or he wouldn't ask me to get them
for him. He's never been to any kind of school, nor has anyone ever
asked him to sit down and do a workbook, he just chose them.
I'd bet even hummingbirds find gravity useful at times (like when
they want to land) :-)
Blue Skies,
-Robin-
<pamhartley@m...> wrote:
> Workbooks have nothing to do with anything. Workbooks are tounschooling as
> gravity is to hummingbirds.I'm finding this an interesting quote. Do you mean in the sense that
workbooks drag one down or you have to fight against them to keep
flying?
We have a place for workbooks in our unschooling. My son saw some at
the drugstore and fell in love with them. So I buy them for him when
he wants them (usually math, sometimes handwriting or other things).
Sometimes he works through them, sometimes he ignores them for months
on end. He must find them useful or he wouldn't ask me to get them
for him. He's never been to any kind of school, nor has anyone ever
asked him to sit down and do a workbook, he just chose them.
I'd bet even hummingbirds find gravity useful at times (like when
they want to land) :-)
Blue Skies,
-Robin-
[email protected]
In a message dated 2/7/03 12:30:14 AM Central Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:
<< m finding this an interesting quote. Do you mean in the sense that
workbooks drag one down or you have to fight against them to keep
flying?
matter to hummingbirds one iota.....they ignore it.
Ren
"The sun is shining--the sun is shining. That is the magic. The flowers are
growing--the roots are stirring. That is the magic. Being alive is the
magic--being strong is the magic The magic is in me--the magic is in
me....It's in every one of us."
----Frances Hodgson Burnett
[email protected] writes:
<< m finding this an interesting quote. Do you mean in the sense that
workbooks drag one down or you have to fight against them to keep
flying?
>>I think she meant that one had nothing to do with the other. Gravity does not
matter to hummingbirds one iota.....they ignore it.
Ren
"The sun is shining--the sun is shining. That is the magic. The flowers are
growing--the roots are stirring. That is the magic. Being alive is the
magic--being strong is the magic The magic is in me--the magic is in
me....It's in every one of us."
----Frances Hodgson Burnett
[email protected]
"
"Dh and I watched the Michael Jackson special"
We did too.
I found it interesting when he said he didn't want to die...I think he's in
denial.
And all the children sleeping over...
Seems like his hurt from all the abuse he suffered is coming out as a concern
for children, but he can't see that he needs to put his energy into helping
families be healed, NOT having children come sleep with him!!
He seems tender and very confused.
Ren
"The sun is shining--the sun is shining. That is the magic. The flowers are
growing--the roots are stirring. That is the magic. Being alive is the
magic--being strong is the magic The magic is in me--the magic is in
me....It's in every one of us."
----Frances Hodgson Burnett
"Dh and I watched the Michael Jackson special"
We did too.
I found it interesting when he said he didn't want to die...I think he's in
denial.
And all the children sleeping over...
Seems like his hurt from all the abuse he suffered is coming out as a concern
for children, but he can't see that he needs to put his energy into helping
families be healed, NOT having children come sleep with him!!
He seems tender and very confused.
Ren
"The sun is shining--the sun is shining. That is the magic. The flowers are
growing--the roots are stirring. That is the magic. Being alive is the
magic--being strong is the magic The magic is in me--the magic is in
me....It's in every one of us."
----Frances Hodgson Burnett
the_clevengers <[email protected]>
--- In [email protected], starsuncloud@c... wrote:
evolved a specific way to overcome gravity, and the expenditure of
energy to overcome it rules how much they need to eat and drink, how
high and how far they can fly, how they land, and almost every facet
of their lives. The entire evolution of birds with their hollow bones
and feathers is governed by gravity.
Blue Skies,
-Robin-
> I think she meant that one had nothing to do with the other.Gravity does not
> matter to hummingbirds one iota.....they ignore it.I have to disagree. Gravity rules their entire existance. They have
evolved a specific way to overcome gravity, and the expenditure of
energy to overcome it rules how much they need to eat and drink, how
high and how far they can fly, how they land, and almost every facet
of their lives. The entire evolution of birds with their hollow bones
and feathers is governed by gravity.
Blue Skies,
-Robin-
[email protected]
In a message dated 2/7/2003 12:14:56 PM Eastern Standard Time,
diamondair@... writes:
~Kelly
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
diamondair@... writes:
> I have to disagree. Gravity rules their entire existance. They haveSo they just make it LOOK that way! <BG>
> evolved a specific way to overcome gravity, and the expenditure of
> energy to overcome it rules how much they need to eat and drink, how
> high and how far they can fly, how they land, and almost every facet
> of their lives. The entire evolution of birds with their hollow bones
> and feathers is governed by gravity.
>
~Kelly
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Pam Hartley
----------
Did I mention my brain was foggy yesterday? ;)
Pam
>From: [email protected]Yes, that was it. <g> I put it badly, but that was it.
>To: [email protected]
>Subject: [Unschooling-dotcom] Digest Number 3009
>Date: Fri, Feb 7, 2003, 9:21 AM
>
> << m finding this an interesting quote. Do you mean in the sense that
> workbooks drag one down or you have to fight against them to keep
> flying?
> >>
>
> I think she meant that one had nothing to do with the other. Gravity does not
> matter to hummingbirds one iota.....they ignore it.
Did I mention my brain was foggy yesterday? ;)
Pam
[email protected]
In a message dated 2/7/03 11:23:11 AM Central Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:
<<
I have to disagree. Gravity rules their entire existance. They have
evolved a specific way to overcome gravity, and the expenditure of
energy to overcome it rules how much they need to eat and drink, how
high and how far they can fly, how they land, and almost every facet
of their lives. The entire evolution of birds with their hollow bones
and feathers is governed by gravity. >>
As it governs us all.
Maybe it was a not-so-great analogy. But the hummingbird is seemingly
unaffected by gravity, although we all KNOW it affects everything on the
planet.
Ren
"The sun is shining--the sun is shining. That is the magic. The flowers are
growing--the roots are stirring. That is the magic. Being alive is the
magic--being strong is the magic The magic is in me--the magic is in
me....It's in every one of us."
----Frances Hodgson Burnett
[email protected] writes:
<<
I have to disagree. Gravity rules their entire existance. They have
evolved a specific way to overcome gravity, and the expenditure of
energy to overcome it rules how much they need to eat and drink, how
high and how far they can fly, how they land, and almost every facet
of their lives. The entire evolution of birds with their hollow bones
and feathers is governed by gravity. >>
As it governs us all.
Maybe it was a not-so-great analogy. But the hummingbird is seemingly
unaffected by gravity, although we all KNOW it affects everything on the
planet.
Ren
"The sun is shining--the sun is shining. That is the magic. The flowers are
growing--the roots are stirring. That is the magic. Being alive is the
magic--being strong is the magic The magic is in me--the magic is in
me....It's in every one of us."
----Frances Hodgson Burnett
Alan & Brenda Leonard
> I'm a new member to the list and to "unschooling"Hi, Monica, welcome to the list.
> (we'll wrap-up traditional classroom method in June,
> take a break, and start living with unschooling for
> life [or until God directs us differently] this fall.)
I hate to start by being negative, but you can't do that thing you said
above. There's no difference between taking a break and starting
unschooling. By all means call it quits on the traditional classroom method
(the sooner the better!), but once you quit, you've quit.
Unschooling doesn't have a beginning date in the fall like a curriculum
does. It's what you do all day long when you quit trying to teach your kids
things. Once you stop the curriculum, you'll probably see you kids
deschooling (deprogramming?) and eventually, you'll see learning happening
because your kids love learning agin. Because nobody -- the school, you, a
teacher -- is telling them what to learn and what to care about when.
Have you done some serious reading at unschooling.com? There are lots of
great folks there who can explain this a whole heckuva lot more elequently
than I have! I just wanted you to realize that you'll start right away!
That's exciting!
brenda
HiTekMom
Brenda, Thank you for the "wake-up". As you can tell, I too need to get through a "deschooling" process. I've homeschooled for two years, while I loved it my son wasn't very enthusiastic with the process. So, I have 16yrs of deschooling to get over and I'm afraid that won't happen overnight. But, I devouring scores of unschooling methods, diffinitions, and examples.
Don't yell at me, but probably our first year will be 20% teaching (from Math, Bible readers, and English text) and 80% unschooling. I need this re-training time for myself, mentally. What I'm reading, thus far, about unschooling is so the way to go. While taking this over with my son, he's pump and excited. I've asked him to ask God to reveal to him his talents and interest and write them down as He does. So far, he has written 7 very different interest. At the same time, I've asked God to open my eyes to my son's talents and lead us as we move towards making our home a daily "learning" home.
And dh, well he's totally flipping out on this unschooling. He was already not sure of homeschooling though we agreed that public school was not an option. He'll come around. We're take him to the conference and hopefully he'll find favorable information. Thank you for your comments. I do understand exactly what you are saying (even w/o eloquent words). HiTekMomChristian (10yrs) Chloe (15mos)
Alan & Brenda Leonard <abtleo@...> wrote:> I'm a new member to the list and to "unschooling"
I hate to start by being negative, but you can't do that thing you said
above. There's no difference between taking a break and starting
unschooling. By all means call it quits on the traditional classroom method
(the sooner the better!), but once you quit, you've quit.
Unschooling doesn't have a beginning date in the fall like a curriculum
does. It's what you do all day long when you quit trying to teach your kids
things. Once you stop the curriculum, you'll probably see you kids
deschooling (deprogramming?) and eventually, you'll see learning happening
because your kids love learning agin. Because nobody -- the school, you, a
teacher -- is telling them what to learn and what to care about when.
Have you done some serious reading at unschooling.com? There are lots of
great folks there who can explain this a whole heckuva lot more elequently
than I have! I just wanted you to realize that you'll start right away!
That's exciting!
brenda
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Don't yell at me, but probably our first year will be 20% teaching (from Math, Bible readers, and English text) and 80% unschooling. I need this re-training time for myself, mentally. What I'm reading, thus far, about unschooling is so the way to go. While taking this over with my son, he's pump and excited. I've asked him to ask God to reveal to him his talents and interest and write them down as He does. So far, he has written 7 very different interest. At the same time, I've asked God to open my eyes to my son's talents and lead us as we move towards making our home a daily "learning" home.
And dh, well he's totally flipping out on this unschooling. He was already not sure of homeschooling though we agreed that public school was not an option. He'll come around. We're take him to the conference and hopefully he'll find favorable information. Thank you for your comments. I do understand exactly what you are saying (even w/o eloquent words). HiTekMomChristian (10yrs) Chloe (15mos)
Alan & Brenda Leonard <abtleo@...> wrote:> I'm a new member to the list and to "unschooling"
> (we'll wrap-up traditional classroom method in June,Hi, Monica, welcome to the list.
> take a break, and start living with unschooling for
> life [or until God directs us differently] this fall.)
I hate to start by being negative, but you can't do that thing you said
above. There's no difference between taking a break and starting
unschooling. By all means call it quits on the traditional classroom method
(the sooner the better!), but once you quit, you've quit.
Unschooling doesn't have a beginning date in the fall like a curriculum
does. It's what you do all day long when you quit trying to teach your kids
things. Once you stop the curriculum, you'll probably see you kids
deschooling (deprogramming?) and eventually, you'll see learning happening
because your kids love learning agin. Because nobody -- the school, you, a
teacher -- is telling them what to learn and what to care about when.
Have you done some serious reading at unschooling.com? There are lots of
great folks there who can explain this a whole heckuva lot more elequently
than I have! I just wanted you to realize that you'll start right away!
That's exciting!
brenda
Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
~~~~ Don't forget! If you change topics, change the subject line! ~~~~
If you have questions, concerns or problems with this list, please email the moderator, Joyce Fetteroll (fetteroll@...), or the list owner, Helen Hegener (HEM-Editor@...).
To unsubscribe from this group, click on the following link or address an email to:
[email protected]
Visit the Unschooling website: http://www.unschooling.com
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Alan & Brenda Leonard
5/11/03 17:18:
Unschooling is, well, unschooling. If you're using a curriculum for math,
Bible and English, you're using an eclectic form of homeschooling. That's
your choice, but you can't unschool without letting go. Really, truly,
letting go.
Unschooling at its core is trusting your child's natural desire to learn.
Given the chance, children will not sit on the sofa and drool! (As Sandra
cleverly pointed out at one point!) They may veg in front of the TV a lot
for awhile, but that's deschooling stuff, and lots of folks here can tell
you how much their kids learn from TV anyway!
If you tell your child that you trust him, but you don't trust him to learn
math, and despite your obvious faith you don't trust him to learn or care
about that, either, then what have you given him? Half trust? What does
that tell him about you?
You might try giving him the freedom to start deschooling this summer with
the plan of unschooling in the fall. Don't tell him you have any doubts.
Trust him. Let him watch what he wants on TV, play on the computer as long
as he likes, read anything he wants, etc. Act like this is truly going to
be his life forever. Then come to the conference in August and think hard
about whether you really actually need to add math. Whether your son won't
be exposed to Bible reading because you read the Bible together and go to
church.
If you need structure, pick a morning for grocery shopping, one for a
library visit, and a once-a-week support group. Plan to visit us here
between 7 and 8 a.m. every day. <g> Or, I loved the ideas recently of
alphabetizing your spice cabinet and cleaning your garage. But try just
letting your son live.
brenda
> Don't yell at me, but probably our first year will be 20% teaching (from Math,I don't yell on-line. <g> But, you can't really do that, either.
> Bible readers, and English text) and 80% unschooling.
Unschooling is, well, unschooling. If you're using a curriculum for math,
Bible and English, you're using an eclectic form of homeschooling. That's
your choice, but you can't unschool without letting go. Really, truly,
letting go.
Unschooling at its core is trusting your child's natural desire to learn.
Given the chance, children will not sit on the sofa and drool! (As Sandra
cleverly pointed out at one point!) They may veg in front of the TV a lot
for awhile, but that's deschooling stuff, and lots of folks here can tell
you how much their kids learn from TV anyway!
If you tell your child that you trust him, but you don't trust him to learn
math, and despite your obvious faith you don't trust him to learn or care
about that, either, then what have you given him? Half trust? What does
that tell him about you?
You might try giving him the freedom to start deschooling this summer with
the plan of unschooling in the fall. Don't tell him you have any doubts.
Trust him. Let him watch what he wants on TV, play on the computer as long
as he likes, read anything he wants, etc. Act like this is truly going to
be his life forever. Then come to the conference in August and think hard
about whether you really actually need to add math. Whether your son won't
be exposed to Bible reading because you read the Bible together and go to
church.
If you need structure, pick a morning for grocery shopping, one for a
library visit, and a once-a-week support group. Plan to visit us here
between 7 and 8 a.m. every day. <g> Or, I loved the ideas recently of
alphabetizing your spice cabinet and cleaning your garage. But try just
letting your son live.
brenda
Geraldine Weis-Corbley
Is there a web page on the conference you all are talking about?
What is the title, location and date?
Thanks in Advance.
* If you are reading, Heidi, I told my 7th grader I want to "give him
a year off" to 'study what he wanted how he wanted' -- and he is so
very interested. He sees it as a gift. An enthusiasm has come over
him.
Geri
--
***********************************************
Geraldine Weis-Corbley, Publisher
The Good News Network http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org
(703) 392-4118 mailto:gw@...
Secretary of State, Colin Powell writes, "Thank you for
writing your newsletter, Some Good News. I enjoyed reading the
positive stories... I am heartened by the goodness and generosity
that I see in people... Keep up your good work."
What is the title, location and date?
Thanks in Advance.
* If you are reading, Heidi, I told my 7th grader I want to "give him
a year off" to 'study what he wanted how he wanted' -- and he is so
very interested. He sees it as a gift. An enthusiasm has come over
him.
Geri
--
***********************************************
Geraldine Weis-Corbley, Publisher
The Good News Network http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org
(703) 392-4118 mailto:gw@...
Secretary of State, Colin Powell writes, "Thank you for
writing your newsletter, Some Good News. I enjoyed reading the
positive stories... I am heartened by the goodness and generosity
that I see in people... Keep up your good work."
HiTekMom
<Is there a web page on the conference you all are <talking about?
<What is the title, location and date?>
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I found information on the conference http://www.schoolsoutsupport.org/events.html
Hope that helps,
Monica
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<What is the title, location and date?>
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I found information on the conference http://www.schoolsoutsupport.org/events.html
Hope that helps,
Monica
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Heidi
Monica, what a great idea! Having the kids write down/record their
interests and what they think their talents are! I LOVE
it...definitely going to put that idea in front of my kids, see if
they want to do it. Even a discussion about it over...pattern blocks!
or something, could prove to be valuable.
thanks and if I didn't already: Welcome to the list.
HeidiC
--- In [email protected], HiTekMom <hitekmom@y...>
wrote:
while I loved it my son wasn't very enthusiastic with the process.
So, I have 16yrs of deschooling to get over and I'm afraid that won't
happen overnight. But, I devouring scores of unschooling methods,
diffinitions, and examples.
need this re-training time for myself, mentally. What I'm reading,
thus far, about unschooling is so the way to go. While taking this
over with my son, he's pump and excited. I've asked him to ask God to
reveal to him his talents and interest and write them down as He
does. So far, he has written 7 very different interest. At the same
time, I've asked God to open my eyes to my son's talents and lead us
as we move towards making our home a daily "learning" home.
was not an option. He'll come around. We're take him to the
conference and hopefully he'll find favorable information. Thank you
for your comments. I do understand exactly what you are saying (even
w/o eloquent words). HiTekMomChristian (10yrs) Chloe (15mos)
interests and what they think their talents are! I LOVE
it...definitely going to put that idea in front of my kids, see if
they want to do it. Even a discussion about it over...pattern blocks!
or something, could prove to be valuable.
thanks and if I didn't already: Welcome to the list.
HeidiC
--- In [email protected], HiTekMom <hitekmom@y...>
wrote:
> Brenda, Thank you for the "wake-up". As you can tell, I too need toget through a "deschooling" process. I've homeschooled for two years,
while I loved it my son wasn't very enthusiastic with the process.
So, I have 16yrs of deschooling to get over and I'm afraid that won't
happen overnight. But, I devouring scores of unschooling methods,
diffinitions, and examples.
> Don't yell at me, but probably our first year will be 20% teaching(from Math, Bible readers, and English text) and 80% unschooling. I
need this re-training time for myself, mentally. What I'm reading,
thus far, about unschooling is so the way to go. While taking this
over with my son, he's pump and excited. I've asked him to ask God to
reveal to him his talents and interest and write them down as He
does. So far, he has written 7 very different interest. At the same
time, I've asked God to open my eyes to my son's talents and lead us
as we move towards making our home a daily "learning" home.
>already not sure of homeschooling though we agreed that public school
> And dh, well he's totally flipping out on this unschooling. He was
was not an option. He'll come around. We're take him to the
conference and hopefully he'll find favorable information. Thank you
for your comments. I do understand exactly what you are saying (even
w/o eloquent words). HiTekMomChristian (10yrs) Chloe (15mos)
>list and to "unschooling"
> Alan & Brenda Leonard <abtleo@e...> wrote:> I'm a new member to the
> > (we'll wrap-up traditional classroom method in June,
> > take a break, and start living with unschooling for
> > life [or until God directs us differently] this fall.)
>
[email protected]
In a message dated 5/11/03 7:08:33 AM, hitekmom@... writes:
<< Don't yell at me, but probably our first year will be 20% teaching (from
Math, Bible readers, and English text) and 80% unschooling. I need this
re-training time for myself, mentally. >>
No you don't.
If you're going to tell your children (by your actions) that you don't trust
them to learn math and English from their environment but you DO expect
science and history to come for fun "when they're through with their work"
(math, English and Bible), you're not going to be unschooling and it's not
going to work.
What you'll really be saying is that English and math are more important than
the other things AND that you don't think they're capable of natural learning.
Sandra
<< Don't yell at me, but probably our first year will be 20% teaching (from
Math, Bible readers, and English text) and 80% unschooling. I need this
re-training time for myself, mentally. >>
No you don't.
If you're going to tell your children (by your actions) that you don't trust
them to learn math and English from their environment but you DO expect
science and history to come for fun "when they're through with their work"
(math, English and Bible), you're not going to be unschooling and it's not
going to work.
What you'll really be saying is that English and math are more important than
the other things AND that you don't think they're capable of natural learning.
Sandra
HiTekMom
SandraDodd@... wrote:
No you don't.
If you're going to tell your children (by your actions) that you don't trust
them to learn math and English from their environment
oohh!! oohh!! I definitely understand what you are saying. I don't see it as, and I suspect they won't see it as "not trusting" them either. They (the children) trust us as parents to guide and teach them as much as we can. Sure I will make, well, I have made mistakes along the way -- and will probably make many more.
I see what you are saying regarding using textbooks to teach English/Math -- using the Bible with software and books are definitely a must. I need to see that reading as much as our son does equips him to write and speak English without any difficulties. As far as Math, he loves math, but not the textbooks -- I shall reconsider math another way (thank you). Actually, almost everything we do involves math.
- Monica
---------------------------------
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The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
No you don't.
If you're going to tell your children (by your actions) that you don't trust
them to learn math and English from their environment
oohh!! oohh!! I definitely understand what you are saying. I don't see it as, and I suspect they won't see it as "not trusting" them either. They (the children) trust us as parents to guide and teach them as much as we can. Sure I will make, well, I have made mistakes along the way -- and will probably make many more.
I see what you are saying regarding using textbooks to teach English/Math -- using the Bible with software and books are definitely a must. I need to see that reading as much as our son does equips him to write and speak English without any difficulties. As far as Math, he loves math, but not the textbooks -- I shall reconsider math another way (thank you). Actually, almost everything we do involves math.
- Monica
---------------------------------
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The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]