Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] Digest Number 2357
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/10/2002 1:18:10 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
[email protected] writes:
I teach part-time at a local community college and my kids have hung out at
colleges for their whole lives - we go to concerts and theater events there,
etc. So - it was very natural for them to want to do things there, too. My
oldest signed up for a voice class and a piano class when she was 13, almost
14. She loved it. The next semester she was invited to sing in a jazz singing
group and she took a psychology class and ceramics. After that she took
speech and got onto the forensics team and competed in debate tournaments,
etc. She took photography and had some large mural portraits displayed in a
student show in a gallery in Laguna Beach (artsy-fartsiest place in Southern
California <G>). She is now in her fifth year of taking classes there - she's
taken academic courses like history and math and composition and she's taken
lots of fine arts classes and she's had a blast, but she's now very restless.
She wants to move on to something "more" - but can't decide what. She has an
urge to "just travel" for some months - wants to visit all her unschooling
friends all over the US and Canada. Sometimes she wants to transfer to a
university. I'm not sure what she'll end up doing. She also has a 30+ hours
per week job that she absolutely loves - at Laguna Clay Company which is a
very large manufacturer of glazes and clays and pottery equipment.
She has very high grades, nearly all A's, and has had absolutely no trouble
at all in adjusting to taking classes and studying and taking exams, etc. It
is easy for her. She's also had no trouble adjusting to working - she's
responsible and a very-much-valued employee.
But - now - here she is at almost-18 and taking ceramics, print-making, and a
math class and I think she's burned out on school and needs time off and away
from it.
My second child is following the same path -- but is into music and theater
as well as computer programming. She's almost 15. No problems with handling
the college classes -- high grades and is enjoying it a LOT.
--pam
The National Home Education Network
http://www.NHEN.org
Changing the Way the World Sees Homeschooling!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected] writes:
> I'm just curious to know how college fits into the unschoolingI can give you our current experience with our unschooled kids:
> philosophy in general and in the actual lives of your children. I
> mean, I realize that an unschooling parent wouldn't coerce/push/bribe
> (as in Sandra's humorous example) a child to attend college, or even
> assume that college is a given for their child. But do children who
> have been unschooled feel a need or desire for college? Do those who
> decide on college need to do some preparation to "get them ready" for
> the schoolish way of doing things (e.g. exams, papers, lectures,
> etc.)? What has been your experience?
I teach part-time at a local community college and my kids have hung out at
colleges for their whole lives - we go to concerts and theater events there,
etc. So - it was very natural for them to want to do things there, too. My
oldest signed up for a voice class and a piano class when she was 13, almost
14. She loved it. The next semester she was invited to sing in a jazz singing
group and she took a psychology class and ceramics. After that she took
speech and got onto the forensics team and competed in debate tournaments,
etc. She took photography and had some large mural portraits displayed in a
student show in a gallery in Laguna Beach (artsy-fartsiest place in Southern
California <G>). She is now in her fifth year of taking classes there - she's
taken academic courses like history and math and composition and she's taken
lots of fine arts classes and she's had a blast, but she's now very restless.
She wants to move on to something "more" - but can't decide what. She has an
urge to "just travel" for some months - wants to visit all her unschooling
friends all over the US and Canada. Sometimes she wants to transfer to a
university. I'm not sure what she'll end up doing. She also has a 30+ hours
per week job that she absolutely loves - at Laguna Clay Company which is a
very large manufacturer of glazes and clays and pottery equipment.
She has very high grades, nearly all A's, and has had absolutely no trouble
at all in adjusting to taking classes and studying and taking exams, etc. It
is easy for her. She's also had no trouble adjusting to working - she's
responsible and a very-much-valued employee.
But - now - here she is at almost-18 and taking ceramics, print-making, and a
math class and I think she's burned out on school and needs time off and away
from it.
My second child is following the same path -- but is into music and theater
as well as computer programming. She's almost 15. No problems with handling
the college classes -- high grades and is enjoying it a LOT.
--pam
The National Home Education Network
http://www.NHEN.org
Changing the Way the World Sees Homeschooling!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Mary Bianco
>From: PSoroosh@...Well Pam I didn't ask the question but I loved your answer. I love hearing
>I can give you our current experience with our unschooled kids:
stories like that. It makes my heart warm.
Thanks.
Mary B
_________________________________________________________________
Join the world�s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail.
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tarasine
--- In Unschooling-dotcom@y..., PSoroosh@a... wrote:
<<I can give you our current experience with our unschooled kids:
I teach part-time at a local community college and my kids have hung
out at colleges for their whole lives - we go to concerts and theater
events there, etc. So - it was very natural for them to want to do
things there, too.>>
<<She has very high grades, nearly all A's, and has had absolutely no
trouble at all in adjusting to taking classes and studying and taking
exams, etc. It is easy for her. She's also had no trouble adjusting to
working - she's responsible and a very-much-valued employee.>>
Thanks so much for your response, Pam! This is exactly the kind of
thing I was wondering about. I have *felt* that this would be the case
if unschooling was embraced fully, but I guess I have needed some
real-life examples to reassure me. The college question is one that
has come up in discussions with my husband about unschooling. (After
reading about some other husbands on this list, I feel so lucky that
he is *far* from reluctant about the issue--we have been researching
it together and he is very pro-unschooling.) I have a feeling that
many of our extended family members will bring that one up, too, since
higher education is a big priority in our families. I really
appreciate you sharing your experience with me--I think it will help
to offer "testimonials" like this to skeptical relatives.
Thanks again!
Tarasine