Maybe of interest...
The Soap Maven
Thought some of you might enjoy reading it...feel free to comment if you
like.it is an essay I wrote for our homeschool newsletter. I thought
someone might find it interesting...I am much more comfortable with you all
reading
it than my local group...they already think us strange...we have a lot of
families that have "school at home" and think those of us that "color
outside the lines" are somehow not up to par. Oh well...
Meet An Unschooling Family
Susan Dahlem
In our life, we are in a constant state of learning and have found that
we fit best into the "unschoolers" category and strive to do as little "time
wasting" as possible. We truly feel (from experience of course Ü) that
school as the masses know it is a serious waste of childhood and not only
contributes to the ills of our society, but has resulted in the mass
production of illiterate, unimaginative, uncreative clones of not-so-great
minds. If you don't believe me try to get a correct order at your local
fast food place two days in a row!
We are trying so very hard to instruct our children to live life, love
it...learn from it. Do what they love and love what they do. And NEVER
gauge their success by anyone's standards but their own. Financial gain
does not = happiness! Our goals from the beginning of our parenting
adventure has been to raise our children to be thinkers, as well as doers.
We want them to respectfully question authority, to do what is right because
it IS right, take very little at face value, to have a working knowledge of
numbers and their purpose, and to be able to write out their thoughts
without hesitation so that they will be understood and their opinions
respected. We want them to appreciate art for art's sake, literature or the
joy of reading and gaining knowledge, and music just because we don't trust
anyone who doesn't love music!! Ü We want them to be able to orally convey
their thoughts and opinions as well as being able to write them down so as
to demand the respect they
deserve.
We have never told any one of our 6 children that they were incapable
of doing anything. We have told them at times they may should try something
from a different approach. We have some very confident, strong family
members who are people with minds, opinions and choices of their own. Our
approach to learning has always been a little unorthodox doing mostly
research type learning. You know, getting on a subject and reading, digging
and reading some more until your curiosity is satisfied. That is how you
retain things...being interested in it. We have NEVER spoon fed our children
information and never will. It is a ridiculous tiresome act that is
completely fruitless--kind of like trying to teach a pig to sing.
We have tried to stay away from "What Your Fifth Grader Should Know"
kind of mentality. Who knows what my fifth grader should know better than
me and his/her father? Jessica at 10 years old (approximate 5th grade age)
could NOT write, recite or grasp multiplication tables. Couldn't, wouldn't
or what ever the case was. BUT, she designed, cut, pieced and put together
a lovely quilt. So she obviously inadvertently understood some Geometry. I
admit being a tad concerned that maybe I had presented the material in a way
she didn't understand...and I admit I have little patience with those who do
not "get" math.... but suddenly almost three years later she woke one day
and could, and did, do multiplication - short ways, long ways, side ways!
And as far as I know she still can.
We have three who have "graduated" and gone on to be productive, decent
citizens. No one has been arrested as of this writing... though I admit I
always saw myself being dragged off with those little twisty ties around my
wrists, all the while shouting at the top of my lungs some protester's
mantra. No I am not disappointed - just surprised - they are their mother's
children you know! And their father's. They certainly inherited my
verbosity and Jerry's bent towards belligerence. They all have wage earning
jobs... even old married Jessica has started her own catering business
(Kneadful Things - want to know more just ask me!).
We joke sometimes about the amount of useless knowledge we have in our
heads with Zach and Jerry regularly vying for the crown and title King of
Trivial Information. But, you know what is useless to some is useful to
others. Analytical Geometry would be completely a waste of brain RAM for
Zach but, how many bell peppers to a case...now THAT he knows.
Susan
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the
essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach,
and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
Thoreau
Blessings,
Susan
wife to Jerry
mom to Zach, Jessica, Nathan, Hannah, Rachel and Benjamin
Dahlem's Handcrafted Soaps
www.dahlemshandcraftedsoap.com
~*~*~*Motherhood is a Sacred Journey*~*~*~
like.it is an essay I wrote for our homeschool newsletter. I thought
someone might find it interesting...I am much more comfortable with you all
reading
it than my local group...they already think us strange...we have a lot of
families that have "school at home" and think those of us that "color
outside the lines" are somehow not up to par. Oh well...
Meet An Unschooling Family
Susan Dahlem
In our life, we are in a constant state of learning and have found that
we fit best into the "unschoolers" category and strive to do as little "time
wasting" as possible. We truly feel (from experience of course Ü) that
school as the masses know it is a serious waste of childhood and not only
contributes to the ills of our society, but has resulted in the mass
production of illiterate, unimaginative, uncreative clones of not-so-great
minds. If you don't believe me try to get a correct order at your local
fast food place two days in a row!
We are trying so very hard to instruct our children to live life, love
it...learn from it. Do what they love and love what they do. And NEVER
gauge their success by anyone's standards but their own. Financial gain
does not = happiness! Our goals from the beginning of our parenting
adventure has been to raise our children to be thinkers, as well as doers.
We want them to respectfully question authority, to do what is right because
it IS right, take very little at face value, to have a working knowledge of
numbers and their purpose, and to be able to write out their thoughts
without hesitation so that they will be understood and their opinions
respected. We want them to appreciate art for art's sake, literature or the
joy of reading and gaining knowledge, and music just because we don't trust
anyone who doesn't love music!! Ü We want them to be able to orally convey
their thoughts and opinions as well as being able to write them down so as
to demand the respect they
deserve.
We have never told any one of our 6 children that they were incapable
of doing anything. We have told them at times they may should try something
from a different approach. We have some very confident, strong family
members who are people with minds, opinions and choices of their own. Our
approach to learning has always been a little unorthodox doing mostly
research type learning. You know, getting on a subject and reading, digging
and reading some more until your curiosity is satisfied. That is how you
retain things...being interested in it. We have NEVER spoon fed our children
information and never will. It is a ridiculous tiresome act that is
completely fruitless--kind of like trying to teach a pig to sing.
We have tried to stay away from "What Your Fifth Grader Should Know"
kind of mentality. Who knows what my fifth grader should know better than
me and his/her father? Jessica at 10 years old (approximate 5th grade age)
could NOT write, recite or grasp multiplication tables. Couldn't, wouldn't
or what ever the case was. BUT, she designed, cut, pieced and put together
a lovely quilt. So she obviously inadvertently understood some Geometry. I
admit being a tad concerned that maybe I had presented the material in a way
she didn't understand...and I admit I have little patience with those who do
not "get" math.... but suddenly almost three years later she woke one day
and could, and did, do multiplication - short ways, long ways, side ways!
And as far as I know she still can.
We have three who have "graduated" and gone on to be productive, decent
citizens. No one has been arrested as of this writing... though I admit I
always saw myself being dragged off with those little twisty ties around my
wrists, all the while shouting at the top of my lungs some protester's
mantra. No I am not disappointed - just surprised - they are their mother's
children you know! And their father's. They certainly inherited my
verbosity and Jerry's bent towards belligerence. They all have wage earning
jobs... even old married Jessica has started her own catering business
(Kneadful Things - want to know more just ask me!).
We joke sometimes about the amount of useless knowledge we have in our
heads with Zach and Jerry regularly vying for the crown and title King of
Trivial Information. But, you know what is useless to some is useful to
others. Analytical Geometry would be completely a waste of brain RAM for
Zach but, how many bell peppers to a case...now THAT he knows.
Susan
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the
essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach,
and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
Thoreau
Blessings,
Susan
wife to Jerry
mom to Zach, Jessica, Nathan, Hannah, Rachel and Benjamin
Dahlem's Handcrafted Soaps
www.dahlemshandcraftedsoap.com
~*~*~*Motherhood is a Sacred Journey*~*~*~
[email protected]
In a message dated 5/5/01 5:26:59 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
jsdahlem@... writes:
<< Susan
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the
essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach,
and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
Thoreau
I enjoyed it very much! Thanks for sharing it. And I LOVE
Thoreau...nothing quite like him! His writing has inspired me more than any
other author's.
Lucy
jsdahlem@... writes:
<< Susan
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the
essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach,
and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
Thoreau
>>Susan,
I enjoyed it very much! Thanks for sharing it. And I LOVE
Thoreau...nothing quite like him! His writing has inspired me more than any
other author's.
Lucy