mabeitzel

Gosh, I haven't checked in and read for a while. But it is so nice
to know the group is here ...as if I might click on the link one day
and it would all be gone ;) My only support for unschooling right
now is this group...lots of homeschoolers in Okinawa...not
unschoolers. Anyway, my intentions of this post...I read and
article in HEM about placemats and it made me laugh because I
suddenly remembered all those great plastic placemats I had as a kid
and have never thought of them for mine. I found a site with the
comedic name painless learning and ordered a bunch of different
placemats. I know we will probably use them for anything but
placemats! I just thought it was a neat way to explore. I know my
kids will love them ...for everything. Does anyone else use them?
And not for keeping the table clean? We are all hanging in here
with the unschooling. Some days it is difficult because as so many
have said before it feels like we didn't do anything...but a closer
look at our day and I know it isn't true. I sent in a letter to the
school denying services and most it, past the first sentence, was my
feelings on the way I was received at the IEP meeting. No comment
from the principal...although I ran into one of the members of the
team and she apologized over and over about the miscommunication. I
said that telling me a once per week visit to the school for spec.
services would be babysitting was a clear message. She just
mentioned that the principal did use poor choice of words and can be
too blunt at times...on and on. The worst thing I keep coming up
against with people is the socializatin thing. I'm not asking for
anyone's opinions here yet they seem to keep giving them to me as
soon as they hear I homeschool. It starts by them asking my
children where they go to school and then it starts...it is usually
something like "well as long as they are getting enough
socialization then...I guess it is good." Ugghhh! I didn't ask.
One parent debated with me how her child's teacher told her that
hsing was not good because kids are not socialized enough...yet they
can't give you an example of interaction with a hsed kid who showed
signs of social ineptness! Ok - I'll stop rambling...I've just not
posted in so long and it is nice to rant every now and then.
Michelle B.

Tia Leschke

The worst thing I keep coming up
> against with people is the socializatin thing. I'm not asking for
> anyone's opinions here yet they seem to keep giving them to me as
> soon as they hear I homeschool. It starts by them asking my
> children where they go to school and then it starts...it is usually
> something like "well as long as they are getting enough
> socialization then...I guess it is good."

Maybe you could teach (oops, suggest) the kids to answer something like, "We
aren't locked up in a classroom all day with only kids our age. We do our
learning in the real world." They'll at the least get some terrific
touble-takes. <g>
Tia

mabeitzel

Tia,
That makes me laugh...I've actually thought of asking them to say,
when asked "what school do you go to?"...The World school and you?
Maybe that will stop the questions :)
Michelle



--- In Unschooling-dotcom@y..., Tia Leschke <leschke@s...> wrote:
> The worst thing I keep coming up
> > against with people is the socializatin thing. I'm not asking
for
> > anyone's opinions here yet they seem to keep giving them to me as
> > soon as they hear I homeschool. It starts by them asking my
> > children where they go to school and then it starts...it is
usually
> > something like "well as long as they are getting enough
> > socialization then...I guess it is good."
>
> Maybe you could teach (oops, suggest) the kids to answer something
like, "We
> aren't locked up in a classroom all day with only kids our age.
We do our
> learning in the real world." They'll at the least get some
terrific
> touble-takes. <g>
> Tia

mabeitzel

Tia,
That makes me laugh...I've actually thought of asking them to say,
when asked "what school do you go to?"...The World school and you?
Maybe that will stop the questions :)
Michelle



--- In Unschooling-dotcom@y..., Tia Leschke <leschke@s...> wrote:
> The worst thing I keep coming up
> > against with people is the socializatin thing. I'm not asking
for
> > anyone's opinions here yet they seem to keep giving them to me as
> > soon as they hear I homeschool. It starts by them asking my
> > children where they go to school and then it starts...it is
usually
> > something like "well as long as they are getting enough
> > socialization then...I guess it is good."
>
> Maybe you could teach (oops, suggest) the kids to answer something
like, "We
> aren't locked up in a classroom all day with only kids our age.
We do our
> learning in the real world." They'll at the least get some
terrific
> touble-takes. <g>
> Tia