[email protected]

In a message dated 9/10/01 1:50:28 AM US Mountain Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:

> they have to write (physically) a certain amount each week.
> > They choose what and when. Bridget
>
I've been reading these posts and there are some things I've noticed.

1. It seems really important to Bridget that she be called a mother that
unschools her children.

2. Unschooling (as I understand it, please correct me if I'm wrong) is
defined as letting kids choose to do what they want when they want, with us
offering resources, things for them to do (to which they can say yes or not),
giving them the common courtesies we would use with our hubbies or friends.

3. If my child (and I can only use my family as an example) Zak said to me
"I really want you to assign me some kind of writing task each week. I'll
(Zak) choose how much and what I write but I want you (Dawn) to hold me
accountable for the amount that I do".... I would want to have a conversation
with him about why he felt the need to have someone else direct and dictate
his life rather than himself.

Another example. If my best friend Debra called and said "I need you to
write an article for my local newspaper this week, you can write it on
anything you want and it can be as long as you want, but it has to be done in
the next 7 days".... I then have the choice to say yes or no to that
assignment.

I think for me it's the idea that a child would willingly come to me and say
"I want you to tell me to do something" seems odd. Maybe it's because my
child has not been to school long enough (only to 1 week in Kindgergarten,
Waldorf Style which is more like preschool) that he's not interested in me
assigning him anything. It's hard enough to get his attention most of the
time to offer things he does like, let alone get him to want me to dictate to
him what he does!!!! (Sorry that was a long sentence).

I would be concerned about Zak's self esteem and what had happened to him to
make him rely on me "making him accountable" for writing or math, especially
as I'm working towards being as radical an unschooler as possible (nothing
like going whole hog).

Just some thoughts.

Dawn
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Dawn Falbe
Personal Development Coach
Relocational Astrologer
(520) 579-2646
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The Path of Least Resistance is Inside of You
www.astrologerdawn.com
Enlightening women on how to live their Soul Purpose

"The people who get on in this world
are people who get up and look for the
circumstances they want, and,
if they can't find them, make them." - George Bernard Shaw

"The only time my education was interrupted was when I was in school."-George
Bernard Shaw





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Bridget E Coffman

On Mon, 10 Sep 2001 09:25:40 EDT NumoAstro@... writes:

> I've been reading these posts and there are some things I've
> noticed.
>
> 1. It seems really important to Bridget that she be called a mother
> that unschools her children.
>

Nope - but I'm too busy to go back and find the posts where I said that's
not the case.


> 2. Unschooling (as I understand it, please correct me if I'm wrong)
is
> defined as letting kids choose to do what they want when they want,
with us
> offering resources, things for them to do (to which they can say yes
or not),
> giving them the common courtesies we would use with our hubbies or
friends.
>

I don't know about YOUR family but I can tell my hubby he has an assigned
task needed to be done in x amount of time and he listens. He can do the
same with me.


> 3. If my child (and I can only use my family as an example) Zak said
to me
> "I really want you to assign me some kind of writing task each week.
I'll
> (Zak) choose how much and what I write but I want you (Dawn) to hold
me
> accountable for the amount that I do".... I would want to have a
conversation
> with him about why he felt the need to have someone else direct and
dictate
> his life rather than himself.

I already explained the reasoning behind it. It has to do with wanting
to go to college. And please see my recent post about the jobs list. I
realized during this conversation that the way it is written, they could
do NO schoolwork if they wanted to.

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

Pam Hartley

----------
>From: [email protected]
>To: [email protected]
>Subject: [Unschooling-dotcom] Digest Number 1445
>Date: Mon, Sep 10, 2001, 8:23 AM
>

> I don't know about YOUR family but I can tell my hubby he has an assigned
> task needed to be done in x amount of time and he listens. He can do the
> same with me.


Do either of you lose the car if you don't get them done?

Pam

Bridget E Coffman

On Mon, 10 Sep 2001 08:54:47 -0700 Pam Hartley
<pamhartley@...> writes:
>
>
> Do either of you lose the car if you don't get them done?
>
> Pam
>

No . . . but we do loose something else!!!!

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