Julie Stauffer

<<the pot calling the kettle black>>

Dear Bridget,

No one stated that your methods are wrong, only that they are not truly
unschooling. You are most welcome to make any and all decisions regarding
your children with our blessings....but the decisions you are making are not
unschooling.

You say the girls have 100% control of their learning, but they must write
daily. Reading is better than television. The unschooling philosophy is
that ALL INFORMATION IS GOOD. All learning is important whether it
coincides to some "skill" or not. The activity and learning is important
because it is important to the child. Trust isn't something that can be
done half-way and trust is vital to unschooling.

While unschooling moms continue to make decisions about their kids lives,
most of the unschooling moms on this list (only unschoolers I "know") are
continually looking to see how they can NOT run the kids lives. How they
can give control over to the kids, how they can work things for a win-win
situation, how the kids can do what they want safely.

Constant questioning of my motives plagues me as I move further and further
into unschooling. Why do we have this "rule"? Is it necessary for safety?
Is it always necessary? How can we work things so we don't have it? Am I
making these decisions because they are best for the kids or because they
are easiest for me?

It is difficult not to become defensive when people question our parenting
but it is difficult to learn when they don't.

Julie

Bridget E Coffman

On Sat, 8 Sep 2001 21:30:33 -0500 "Julie Stauffer" <jnjstau@...>
writes:
>
> Dear Bridget,
>
> No one stated that your methods are wrong, only that they are not
truly
> unschooling. You are most welcome to make any and all decisions
regarding
> your children with our blessings....but the decisions you are making
are not
> unschooling.
>

By WHOSE standards are they not unschooling? Certainly not by the
standards set forth on the unschooling.com site. I looked. Our methods
fit.

> You say the girls have 100% control of their learning, but they must
write
> daily. Reading is better than television. The unschooling philosophy
is
> that ALL INFORMATION IS GOOD. All learning is important whether it
> coincides to some "skill" or not. The activity and learning is
important
> because it is important to the child. Trust isn't something that can
be
> done half-way and trust is vital to unschooling.

I did NOT say my girls have to write daily. I said we have in place some
guidelines that include a certain amount of writing each week. They were
in on setting up the guidelines and they can discuss changing them
anytime they want. I did NOT say reading is better than TV. I said
JENNI's Reading is less destructive than WYNDHAM'S TV watching. You all
don't have a clue about us or our system yet you continually tell me we
are not unschooling. Perhaps, if I had the perfect children you all seem
to have, I could walk away and leave them in control. Unfortunately, my
kids are human and need a little parenting here and there.

Bridget



~~~~If electricity comes from electrons...does that mean that morality
comes from morons?~~~~
I sent my Soul through the Invisible,
Some letter of that After-life to spell;
And by and by my Soul returned to me,
And answered, "I Myself am Heaven and Hell." -- The Rubaiyat

[email protected]

<< You all
don't have a clue about us or our system yet you continually tell me we
are not unschooling. >>

We have all the clues you gave us.

<<Perhaps, if I had the perfect children you all seem
to have, I could walk away and leave them in control. >>

Here is the clue we're trying to give you:
Several people are trying to say that our children behave as they do
*because* we are not fighting to control them, because we're not "accidently"
unplugging things, because we're not making them "do work."

We are trying to help you.

Read that as slowly as you want to.

Sandra

Bridget E Coffman

On Sat, 8 Sep 2001 23:48:39 EDT SandraDodd@... writes:
>
> Here is the clue we're trying to give you:
> Several people are trying to say that our children behave as they do
>
> *because* we are not fighting to control them, because we're not
> "accidently"
> unplugging things, because we're not making them "do work."
>

And ONCE YET AGAIN - I NEVER said I 'accidentally' unplugged something.

Bridget

~~~~If electricity comes from electrons...does that mean that morality
comes from morons?~~~~
I sent my Soul through the Invisible,
Some letter of that After-life to spell;
And by and by my Soul returned to me,
And answered, "I Myself am Heaven and Hell." -- The Rubaiyat

jefferson academy

> Here is the clue we're trying to give you:
> Several people are trying to say that our children
> behave as they do
> *because* we are not fighting to control them,
> because we're not "accidently"
> unplugging things, because we're not making them "do
> work."

I'm a new homeschooler and have to say that (at least
so far) this has been true here. My daughter has
picked up more interests and watches amazingly little
TV since we talked about unschooling and the fact that
I would no longer be 'fighting to control' her. It is
truly a night and day difference!

=====
Michele
(mom of 5dd: Justice 22, Felicity 20, Christian 18, Grace 13, Elysian (Mia)2)

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