Re: [UnschoolingDiscussion] my intro
Martha Donnelly
Hey, I spent my honeymoon in New Zealand - North Island. Never been to
India, but have a friend who loves it. What are you doing there?
Martha
Mom to Leif (6), Cedar (4), Gwynne (2)
India, but have a friend who loves it. What are you doing there?
Martha
Mom to Leif (6), Cedar (4), Gwynne (2)
On Sep 30, 2004, at 12:51 PM, ummtasmiyah wrote:
> hi everyone
>
> i'm a new zealander living in india......my kids are 8 and 7 and
> have always been homeschooled.
> i've just found out about unschooling which is such a relief as it's
> what we already do minus the guilt! i do have a lot to learn
> though and will probably have to unlearn some
> attitudes....looking forward to doing lots of reading........
>
> peace,
> meaghan
>
>
>
>
>
> "List Posting Policies" are provided in the files area of this group.
>
> Visit the Unschooling website and message boards:
> http://www.unschooling.com
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
R Meyers
Well I hope this isn't tacky but I
joined another unschooling list and spent a lot of time on my intro so I thought
I would paste it here. It seems that list isn't quite as busy as this one
so I'm hoping to find some support here as well.......
UNSCHOOLING EXPERIENCES: My first "intro" to homeschooling was when
my oldest was 18months old and I was pregnant with my twins. My Le
Leche League leader had great "meetings" and I noticed that most
everyone there had their school aged kids with them. So began my
education on education! The first book I read about homeschooling
was Homeschooling for Excellence by the Colfax family...boy was I
hooked. I then proceeded to pick brains and read anything I could
get my hands on. All the while I loved the idea of unschooling and
being free of "other peoples" ideas of the way things should be.
Well time went by and I did nothing structured through 1st grade with
my oldest. Then 2nd grade hit and I started hitting the panic
button.....what if they don't learn it all? What if I miss something?
What if he just watches tv all day, every day?? And so I started with
the curriculum.......first this one, then that one......and over the
past 2 years I've gone through just about every popular curriculum
you've heard of.......all to be abandoned because I "realize the
error of my ways" only to get panicky again and start all over. My
children have been quite forgiving and don't seem to notice my
psychotic episodes much anymore except for the sudden influx of
worksheets and "sit down" time at the table..... ANYWAY, here I am
with my newest curriculum catch and I am once again questioning why I
keep thinking that someone else has all the answers for us....I keep
getting frustrated at doing what someone else tells me to do and I'm
so tired of ignoring my kids real interests because we have to stay
on "schedule" to finish 3rd grade. I can't say that I'm very
successful at unschooling but I know deep in my heart that it is my
greatest desire for our home. I just haven't figured out yet how to
stop being lazy, looking to experts for the answers, and how to stop
the panic attacks....so that is why I'm here
my oldest was 18months old and I was pregnant with my twins. My Le
Leche League leader had great "meetings" and I noticed that most
everyone there had their school aged kids with them. So began my
education on education! The first book I read about homeschooling
was Homeschooling for Excellence by the Colfax family...boy was I
hooked. I then proceeded to pick brains and read anything I could
get my hands on. All the while I loved the idea of unschooling and
being free of "other peoples" ideas of the way things should be.
Well time went by and I did nothing structured through 1st grade with
my oldest. Then 2nd grade hit and I started hitting the panic
button.....what if they don't learn it all? What if I miss something?
What if he just watches tv all day, every day?? And so I started with
the curriculum.......first this one, then that one......and over the
past 2 years I've gone through just about every popular curriculum
you've heard of.......all to be abandoned because I "realize the
error of my ways" only to get panicky again and start all over. My
children have been quite forgiving and don't seem to notice my
psychotic episodes much anymore except for the sudden influx of
worksheets and "sit down" time at the table..... ANYWAY, here I am
with my newest curriculum catch and I am once again questioning why I
keep thinking that someone else has all the answers for us....I keep
getting frustrated at doing what someone else tells me to do and I'm
so tired of ignoring my kids real interests because we have to stay
on "schedule" to finish 3rd grade. I can't say that I'm very
successful at unschooling but I know deep in my heart that it is my
greatest desire for our home. I just haven't figured out yet how to
stop being lazy, looking to experts for the answers, and how to stop
the panic attacks....so that is why I'm here
UNSCHOOLING STRUGGLES OR OBSTACLES: I explained this up
above.....mostly its the doubts that in the end he won't fit in or
that I will have somehow damaged him in some way
UNSCHOOLING JOYS: I love that light bulb that goes on when they just
have time to do their own thing.......that interest that sparks and
you can see in their eyes that they are truly learning and not only
that but enjoying it!
WHAT YOU WANT OR EXPECT FROM THIS LIST: Support, hopefully other
people out there to say I know just what you mean.....I feel the same
way.....its normal....I'd love some ideas to stay motivated and
unwavering. Ideas to make myself more intuned to my kids and their
interests....to know where to go with their newest schemes and how
far to take things and when to reel them back. In general I guess
I'm just looking for all the answers! LOL!!!!!!!! Thanks for being
here...
Rachel
above.....mostly its the doubts that in the end he won't fit in or
that I will have somehow damaged him in some way
UNSCHOOLING JOYS: I love that light bulb that goes on when they just
have time to do their own thing.......that interest that sparks and
you can see in their eyes that they are truly learning and not only
that but enjoying it!
WHAT YOU WANT OR EXPECT FROM THIS LIST: Support, hopefully other
people out there to say I know just what you mean.....I feel the same
way.....its normal....I'd love some ideas to stay motivated and
unwavering. Ideas to make myself more intuned to my kids and their
interests....to know where to go with their newest schemes and how
far to take things and when to reel them back. In general I guess
I'm just looking for all the answers! LOL!!!!!!!! Thanks for being
here...
Rachel
[email protected]
Rachel,
Something wonderful was just posted at unschooling.com yesterday, about
deschooling ourselves.
This list is only the tip of an iceberg of information and support at
www.unschooling.com and you should definitely check all of that out!
Sandra
Something wonderful was just posted at unschooling.com yesterday, about
deschooling ourselves.
This list is only the tip of an iceberg of information and support at
www.unschooling.com and you should definitely check all of that out!
Sandra
[email protected]
Hi, I think you will like this list. There is a lot of knowledge here, many
who have been at this a long time. I know that I enjoy the list, I pick up
ideas and opinions that widen my own thoughts. Sometimes I wonder who is
learning more in this unschooling adventure, my kids or me! Talking to others
on this list is my only way to speak to other unschoolers.When the list is
quiet I miss it. :)
Have fun
Candy
who have been at this a long time. I know that I enjoy the list, I pick up
ideas and opinions that widen my own thoughts. Sometimes I wonder who is
learning more in this unschooling adventure, my kids or me! Talking to others
on this list is my only way to speak to other unschoolers.When the list is
quiet I miss it. :)
Have fun
Candy
R Meyers
I'll check that out....thanks for the
heads up Sandra!
Rachel
[email protected]
Now that I've jumped in and commented, I thought I'd introduce myself.
We've been homeschooling for 4 years now. I'm usually lurking over on unschooling.com. But I thought I'd stop in and see how things are going over here.
I have a 16 yo son and a 13 yo daughter. We're more of eclectic homeschoolers than radical unschoolers. Mainly because we have added structure to our school schedule.
While talking to my kids one day certain goals started emerging. My son wants to learn and work on computers. I pointed out what he probably would need to learn before heading to college or tech school. So he set himself to learn those subjects. Only he failed to complete what he wanted in his time schedule. He was feeling like a failure. Now this part may not be too unschooling, but I stepped in and told him how I could help. I would remind him to sit and do work if he came up with a schedule he wants.
My daughter is more of an unschooler. She has also set a schedule for herself but she will push herself to keep to it.
So even though I don't concider myself an unschooler I still hang out here to learn and gather tips.
Joy in NM
.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
We've been homeschooling for 4 years now. I'm usually lurking over on unschooling.com. But I thought I'd stop in and see how things are going over here.
I have a 16 yo son and a 13 yo daughter. We're more of eclectic homeschoolers than radical unschoolers. Mainly because we have added structure to our school schedule.
While talking to my kids one day certain goals started emerging. My son wants to learn and work on computers. I pointed out what he probably would need to learn before heading to college or tech school. So he set himself to learn those subjects. Only he failed to complete what he wanted in his time schedule. He was feeling like a failure. Now this part may not be too unschooling, but I stepped in and told him how I could help. I would remind him to sit and do work if he came up with a schedule he wants.
My daughter is more of an unschooler. She has also set a schedule for herself but she will push herself to keep to it.
So even though I don't concider myself an unschooler I still hang out here to learn and gather tips.
Joy in NM
.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Tia Leschke
>If your son *wanted* this help with organization, then he's still
>I have a 16 yo son and a 13 yo daughter. We're more of eclectic
>homeschoolers than radical unschoolers. Mainly because we have added
>structure to our school schedule.
>While talking to my kids one day certain goals started emerging. My son
>wants to learn and work on computers. I pointed out what he probably would
>need to learn before heading to college or tech school. So he set himself
>to learn those subjects. Only he failed to complete what he wanted in his
>time schedule. He was feeling like a failure. Now this part may not be too
>unschooling, but I stepped in and told him how I could help. I would
>remind him to sit and do work if he came up with a schedule he wants.
unschooling if you provide it. If he failed to complete his goals and you
stepped in and told him he had to, and this is how he had to go about it,
then he's not unschooling anymore.
>My daughter is more of an unschooler. She has also set a schedule forFunny, there are people posting about being unschoolers that I would say
>herself but she will push herself to keep to it.
>So even though I don't concider myself an unschooler I still hang out here
>to learn and gather tips.
are not unschoolers. And here you say you aren't, but what you describe
sounds like it to me. Unschooling isn't about the absence of schedules and
structure and curriculums. It's about choice, as someone else said. It's
all about *who* makes the learning decisions. It sounds like in your
family, it's the kids who make the decisions, and you're the one who helps
them carry them out. That's what John Holt called unschooling.
(And least everyone think I'm holding myself up as the queen of the
unschoolers, I'm not. I *have* insisted that my son do various learning
activities over the years. And every time I've done that, I've realized
later that it was not a good idea, that there were repercussions in his
learning and our relationship.)
Tia
Tia Leschke leschke@...
On Vancouver Island
********************************************************************************************
It is the answers which separate us, the questions which unite us. - Janice
Levy
[email protected]
<It sounds like in your
family, it's the kids who make the decisions, and you're the one who helps
them carry them out. That's what John Holt called unschooling.>
Yes and no. Michael has a quirk about him that doesn't translate well. I understand when someone says their kid needs structure, because Michael definately does better in a more structured environment. Unfortunately for him, his mom is highly disorganised :o)
It did seem that his giving me permission to remind him and help him keep on schedule was a pass to push him on all kinds of other things. From what time to get up to taking out the trash. Last year I even assigned him work in Language Arts. Acckkk! Not one of the chosen subjects. ( only for about a month before I wisened up) And the guilt because I might have jumped in too soon to help and not let him continue to work out his schedule. But Michael might not have made that jump on his own.
Kenna asked when we were going back to school last week. I replied "When do you want?" She chose to start back when the middle schooler's start back. See that's why I think we don't really qualify as unschoolers because I didn't suggest that we don't go back to school. They get to decide which books to use and if they don't like one we quit using it, but this year if they said 'NO' would I let them go back to no schedule?
Michael and are headed to TVI (jr college) to sign up for a few computer classes on Tuesday. Will I be able to let him drop out if he doesn't like it? Hmmm, if he wants to drop out because he can't handle it because of his disability, then probably I would. But if he wants to drop out because it's too hard, or requires more time in homework that takes time away from playing on the computer, I'm not sure. Inability or laziness.
This summer has been great. My relaxation level is higher than ever. Kenna made up her own written language, in code. She's done several music videos with her friends and coreagraphed (sp) most of the steps. Michael has spent hours watching the History channel and conversing with friends online. I shooed him off the computer at 6 am this morning.
Mainly I'm comfortable with where we are. I fully believe in unschooling.
Most days I feel I'm deschooling myself, unschooling Kenna and homeschooling Michael.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
family, it's the kids who make the decisions, and you're the one who helps
them carry them out. That's what John Holt called unschooling.>
Yes and no. Michael has a quirk about him that doesn't translate well. I understand when someone says their kid needs structure, because Michael definately does better in a more structured environment. Unfortunately for him, his mom is highly disorganised :o)
It did seem that his giving me permission to remind him and help him keep on schedule was a pass to push him on all kinds of other things. From what time to get up to taking out the trash. Last year I even assigned him work in Language Arts. Acckkk! Not one of the chosen subjects. ( only for about a month before I wisened up) And the guilt because I might have jumped in too soon to help and not let him continue to work out his schedule. But Michael might not have made that jump on his own.
Kenna asked when we were going back to school last week. I replied "When do you want?" She chose to start back when the middle schooler's start back. See that's why I think we don't really qualify as unschoolers because I didn't suggest that we don't go back to school. They get to decide which books to use and if they don't like one we quit using it, but this year if they said 'NO' would I let them go back to no schedule?
Michael and are headed to TVI (jr college) to sign up for a few computer classes on Tuesday. Will I be able to let him drop out if he doesn't like it? Hmmm, if he wants to drop out because he can't handle it because of his disability, then probably I would. But if he wants to drop out because it's too hard, or requires more time in homework that takes time away from playing on the computer, I'm not sure. Inability or laziness.
This summer has been great. My relaxation level is higher than ever. Kenna made up her own written language, in code. She's done several music videos with her friends and coreagraphed (sp) most of the steps. Michael has spent hours watching the History channel and conversing with friends online. I shooed him off the computer at 6 am this morning.
Mainly I'm comfortable with where we are. I fully believe in unschooling.
Most days I feel I'm deschooling myself, unschooling Kenna and homeschooling Michael.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
Hi everyone!
I'm Ellen and have been unschooling for 6.5 years now since we took our son
out of school in the middle of first grade. Well, we did try school-at-home
for about 6 weeks or so... It was miserable! I read some unschooling books
(by Holt) and magazines (GWS) and talked to unschoolers and it began to sink
in little by little.
My kids are boys ages 13 and 10 and a dd age 4.5 yrs. We just moved to TX
but are from MA (me) and ME (dh). So TX is very different and hot! But a
good place to homeschool - no reporting! We are Christians which is
interesting as most Christian hsers I know just don't get unschooling <g>.
Sometimes I just avoid the "u" word and say we are 'really relaxed'.
(Joyce, I wish we had met in MA! I was in the Homeschooling To
gether/Arlington and MVHL/Billerica groups. I think you were further west.
I've always enjoyed reading your articles online and in HEM.)
Great list! I'm always encouraged and stretched reading here!
~Ellen
«·.,¸¸,.·´¯`·.,¸¸,.·´¯`·.»§«(¨`v´¨).»§«·.,¸¸,.·´¯`·.,¸¸,.·´¯`·.»
` v´
"It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of
instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiousity of inquiry;
for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need
of freedom."
-- Albert Einstein
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I'm Ellen and have been unschooling for 6.5 years now since we took our son
out of school in the middle of first grade. Well, we did try school-at-home
for about 6 weeks or so... It was miserable! I read some unschooling books
(by Holt) and magazines (GWS) and talked to unschoolers and it began to sink
in little by little.
My kids are boys ages 13 and 10 and a dd age 4.5 yrs. We just moved to TX
but are from MA (me) and ME (dh). So TX is very different and hot! But a
good place to homeschool - no reporting! We are Christians which is
interesting as most Christian hsers I know just don't get unschooling <g>.
Sometimes I just avoid the "u" word and say we are 'really relaxed'.
(Joyce, I wish we had met in MA! I was in the Homeschooling To
gether/Arlington and MVHL/Billerica groups. I think you were further west.
I've always enjoyed reading your articles online and in HEM.)
Great list! I'm always encouraged and stretched reading here!
~Ellen
«·.,¸¸,.·´¯`·.,¸¸,.·´¯`·.»§«(¨`v´¨).»§«·.,¸¸,.·´¯`·.,¸¸,.·´¯`·.»
` v´
"It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of
instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiousity of inquiry;
for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need
of freedom."
-- Albert Einstein
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Fetteroll
on 7/30/02 2:04 PM, Soglad2behome@... at Soglad2behome@... wrote:
No, I was in the Billerica group! We lived in Billerica until 1998. Though
we didn't attend events much that last year because Kathryn didn't really
click with any of the kids. You probably had the opportunity to see me. I
was the reeeeal quiet one in the corner no one noticed. ;-)
The name Ellen sounds familiar but I'm not getting a clear impression and
she may have been a different Ellen entirely. What are your boys names?
I'm trying to remember some events we attended ... Kathryn was a winged
unicorn one year and the Magic School Bus another at the Halloween parties.
I had a Christmas gift or Mother's Day gift station set up with little disks
of plaster the kids scratched/carved with a needle and hung on a string as a
necklace. And we were at a cool math event. I had something that was really
popular but I can't remember what it was! (Maybe it was gum drops and
toothpicks? But whatever it was I can't take credit for it since I just set
up what the woman who put the even together gave me to do.)
Joyce
> (Joyce, I wish we had met in MA! I was in the Homeschooling ToThank you! :-)
> gether/Arlington and MVHL/Billerica groups. I think you were further west.
> I've always enjoyed reading your articles online and in HEM.)
No, I was in the Billerica group! We lived in Billerica until 1998. Though
we didn't attend events much that last year because Kathryn didn't really
click with any of the kids. You probably had the opportunity to see me. I
was the reeeeal quiet one in the corner no one noticed. ;-)
The name Ellen sounds familiar but I'm not getting a clear impression and
she may have been a different Ellen entirely. What are your boys names?
I'm trying to remember some events we attended ... Kathryn was a winged
unicorn one year and the Magic School Bus another at the Halloween parties.
I had a Christmas gift or Mother's Day gift station set up with little disks
of plaster the kids scratched/carved with a needle and hung on a string as a
necklace. And we were at a cool math event. I had something that was really
popular but I can't remember what it was! (Maybe it was gum drops and
toothpicks? But whatever it was I can't take credit for it since I just set
up what the woman who put the even together gave me to do.)
Joyce
[email protected]
Hello -- I'm excited to find a great group...I'm a SAHM soon to be a WAHM to
a 28 month old dynamo who seems to be teaching himself way too much to be for
real :) and a sweet 9 month old.
Andrew taught himself his letters at 15 months -- I read to the boys ALL the
time and I used to read him lots of alphabet books...evidently he learned to
recognize them and shocked me one day when he started calling out letters in
things. Since then he's also learned his colors, shapes (including polygon,
octogan and others) and numbers. I'm not sure how this happens -- whether
its shows like Sesame Street or all the reading we do..but somehow he's
learning.
The short reason why I'm joining this list now even before he's preschool
age: my inlaws are putting lots of pressure on getting him on a waiting list
for the "right' kind of preschool. We told them when he was born we were
going to homeschool him (we hadn't learned about unschooling then -- and I
don't think they need to know about that for a long time.) But they seem to
think the whole reason for homeschool is because we can't afford private
school.
I've been reading the Unschooling Handbook and I love it. It has revitalized
what I used to do with Andrew before Eli was born. I've always given Andrew
info about the world if he was interested...for example, when we go grocery
shopping we talk about the different veggies...even when he was a baby I'd
talk about them. But when I had the baby I kind of got sidetracked into day
to day things without really involving them in whatever we were doing. So I
think the Unschooling Handbook is handy even from infancy. Its helped remind
me that my children don't start learning magically at age 5 and don't need to
learn certain things in a certain order. We can find things we are
interested in and learn as much or as little about them as we want.
Finally, I'm kind of unschooling myself...I was a kitchen/bath designer
before kids and I've wanted to do interior design with the kitchen/bath
designing as a home based business. I've toyed with the idea of going back
to school and getting an interior design degree. But as I will be certified
in kitchen/bath design next year I decided to develop my own college level
home course. I've printed up the course description of what our local
college requires for their 3 and 4 yr degrees in design and I'm learning
about that subject. For example, a 3 credit class is "The History of
Fabric." So I can go to the library; check out books on that subject and
read to my heart's content.
Do you all think that sounds like a crazy idea????
Tanya
mom to Andrew Jordan 4/1/00 and Eli Hunter 10/29/01
You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him to find it within
himself
--Galileo
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
a 28 month old dynamo who seems to be teaching himself way too much to be for
real :) and a sweet 9 month old.
Andrew taught himself his letters at 15 months -- I read to the boys ALL the
time and I used to read him lots of alphabet books...evidently he learned to
recognize them and shocked me one day when he started calling out letters in
things. Since then he's also learned his colors, shapes (including polygon,
octogan and others) and numbers. I'm not sure how this happens -- whether
its shows like Sesame Street or all the reading we do..but somehow he's
learning.
The short reason why I'm joining this list now even before he's preschool
age: my inlaws are putting lots of pressure on getting him on a waiting list
for the "right' kind of preschool. We told them when he was born we were
going to homeschool him (we hadn't learned about unschooling then -- and I
don't think they need to know about that for a long time.) But they seem to
think the whole reason for homeschool is because we can't afford private
school.
I've been reading the Unschooling Handbook and I love it. It has revitalized
what I used to do with Andrew before Eli was born. I've always given Andrew
info about the world if he was interested...for example, when we go grocery
shopping we talk about the different veggies...even when he was a baby I'd
talk about them. But when I had the baby I kind of got sidetracked into day
to day things without really involving them in whatever we were doing. So I
think the Unschooling Handbook is handy even from infancy. Its helped remind
me that my children don't start learning magically at age 5 and don't need to
learn certain things in a certain order. We can find things we are
interested in and learn as much or as little about them as we want.
Finally, I'm kind of unschooling myself...I was a kitchen/bath designer
before kids and I've wanted to do interior design with the kitchen/bath
designing as a home based business. I've toyed with the idea of going back
to school and getting an interior design degree. But as I will be certified
in kitchen/bath design next year I decided to develop my own college level
home course. I've printed up the course description of what our local
college requires for their 3 and 4 yr degrees in design and I'm learning
about that subject. For example, a 3 credit class is "The History of
Fabric." So I can go to the library; check out books on that subject and
read to my heart's content.
Do you all think that sounds like a crazy idea????
Tanya
mom to Andrew Jordan 4/1/00 and Eli Hunter 10/29/01
You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him to find it within
himself
--Galileo
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Tia Leschke
>Not at all. Sounds like you know enough about the field to know whether
>Do you all think that sounds like a crazy idea????
you'd be hampered by lack of an official certificate.
Welcome Tanya.
Tia
Eleanor Roosevelt
*********************************************
Tia Leschke
leschke@...
On Vancouver Island
ummtasmiyah
hi everyone
i'm a new zealander living in india......my kids are 8 and 7 and
have always been homeschooled.
i've just found out about unschooling which is such a relief as it's
what we already do minus the guilt! i do have a lot to learn
though and will probably have to unlearn some
attitudes....looking forward to doing lots of reading........
peace,
meaghan
i'm a new zealander living in india......my kids are 8 and 7 and
have always been homeschooled.
i've just found out about unschooling which is such a relief as it's
what we already do minus the guilt! i do have a lot to learn
though and will probably have to unlearn some
attitudes....looking forward to doing lots of reading........
peace,
meaghan