unschooling and clarity and directness
[email protected]
<< Anyway, I think you are a source of information but come on a little too
heavy-handed for my taste, especially to newbies who may actully need some
comfirmation, even if you don't whole-heartedly agree with all they are
doing, as they try to wend their way to being full-fledged (or not)
unschoolers. >>
If I were the only source of information or confirmation, that would make me
feel I needed to change my methods. Fortunately, there are WAY more
nurturing, cooing, welcoming types than there are those who will say "Hey,
that's not going to work" as they look over the shoulders of new unschoolers
who have come to an unschooling site to learn how to unschool.
If we don't make a difference ANYWHERE between unschooling and not
unschooling, there will be no difference between unschooling and sending kids
to school. Somewhere the line is. Not exactly the same place for everyone,
but even if we average out everyone's lines there comes to be a "you're
getting cold" zone in which if people turn and go the other direction they
are getting warmer.
There have honestly, truly, been people who have come to unschooling
discussion areas and demanded for people to admit they were unschoolers even
though they had a curriculum, or were making their kids do math or making
them write book reports, or even (seriously) that their kids were back in
school, but they REALLY really (why?) wanted to be declared, certified
"unschoolers" and would tear people up to try to get that. Some people would
say "Okay, then. You're unschooling in your heart and that's what's
important." I would say, "NO, in your heart, you're a looney." Because I
have a great interest in defending the integrity of the idea of unschooling.
en unschooling becomes a mush of vagueness which people cannot recognize,
want, do or defend.
As, it seems, I'm one of the few who is brave enough to say to a stranger or
an in-person friend, "If you tell him he couldn't learn to read without you
teaching him, why won't he think you have to teach him history and science?"
then I do that. And some people think it's too heavy handed to say "You
might want to look at what you're doing with a critical eye and change it, or
you might want to stop saying you're unschooling."
Someone in the forum said she didn't have time to explain things to her kids
and she thought it was bad parenting to let kids figure stuff out on their
own. That is not unschooling. Some people have said they unschool in the
summer, but during the school year they use structure. That is not
unschooling.
I guess we're back to the honesty and truth thing again. But we're to
clarity and definitions even more. Some things are vague and some things
aren't. The edge of a foggy, swampy lake is not as distinct as the edge of a
puddle in the sunshine in the desert. Some people WANT unschooling to be an
indistinct marshy area between school and wherever they are most comfortable
being without too much thought. It's not. It's not school-like and it's not
school-parallel or school-based. The sooner people clear their vision and
stop looking through the fog toward the school, the sooner they'll be
operational in unschooling. I don't see it doing anyone a favor to tell them
to take their time in that swamp and come on out when they want to. They
can't come out until they want to, but sometimes they hear a sound on the
non-school side that makes them turn and look. That's what I'm trying to do.
Make it clearer and more attractive and more understandable so they don't
waste time foundering around unnecessarily. I'm not the only one who's
direct, either, which is good! <g>
Sandra
heavy-handed for my taste, especially to newbies who may actully need some
comfirmation, even if you don't whole-heartedly agree with all they are
doing, as they try to wend their way to being full-fledged (or not)
unschoolers. >>
If I were the only source of information or confirmation, that would make me
feel I needed to change my methods. Fortunately, there are WAY more
nurturing, cooing, welcoming types than there are those who will say "Hey,
that's not going to work" as they look over the shoulders of new unschoolers
who have come to an unschooling site to learn how to unschool.
If we don't make a difference ANYWHERE between unschooling and not
unschooling, there will be no difference between unschooling and sending kids
to school. Somewhere the line is. Not exactly the same place for everyone,
but even if we average out everyone's lines there comes to be a "you're
getting cold" zone in which if people turn and go the other direction they
are getting warmer.
There have honestly, truly, been people who have come to unschooling
discussion areas and demanded for people to admit they were unschoolers even
though they had a curriculum, or were making their kids do math or making
them write book reports, or even (seriously) that their kids were back in
school, but they REALLY really (why?) wanted to be declared, certified
"unschoolers" and would tear people up to try to get that. Some people would
say "Okay, then. You're unschooling in your heart and that's what's
important." I would say, "NO, in your heart, you're a looney." Because I
have a great interest in defending the integrity of the idea of unschooling.
en unschooling becomes a mush of vagueness which people cannot recognize,
want, do or defend.
As, it seems, I'm one of the few who is brave enough to say to a stranger or
an in-person friend, "If you tell him he couldn't learn to read without you
teaching him, why won't he think you have to teach him history and science?"
then I do that. And some people think it's too heavy handed to say "You
might want to look at what you're doing with a critical eye and change it, or
you might want to stop saying you're unschooling."
Someone in the forum said she didn't have time to explain things to her kids
and she thought it was bad parenting to let kids figure stuff out on their
own. That is not unschooling. Some people have said they unschool in the
summer, but during the school year they use structure. That is not
unschooling.
I guess we're back to the honesty and truth thing again. But we're to
clarity and definitions even more. Some things are vague and some things
aren't. The edge of a foggy, swampy lake is not as distinct as the edge of a
puddle in the sunshine in the desert. Some people WANT unschooling to be an
indistinct marshy area between school and wherever they are most comfortable
being without too much thought. It's not. It's not school-like and it's not
school-parallel or school-based. The sooner people clear their vision and
stop looking through the fog toward the school, the sooner they'll be
operational in unschooling. I don't see it doing anyone a favor to tell them
to take their time in that swamp and come on out when they want to. They
can't come out until they want to, but sometimes they hear a sound on the
non-school side that makes them turn and look. That's what I'm trying to do.
Make it clearer and more attractive and more understandable so they don't
waste time foundering around unnecessarily. I'm not the only one who's
direct, either, which is good! <g>
Sandra
[email protected]
In a message dated 2/11/01 9:02:47 AM Pacific Standard Time,
SandraDodd@... writes:
<< Someone in the forum said she didn't have time to explain things to her
kids
and she thought it was bad parenting to let kids figure stuff out on their
own. That is not unschooling. Some people have said they unschool in the
summer, but during the school year they use structure. That is not
unschooling. >>
Sandra,
I'm not clear. Did you mean letting kids figure things out on their own is
not unschooling? Or feeling the need to answer all their questions is not
unschooling?
Curious,
candice
~~~~~~
Más vale morir parado
que vivir de rodillas.
SandraDodd@... writes:
<< Someone in the forum said she didn't have time to explain things to her
kids
and she thought it was bad parenting to let kids figure stuff out on their
own. That is not unschooling. Some people have said they unschool in the
summer, but during the school year they use structure. That is not
unschooling. >>
Sandra,
I'm not clear. Did you mean letting kids figure things out on their own is
not unschooling? Or feeling the need to answer all their questions is not
unschooling?
Curious,
candice
~~~~~~
Más vale morir parado
que vivir de rodillas.
[email protected]
In a message dated 2/11/01 6:10:48 PM, czuniga145@... writes:
<< I'm not clear. Did you mean letting kids figure things out on their own is
not unschooling? >>
You were clear. I wrote very unclearly; sorry.
What I badly wrote was << Someone in the forum said she didn't have time to
explain things to her kids and she thought it was bad parenting to let kids
figure stuff out on their own. That is not unschooling. >>
Someone argued in favor of just telling kids what to do without explanations
until they're old enough (i.e. grown) to understand why you told them what
you told them. Explanations were not for her; she had a life. (Implication
was all the implication about OUR lack of lives since most of the rest of us
kinda thought explaining things to kids was fun, and good, and a friendly
mom-thing, and that being with and near them while they experimented and
figured things out was even MORE fun.)
Sandra
<< I'm not clear. Did you mean letting kids figure things out on their own is
not unschooling? >>
You were clear. I wrote very unclearly; sorry.
What I badly wrote was << Someone in the forum said she didn't have time to
explain things to her kids and she thought it was bad parenting to let kids
figure stuff out on their own. That is not unschooling. >>
Someone argued in favor of just telling kids what to do without explanations
until they're old enough (i.e. grown) to understand why you told them what
you told them. Explanations were not for her; she had a life. (Implication
was all the implication about OUR lack of lives since most of the rest of us
kinda thought explaining things to kids was fun, and good, and a friendly
mom-thing, and that being with and near them while they experimented and
figured things out was even MORE fun.)
Sandra