school year beginning
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as someone else mentioned, the beginning of the traditional school year often
gives me doubts about our "plan!" or leaves me wishing i had more of a plan.
so i was thinking, even as an unschooler, i can write down a plan, that may
help me keep my sanity. this plan would NOT have subjects and page numbers
and school assignments, but instead broad goals for the way we would like to
see our family function over the upcoming year, how we would like to treat
each other, what we would have liked to see happen if we looked back over a
year. another idea that helps me a lot is to go back over the last year,
(which was very "unschooly"for us) and record some of the many things that
happened. it is validating, but still always hard to quantify ALL the
wonderful learning that we know went on. it is sooo easy to focus on the
areas we havent ever "covered..."
having just given birth to our fifth child almost 4 wks ago, i feel a great
loss of control over so many household things... and tho i am relaxed about
most things most of the time (thats good!) there are those other times when i
have this underlying grouchiness about the chaos. and i think it is due to a
feeling of having no control over most things and being buffeted by the winds
of many personalities daily. this is just life i guess.
anyway, in wanting to give the best to the education end of things, i
struggle with not helping the kids be steadfast in things they dont want to
do. (like multiplication tables!) i dont want to have them hate those kinds
of things, but i do want them to realize its not so bad to do things that
aren't fun-- there is even a great sense of accomplishment there!
my 10yo says she feels behind in things (obviously compared to someone!
probably her one close friend who goes to school and is doing homework all
the time!) it is hard, tho we try, to get across the concept of arbitrarily
assigned knowledge and also everyone having a different set of life
experiences and so NONE of us knowing the same things... so i let her peruse
a book that is one of those that says what 4th graders are learning in
school, so she would actually see on paper what things her school peers might
be being taught and therefore perhaps not be intimidated that there is really
much she might be missing.
speaking of four year olds, i just love this age, and it does sound like
something is going on with your sweetie, kandace. i hope you are able to
check into the autism and allergies (both good sounding suggestions) and
narrow down her situation so she can be releived of her frustrations and
return to herself! best wishes, there.
one more abstract thought... i wonder how many of you have an unschooling
approach that reflects the active learning, conscious seeking out of info to
answer ideas that come up-- constantly diligent and aware of opportunities to
educate and absorb etc, verses the learning is happening whether you TRY or
not method? i see these as some distinctions in unschoolers approaches...
erin
gives me doubts about our "plan!" or leaves me wishing i had more of a plan.
so i was thinking, even as an unschooler, i can write down a plan, that may
help me keep my sanity. this plan would NOT have subjects and page numbers
and school assignments, but instead broad goals for the way we would like to
see our family function over the upcoming year, how we would like to treat
each other, what we would have liked to see happen if we looked back over a
year. another idea that helps me a lot is to go back over the last year,
(which was very "unschooly"for us) and record some of the many things that
happened. it is validating, but still always hard to quantify ALL the
wonderful learning that we know went on. it is sooo easy to focus on the
areas we havent ever "covered..."
having just given birth to our fifth child almost 4 wks ago, i feel a great
loss of control over so many household things... and tho i am relaxed about
most things most of the time (thats good!) there are those other times when i
have this underlying grouchiness about the chaos. and i think it is due to a
feeling of having no control over most things and being buffeted by the winds
of many personalities daily. this is just life i guess.
anyway, in wanting to give the best to the education end of things, i
struggle with not helping the kids be steadfast in things they dont want to
do. (like multiplication tables!) i dont want to have them hate those kinds
of things, but i do want them to realize its not so bad to do things that
aren't fun-- there is even a great sense of accomplishment there!
my 10yo says she feels behind in things (obviously compared to someone!
probably her one close friend who goes to school and is doing homework all
the time!) it is hard, tho we try, to get across the concept of arbitrarily
assigned knowledge and also everyone having a different set of life
experiences and so NONE of us knowing the same things... so i let her peruse
a book that is one of those that says what 4th graders are learning in
school, so she would actually see on paper what things her school peers might
be being taught and therefore perhaps not be intimidated that there is really
much she might be missing.
speaking of four year olds, i just love this age, and it does sound like
something is going on with your sweetie, kandace. i hope you are able to
check into the autism and allergies (both good sounding suggestions) and
narrow down her situation so she can be releived of her frustrations and
return to herself! best wishes, there.
one more abstract thought... i wonder how many of you have an unschooling
approach that reflects the active learning, conscious seeking out of info to
answer ideas that come up-- constantly diligent and aware of opportunities to
educate and absorb etc, verses the learning is happening whether you TRY or
not method? i see these as some distinctions in unschoolers approaches...
erin
Tracy Oldfield
erin, this is an interesting area. To be honest, atm I don't have the
energy to be one of the former type of unschooler, so I'm trusting
heavily that the latter works!! I think there are merits to both
approaches, and it probably depends on one's children, like my
almost 5yo doesn't like me telling her things in an 'educational'
way... If it doesn't fit her box, she finds it hard to accept, I think.
Tracy
energy to be one of the former type of unschooler, so I'm trusting
heavily that the latter works!! I think there are merits to both
approaches, and it probably depends on one's children, like my
almost 5yo doesn't like me telling her things in an 'educational'
way... If it doesn't fit her box, she finds it hard to accept, I think.
Tracy
On 16 Aug 2000, at 23:24, MorelFam@... wrote:
one more abstract thought... i wonder how many of you
have an unschooling
approach that reflects the active learning, conscious
seeking out of info to
answer ideas that come up-- constantly diligent and
aware of opportunities to
educate and absorb etc, verses the learning is
happening whether you TRY or
not method? i see these as some distinctions in
unschoolers approaches...
erin
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