Age limits?
Sue
Hello!
I am relatively new home schooling (since February 2005, and have 2
boys 15 and 13. I believe in the unschooling way of learning, rather
then "school at home", my question is: Is it to late for my children
to benefit from an unschooling method of learning? Thank you for your
help and advice. Sue
I am relatively new home schooling (since February 2005, and have 2
boys 15 and 13. I believe in the unschooling way of learning, rather
then "school at home", my question is: Is it to late for my children
to benefit from an unschooling method of learning? Thank you for your
help and advice. Sue
Angela
It's never too late. Just as it benefits you to be able to follow your own
interests, it benefits your boys too.
Angela
game-enthusiast@...
interests, it benefits your boys too.
Angela
game-enthusiast@...
Sandra Dodd
On Dec 16, 2005, at 10:13 AM, Sue wrote:
For a fifteen year old boy, it depends partly how invested he was in
school, and how much he believes it's "the only way." If he liked
school and is an academic type, maybe see if you can get him in a few
community college classes (not necessarily academic ones, and not
necessarily for credit) so that he doesn't feel lost. By the time
he's recovered from school, he would have been old enough to graduate
(or drop out).
"Benefit" is an absolute thing. You could have a better next hour of
your life if you relaxed and found happy things to do together. That
would be a benefit.
Is it too late for him to have all the benefits of someone who was
unschooled always? Yes.
Is it too late for him to have the benefits of a peaceful year or two
at home without school pressures? No, it's not too late.
If either of them reads lots, maybe get magazine subscriptions to
things they're interested in, or bring more books in. If they're not
readers, don't push books.
If any of you like movies, that can be a way to schedule and focus
without being schooly.
http://sandradodd.com/checklists (ideas there)
For the thirteen year old it will be easier. Give him a big
vacation, until next August (say, at first). Probably by then you'll
just be so much in the stream of unschooling that there will be no
difference between August and September, because that's the eight
months he'll need to deschool himself. ( http://sandradodd.com/
deschooling )
But...
Every time you-the-mom chicken out and make assignments or push
schooliness, you'll be back at square one.
http://sandradodd.com/game/snakesandladders (for more thoughts about
sliding back the wrong direction)
Sandra
> Is it to late for my children-------------------------------------
> to benefit from an unschooling method of learning?
For a fifteen year old boy, it depends partly how invested he was in
school, and how much he believes it's "the only way." If he liked
school and is an academic type, maybe see if you can get him in a few
community college classes (not necessarily academic ones, and not
necessarily for credit) so that he doesn't feel lost. By the time
he's recovered from school, he would have been old enough to graduate
(or drop out).
"Benefit" is an absolute thing. You could have a better next hour of
your life if you relaxed and found happy things to do together. That
would be a benefit.
Is it too late for him to have all the benefits of someone who was
unschooled always? Yes.
Is it too late for him to have the benefits of a peaceful year or two
at home without school pressures? No, it's not too late.
If either of them reads lots, maybe get magazine subscriptions to
things they're interested in, or bring more books in. If they're not
readers, don't push books.
If any of you like movies, that can be a way to schedule and focus
without being schooly.
http://sandradodd.com/checklists (ideas there)
For the thirteen year old it will be easier. Give him a big
vacation, until next August (say, at first). Probably by then you'll
just be so much in the stream of unschooling that there will be no
difference between August and September, because that's the eight
months he'll need to deschool himself. ( http://sandradodd.com/
deschooling )
But...
Every time you-the-mom chicken out and make assignments or push
schooliness, you'll be back at square one.
http://sandradodd.com/game/snakesandladders (for more thoughts about
sliding back the wrong direction)
Sandra
Pamela Sorooshian
Read "The Teenage Liberation Handbook" by Grace Llewelyn. For the
boys - but if they're not interested in reading it, for mom who can
pass on the ideas to them.
-pam
boys - but if they're not interested in reading it, for mom who can
pass on the ideas to them.
-pam
On Dec 16, 2005, at 9:13 AM, Sue wrote:
> I am relatively new home schooling (since February 2005, and have 2
> boys 15 and 13. I believe in the unschooling way of learning, rather
> then "school at home", my question is: Is it to late for my children
> to benefit from an unschooling method of learning? Thank you for your
> help and advice. Sue
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Pamela Sorooshian
On Dec 16, 2005, at 10:10 AM, Sandra Dodd wrote:
had only one more year of high school left.
He spent that year mostly doing theater stuff - not acting, but
working backstage - painting sets, moving sets, etc. He had a good
time, made new friends, relaxed a lot.
It was a wonderful gift of a year away from high school.
Would he have benefitted from an entire life away from school? Yes.
But that doesn't diminish the value of the gift of that year. Not at
all.
-pam
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> Is it too late for him to have all the benefits of someone who wasMy sister took her son out of school after 11th grade - so he'd have
> unschooled always? Yes.
> Is it too late for him to have the benefits of a peaceful year or two
> at home without school pressures? No, it's not too late.
had only one more year of high school left.
He spent that year mostly doing theater stuff - not acting, but
working backstage - painting sets, moving sets, etc. He had a good
time, made new friends, relaxed a lot.
It was a wonderful gift of a year away from high school.
Would he have benefitted from an entire life away from school? Yes.
But that doesn't diminish the value of the gift of that year. Not at
all.
-pam
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
camden
I don't think its too late. Our oldest boys at home are 14 & 15 and I've seen a difference in them in the short time we have been unschooling. My youngest children will probably benefit more as we stopped the insane "school at home" earlier.
Carol
Carol
----- Original Message -----
From: Sue
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, December 16, 2005 12:13 PM
Subject: [UnschoolingDiscussion] Age limits?
Hello!
I am relatively new home schooling (since February 2005, and have 2
boys 15 and 13. I believe in the unschooling way of learning, rather
then "school at home", my question is: Is it to late for my children
to benefit from an unschooling method of learning? Thank you for your
help and advice. Sue
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
On Dec 16, 2005, at 11:34 AM, Pamela Sorooshian wrote:
two of college. It's considered generally wasteful and self-
indulgent and lazy. I understand that in British school's it is NOT
considered a bad thing to do that.
When I've talked with friends who did that, it seems they learned
more that year than they did in four years of college.
How cool for a kid to get to have a year like that without it being a
consolation for the frustration of having finished high school!
So that reminds me to say that if the older boy can travel at all,
even just to stay with friends during their school breaks, that might
be cool. Better yet, if you (mom) and the boys can do a little
travelling, even just single overnight trips to towns four or five
hours off to do something interesting there (museum, theatre,
concert) that could be a fantastic bonding and recovery thing.
Sandra
> He had a goodHere some people take a year off after high school or after a year or
> time, made new friends, relaxed a lot.
two of college. It's considered generally wasteful and self-
indulgent and lazy. I understand that in British school's it is NOT
considered a bad thing to do that.
When I've talked with friends who did that, it seems they learned
more that year than they did in four years of college.
How cool for a kid to get to have a year like that without it being a
consolation for the frustration of having finished high school!
So that reminds me to say that if the older boy can travel at all,
even just to stay with friends during their school breaks, that might
be cool. Better yet, if you (mom) and the boys can do a little
travelling, even just single overnight trips to towns four or five
hours off to do something interesting there (museum, theatre,
concert) that could be a fantastic bonding and recovery thing.
Sandra