[email protected]

Sorry - sent a blank email I think.

I'd like to see more answers to one of your questions:

>>19. What, in your opinion, have been the greatest benefits of homeschooling
for you/your family?
A. Benefits: Mutual respect; happiness; trust; a lasting good understanding
between parents and child. As for academics, schools can't touch
homeschooling by conscientious parents. <<

--pamS

Betsy

**I think a lot of people THINK we're telling them that, if they let
their kids
have real freedom to choose, their kids will regain their love of
learning
(which is true), and that they'll choose to learn the same kinds of
things in
the same kinds of ways that schools try to teach (which is highly
unlikely).**

Pam, this is a good point.

I've sometimes fallen into the error looking for ways to hook into
school subjects. I sit around wringing my hands because my son doesn't
have interests like The Civil War or Astronomy. I was overlooking the
fact that Pokemon is an interest. Just because the state of California
doesn't think kids have to learn about Pokemon and be tested on it
doesn't mean that Pokemon isn't an interest that I can encourage.

Betsy

Saddle Mountain Academy

>>19. What, in your opinion, have been the greatest benefits of homeschooling for you/your family?

For me it's the scheduling freedom. I can take a break when I want, we can take a last minute quick vacation if I want. Another benefit is my girls' friendships. I just don't see public school siblings being as good of friends as my daughters are with each other. I enjoy the freedom of using whatever resources I want to help "teach" a specific topic. No text books, but historical fiction, biographies, videos, field trips. MUCH more interesting.

Sue


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zenmomma *

>>All good answers --- are they "expecting" the radical unschooling point of
>>view? I'm also giving a talk this week (along with someone else) to people
>>just considering homeschooling and we always struggle with how much to
>>make it unschooling-based versus how much to just be more objective and
>>tell them about all the different ways homeschoolers homeschool.>>

I have this dilemma every time a schooler comes to me with thoughts of
taking their kids out of school. I always want to talk up unschooling.
However, while they're still in the school system I'm afraid that this much
freedom will just scare them away. The idea that learning is not divided
into neat little subject areas is a true eye opener to most people. Too
frightening and feeing to be true, I guess.

I've been using my kids as an example most of the time. If I sense the
parents are getting too uncomfortable, I'll throw in the idea that lots of
parents start out with an eclectic style or with unit studies. That seems to
make them breathe easier. I can't make myself suggest anything more
structured than that.

Life is good.
~Mary

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In a message dated 6/14/02 10:32:34 AM, zenmomma@... writes:

<< I have this dilemma every time a schooler comes to me with thoughts of
taking their kids out of school. I always want to talk up unschooling.
However, while they're still in the school system I'm afraid that this much
freedom will just scare them away. The idea that learning is not divided
into neat little subject areas is a true eye opener to most people. Too
frightening and feeing to be true, I guess. >>

What I suggest is for them to wait a while before buying a curriculum and
they might decide they don't really need one. Then if they ask me more
about that I can talk about unschooling. If they don't I just cross my
fingers and hope they'll figure it out.

(That's for the phone calls from people who got my phone number from the
library or some such.)

Sandra

[email protected]

In a message dated 6/13/02 1:26:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time, PSoroosh@...
writes:


> It will never be algebra or french or social studies or etc

jumping in this thread a tad late, but one of the first things my daughter
asked to learn was french!! LOL LOL
It didn't last too long, we learned about Impressionist art, went to the art
museum, learn some basic phrases, all around the time my mom went to Paris. I
am thinking she may become ready for asking for more in the future. I enjoyed
"teaching" her a little because i took 4 years in high school and i remember
what i enjoyed learning :0)
Ang
SAHM to
Megan Elizabeth 8/8/92 8lbs 8oz
Ashlyn Olivia 7/25/99 9lbs 8oz
Christian James 6/09/01 9lbs 5oz
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[email protected]

On Mon, 17 Jun 2002 13:08:12 EDT megamom08@... writes:
> jumping in this thread a tad late, but one of the first things my
> daughter asked to learn was french!!

This made me think... I can't remember Rain ever asking to learn anything
- she just does it. The things she'll ask for are very specific, things
she's decided she needs in order to learn what she wants to learn. She
asks me to show her how to knit again, or download the lyrics for a song
from the net, or make sure we're home at a certain time to watch a show
on Joan of Arc, or get books on a orphan trains at the library. I think
the idea of coming up to me and saying, "I want to learn French" would
never occur to her, she'd be more likely to come and ask if I knew where
the Rosetta Stone demo CD was, or if we had any books in French, or if we
had any friends who spoke French.

This may be a personality thing. She's always been the kind of kid who
decides what she wants and goes about getting it, and trying to guide or
steer her at all is iffy. Even if her plans are unrealistic, she usually
has to discover this for herself before she'll take much advice from me.
OTOH, sometimes things I think are beyond her capabilities turn out to be
things she does quite successfully, so perhaps she's right to ignore me
sometimes :-)

dar