unschoolers reading
ann_mv05
I just wanted to thank everyone who posted their stories about
unschoolers who learned to read well later. I am an unschooler but
still enjoyed all the wisdom and encouragement. My son didn't read at
all until he was 9, and he is now 11. I know that by 'school
standards' they would say he is still 'below grade level' whatever that
means.... I just wanted to say that sometimes I worry, will he ever
read well enough to ________(various stupid things he may never care
about anyway)..... All the posts have calmed my worry. I'm glad he
never knew I was worried. It just feels good to be trusting him again.
There is a quote from Maya Anjelo (I think) that I really like that
might inspire those moving toward unschooling. "I always did the best
I knew to do, but when I knew better, I did better."
Ann
unschoolers who learned to read well later. I am an unschooler but
still enjoyed all the wisdom and encouragement. My son didn't read at
all until he was 9, and he is now 11. I know that by 'school
standards' they would say he is still 'below grade level' whatever that
means.... I just wanted to say that sometimes I worry, will he ever
read well enough to ________(various stupid things he may never care
about anyway)..... All the posts have calmed my worry. I'm glad he
never knew I was worried. It just feels good to be trusting him again.
There is a quote from Maya Anjelo (I think) that I really like that
might inspire those moving toward unschooling. "I always did the best
I knew to do, but when I knew better, I did better."
Ann
[email protected]
-----Original Message-----
From: ann_mv05 ann_mv05@...
"I always did the best I knew to do, but when I knew better, I did better."
-=-=-=-=-
I use that quote often with my older son because I knew no better at one time. His younger brother is getting those benefits because I figured it out: I know better now, so I DO better.
But unfortunately, some people can hear/read the truth and be in a position to do better, yet fail miserably and keep trying to make their kids read. They do NO better. Nor do they really want to.
~Kelly, who apologizes to the list for getting so frustrated---but I saw no way this mother was going to change the way she was dealing with her son. I'm ALL FOR helping newbies get to unschooling---I'm Billy Graham, remember?---but I refuse to put out that much effort to help someone keep on keeping on with Rod and Staff or Abeka or Bob Jones. I know the discussion probably helped others, but this woman was not going to embrace unschooling just to get her kid to read. Waste of time.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
From: ann_mv05 ann_mv05@...
"I always did the best I knew to do, but when I knew better, I did better."
-=-=-=-=-
I use that quote often with my older son because I knew no better at one time. His younger brother is getting those benefits because I figured it out: I know better now, so I DO better.
But unfortunately, some people can hear/read the truth and be in a position to do better, yet fail miserably and keep trying to make their kids read. They do NO better. Nor do they really want to.
~Kelly, who apologizes to the list for getting so frustrated---but I saw no way this mother was going to change the way she was dealing with her son. I'm ALL FOR helping newbies get to unschooling---I'm Billy Graham, remember?---but I refuse to put out that much effort to help someone keep on keeping on with Rod and Staff or Abeka or Bob Jones. I know the discussion probably helped others, but this woman was not going to embrace unschooling just to get her kid to read. Waste of time.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 11/9/05 9:25:09 AM, kbcdlovejo@... writes:
Once Pat Farenga was speaking at a state homeschooling convention in the SE
U.S. (honestly, I forget which state, but maybe North Carolina? Could be
wrong...) and was speaking to a HUGE room, like 2000 people he said. When he
said that children needed to be able to say no, needed to be able to make
choices about their learning, half of those 2000 people stood up and walked out.
He told me that story at the Sacramento airport and I wish I had gotten better
details; sorry.
-=-I'm ALL FOR helping newbies get to unschooling---I'm Billy Graham,
remember?----=-
Having grown up Baptist, I'm very familiar with The Reverend Billy Graham,
and for those who are not, let me assure you he does NOT say "Take your time
coming to Jesus--no hurry." He doesn't say "I respect that your beliefs are
different from mine, and that's valid." <g> He says "You can accept Jesus
right now, or you can burn in hellfire forever. It's your choice." I don't
think Kelly means she's Billy Graham in THAT way... <g>
-=-I know the discussion probably helped others, but this woman was not going
to embrace unschooling just to get her kid to read. Waste of time.-=-
If it helped others, it wasn't a waste of time.
And it's not a waste of time for Susan either, because the ideas won't leave
her head. For good or for ill, she will be choosing what might once have
seemed a "no choice" situation.
If kids should be able to say no, homeschooling moms can too.
Unfortunately, that's unlikely to trickle down to the nay-saying mom's
children. :-/
People can take a LITTLE time to get to unschooling, but children are older
every moment of every day, and someday it's too late.
Sandra
Giving a child choices was not considered "Better" by them. It was so
abhorrent a thought that they wouldn't even stay in the room with someone who
advocated it.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> -=-But unfortunately, some people can hear/read the truth and be in aWith the addition of religion, though, our "better" might be their "NO WAY."
> position to do better, yet fail miserably and keep trying to make their kids read.
> They do NO better. Nor do they really want to.-=-
>
Once Pat Farenga was speaking at a state homeschooling convention in the SE
U.S. (honestly, I forget which state, but maybe North Carolina? Could be
wrong...) and was speaking to a HUGE room, like 2000 people he said. When he
said that children needed to be able to say no, needed to be able to make
choices about their learning, half of those 2000 people stood up and walked out.
He told me that story at the Sacramento airport and I wish I had gotten better
details; sorry.
-=-I'm ALL FOR helping newbies get to unschooling---I'm Billy Graham,
remember?----=-
Having grown up Baptist, I'm very familiar with The Reverend Billy Graham,
and for those who are not, let me assure you he does NOT say "Take your time
coming to Jesus--no hurry." He doesn't say "I respect that your beliefs are
different from mine, and that's valid." <g> He says "You can accept Jesus
right now, or you can burn in hellfire forever. It's your choice." I don't
think Kelly means she's Billy Graham in THAT way... <g>
-=-I know the discussion probably helped others, but this woman was not going
to embrace unschooling just to get her kid to read. Waste of time.-=-
If it helped others, it wasn't a waste of time.
And it's not a waste of time for Susan either, because the ideas won't leave
her head. For good or for ill, she will be choosing what might once have
seemed a "no choice" situation.
If kids should be able to say no, homeschooling moms can too.
Unfortunately, that's unlikely to trickle down to the nay-saying mom's
children. :-/
People can take a LITTLE time to get to unschooling, but children are older
every moment of every day, and someday it's too late.
Sandra
Giving a child choices was not considered "Better" by them. It was so
abhorrent a thought that they wouldn't even stay in the room with someone who
advocated it.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Betsy Hill
** Once Pat Farenga was speaking at a state homeschooling convention in
the SE
U.S. (honestly, I forget which state, but maybe North Carolina?
Could be
wrong...) and was speaking to a HUGE room, like 2000 people he said.
When he
said that children needed to be able to say no, needed to be able to make
choices about their learning, half of those 2000 people stood up and
walked out.
He told me that story at the Sacramento airport and I wish I had gotten
better
details; sorry.**
I'm thinking he's lucky it was a face to face experience. In cyberspace
he'd likely have been heckled, which would have interrupted and slowed
his planned speech, and that would have been a disservice to the other
half of the audience.
Betsy
the SE
U.S. (honestly, I forget which state, but maybe North Carolina?
Could be
wrong...) and was speaking to a HUGE room, like 2000 people he said.
When he
said that children needed to be able to say no, needed to be able to make
choices about their learning, half of those 2000 people stood up and
walked out.
He told me that story at the Sacramento airport and I wish I had gotten
better
details; sorry.**
I'm thinking he's lucky it was a face to face experience. In cyberspace
he'd likely have been heckled, which would have interrupted and slowed
his planned speech, and that would have been a disservice to the other
half of the audience.
Betsy