unschooling methods
Delta Transport
I am new to this group, new to homeschooling, and new to unschooling. We have just started homeschooling last year and we have been unschoolers for most of it. (We did give a curriculum a try until we found out how much we were missing out on while we were "schooling")
I was diagnosed with dislexia when I was in first grade. My parents never told me. I think they didn't understand it and they thought it might hold me back if I knew. In any case it was pretty mild. I have to say that I never read anything for fun until I was in Junior high. A friend gave me some teen romance novels and I went crazy over them. I gave up reading for pleasure when so much reading was required of me in school. Actually I never did any of the required reading either. It was too tedious for me. I learned everything I needed to know from lectures, TV and talking to my friends. I actually got fairly decent grades. I went to Junior college (my grades got even better) and then transferred to a fairly psrestigious University. There I maintained a 3.5gpa and still didn't do a lot of reading. But I turned into a fairly decent writer. I worked full time at a law office and as a waitress while in school. I read for instructions when I had too. But I would so much rather have someone tell me or show me what to do. Now I am not suggesting that everyone should "get through" life like that. But I know that my dislexia and the pressure of school hindered my ability to learn from the written word. I think that concentrating on other ways of learning is very effective (i.e. videos, TV, audio tapes, live presentations, etc.) Then as maturity sets in one can learn to read for pleasure and then apply it to more challenging tasks . I hope this helps a little Sharon. I wish I had known that just because I was slow at reading didn't mean I was dumb. I felt that way for many years. I felt like such a fake. I also felt that I was lazy for not wanting to read. I know differently now. I know that there are lots of ways to learn. That is is never to late to learn to read well (which I am getting better at everyday, I am now 35) and It is never too late to fall in love with the written word. I do love to read now. I wish you all the best with your Grand Daughter. How lucky she is to have you for a grandma!
Raundi
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I was diagnosed with dislexia when I was in first grade. My parents never told me. I think they didn't understand it and they thought it might hold me back if I knew. In any case it was pretty mild. I have to say that I never read anything for fun until I was in Junior high. A friend gave me some teen romance novels and I went crazy over them. I gave up reading for pleasure when so much reading was required of me in school. Actually I never did any of the required reading either. It was too tedious for me. I learned everything I needed to know from lectures, TV and talking to my friends. I actually got fairly decent grades. I went to Junior college (my grades got even better) and then transferred to a fairly psrestigious University. There I maintained a 3.5gpa and still didn't do a lot of reading. But I turned into a fairly decent writer. I worked full time at a law office and as a waitress while in school. I read for instructions when I had too. But I would so much rather have someone tell me or show me what to do. Now I am not suggesting that everyone should "get through" life like that. But I know that my dislexia and the pressure of school hindered my ability to learn from the written word. I think that concentrating on other ways of learning is very effective (i.e. videos, TV, audio tapes, live presentations, etc.) Then as maturity sets in one can learn to read for pleasure and then apply it to more challenging tasks . I hope this helps a little Sharon. I wish I had known that just because I was slow at reading didn't mean I was dumb. I felt that way for many years. I felt like such a fake. I also felt that I was lazy for not wanting to read. I know differently now. I know that there are lots of ways to learn. That is is never to late to learn to read well (which I am getting better at everyday, I am now 35) and It is never too late to fall in love with the written word. I do love to read now. I wish you all the best with your Grand Daughter. How lucky she is to have you for a grandma!
Raundi
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
sharon childs
Raundi,
Thank you for the lovely message and sharing your personal experience. I
guess maybe we are doing better than I thought we were. It is not as though
she is not reading at all, her reading is probably at about a second or
third grade level. I do know what you mean though about feeling you weren't
as smart as the ones who were faster.
Why do "we" put so much emphasis on speed? Like the faster they learn the
smarter they are, and that doesn't even make much sense. Just because a
child is potty trained at 18 months doesn't make him any more intelligent
than one trained at 3 1/2. When you question a highly educated person it is
such a surprise when they say they didn't learn how to do this or that until
much later than "average". Like even speech. To all things just come at a
different pace.
Your letter has a lot of insight. I appreciate it.
Sharon
Thank you for the lovely message and sharing your personal experience. I
guess maybe we are doing better than I thought we were. It is not as though
she is not reading at all, her reading is probably at about a second or
third grade level. I do know what you mean though about feeling you weren't
as smart as the ones who were faster.
Why do "we" put so much emphasis on speed? Like the faster they learn the
smarter they are, and that doesn't even make much sense. Just because a
child is potty trained at 18 months doesn't make him any more intelligent
than one trained at 3 1/2. When you question a highly educated person it is
such a surprise when they say they didn't learn how to do this or that until
much later than "average". Like even speech. To all things just come at a
different pace.
Your letter has a lot of insight. I appreciate it.
Sharon
----- Original Message -----
From: "Delta Transport" <deltatransport@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, April 15, 2002 12:04 AM
Subject: [Unschooling-dotcom] unschooling methods
> I am new to this group, new to homeschooling, and new to unschooling. We
have just started homeschooling last year and we have been unschoolers for
most of it. (We did give a curriculum a try until we found out how much we
were missing out on while we were "schooling")
>
> I was diagnosed with dislexia when I was in first grade. My parents never
told me. I think they didn't understand it and they thought it might hold me
back if I knew. In any case it was pretty mild. I have to say that I never
read anything for fun until I was in Junior high. A friend gave me some
teen romance novels and I went crazy over them. I gave up reading for
pleasure when so much reading was required of me in school. Actually I
never did any of the required reading either. It was too tedious for me. I
learned everything I needed to know from lectures, TV and talking to my
friends. I actually got fairly decent grades. I went to Junior college (my
grades got even better) and then transferred to a fairly psrestigious
University. There I maintained a 3.5gpa and still didn't do a lot of
reading. But I turned into a fairly decent writer. I worked full time at a
law office and as a waitress while in school. I read for instructions when
I had too. But I would so much rather have someone tell me or show me what
to do. Now I am not suggesting that everyone should "get through" life like
that. But I know that my dislexia and the pressure of school hindered my
ability to learn from the written word. I think that concentrating on other
ways of learning is very effective (i.e. videos, TV, audio tapes, live
presentations, etc.) Then as maturity sets in one can learn to read for
pleasure and then apply it to more challenging tasks . I hope this helps a
little Sharon. I wish I had known that just because I was slow at reading
didn't mean I was dumb. I felt that way for many years. I felt like such a
fake. I also felt that I was lazy for not wanting to read. I know
differently now. I know that there are lots of ways to learn. That is is
never to late to learn to read well (which I am getting better at everyday,
I am now 35) and It is never too late to fall in love with the written
word. I do love to read now. I wish you all the best with your Grand
Daughter. How lucky she is to have you for a grandma!
>
> Raundi
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
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[email protected]
In a message dated 4/15/2002 12:11:50 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
deltatransport@... writes:
STILL sitting in school, thinking they're dumb, because their specific
abilities are not a good match for how school teaches. Just such a SHAME.
--pamS
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
deltatransport@... writes:
> I think that concentrating on other ways of learning is very effective (i.e.Raundi -- this is so heartbreaking, isn't it? To think that there are kids
> videos, TV, audio tapes, live presentations, etc.) Then as maturity sets
> in one can learn to read for pleasure and then apply it to more challenging
> tasks . I hope this helps a little Sharon. I wish I had known that just
> because I was slow at reading didn't mean I was dumb. I felt that way for
> many years. I felt like such a fake. I also felt that I was lazy for not
> wanting to read.
STILL sitting in school, thinking they're dumb, because their specific
abilities are not a good match for how school teaches. Just such a SHAME.
--pamS
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
rumpleteasermom
--- In Unschooling-dotcom@y..., "sharon childs" <sugarcrafter@u...>
wrote:
When you question a highly educated
person it is
fact. Jenni can whip through books faster than anyone I've ever met.
Rachel can point to a spot in the outfield and hit a ball to it 9
times out of 10 (on a decent pitch). It doesn't mean either is better
than the other as a person, they just have differences.
Bridget
wrote:
When you question a highly educated
person it is
> such a surprise when they say they didn't learn how to do this orthat until
> much later than "average". Like even speech. To all things justcome at a
> different pace.Yes, it did. And when I talk about how fast Jenni reads, it is just a
>
> Your letter has a lot of insight. I appreciate it.
>
fact. Jenni can whip through books faster than anyone I've ever met.
Rachel can point to a spot in the outfield and hit a ball to it 9
times out of 10 (on a decent pitch). It doesn't mean either is better
than the other as a person, they just have differences.
Bridget