Wende
[email protected]
In a message dated 1/6/03 2:28:39 AM Central Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:
<< I guess I just lack confidence, not in my children, but in myself. >>
I think this is an important point that shouldn't be overlooked.
In fact, I think it's the KEY to unschooling joyfully. Because what you just
said there, indicates just how deep the damage goes in school.
I believe we are born confident. I believe that until school or parents break
a child down, they are confident in who they are.
Sure, there are degrees of confidence genetically. But children don't have a
problem with it until someone gives them a reason to not be confident.
I think healing yourself is one of the most important things you can do.
Think about the things that make you feel joyful, passionate, happy. Were you
ever attracted to something that seemed hard to learn? Or that another person
dissuaded you from trying?
Did painting or singing or hiking or watching birds or astronomy or reading
Tarot cards or traveling somewhere exotic or eating a strange new food or.....
Did those things appeal to you at some point in your life?
I think tapping into your own passions, living exactly the life of your
choosing, is a HUGE part of healing yourself and giving your children a fine
example of joyful learning.
I wrote about this once when someone here asked what we hoped our children
would get from unschooling...maybe I can find it for you.
It might be at pensacolaunschoolers.com, but I'm not sure.
Anyhoo, sometimes focusing on yourself can be a good way to get unschooling
off the ground so to speak.
I love the book "Simple Abundance" for tapping into your inner self better.
Find the things that you love and DO them, don't wait for your children to be
interested...just do it.
They will pick up your enthusiasm naturally.
Ren
"The world's much smaller than you think. Made up of two kinds of
people--simple and complicated.....The simple ones are contented. The
complicated ones aren't."
"Unschooling support at pensacolaunschoolers.com
[email protected] writes:
<< I guess I just lack confidence, not in my children, but in myself. >>
I think this is an important point that shouldn't be overlooked.
In fact, I think it's the KEY to unschooling joyfully. Because what you just
said there, indicates just how deep the damage goes in school.
I believe we are born confident. I believe that until school or parents break
a child down, they are confident in who they are.
Sure, there are degrees of confidence genetically. But children don't have a
problem with it until someone gives them a reason to not be confident.
I think healing yourself is one of the most important things you can do.
Think about the things that make you feel joyful, passionate, happy. Were you
ever attracted to something that seemed hard to learn? Or that another person
dissuaded you from trying?
Did painting or singing or hiking or watching birds or astronomy or reading
Tarot cards or traveling somewhere exotic or eating a strange new food or.....
Did those things appeal to you at some point in your life?
I think tapping into your own passions, living exactly the life of your
choosing, is a HUGE part of healing yourself and giving your children a fine
example of joyful learning.
I wrote about this once when someone here asked what we hoped our children
would get from unschooling...maybe I can find it for you.
It might be at pensacolaunschoolers.com, but I'm not sure.
Anyhoo, sometimes focusing on yourself can be a good way to get unschooling
off the ground so to speak.
I love the book "Simple Abundance" for tapping into your inner self better.
Find the things that you love and DO them, don't wait for your children to be
interested...just do it.
They will pick up your enthusiasm naturally.
Ren
"The world's much smaller than you think. Made up of two kinds of
people--simple and complicated.....The simple ones are contented. The
complicated ones aren't."
"Unschooling support at pensacolaunschoolers.com
[email protected]
In a message dated 1/6/03 8:38:34 AM, starsuncloud@... writes:
<< Anyhoo, sometimes focusing on yourself can be a good way to get
unschooling
off the ground so to speak. >>
That's a really hard thing to tell new unschoolers, too, who are all
frightened and anxious. "Ignore your kids a while, and just do what YOU want
to do."
That doesn't instil confidence, and makes them think we're nuts.
When I write about deschooling, though, I try to make it things parents and
kids do together, hoping that somewhere in there the parents will have
lightbulb moments while they think they're doing something to/for their
child. And they ARE doing things for their children and with them, but they
often start off feeling like the responsible adult, "the teacher," and not
like just one of two (or three or four) humans experiencing something
interesting together.
Sandra
<< Anyhoo, sometimes focusing on yourself can be a good way to get
unschooling
off the ground so to speak. >>
That's a really hard thing to tell new unschoolers, too, who are all
frightened and anxious. "Ignore your kids a while, and just do what YOU want
to do."
That doesn't instil confidence, and makes them think we're nuts.
When I write about deschooling, though, I try to make it things parents and
kids do together, hoping that somewhere in there the parents will have
lightbulb moments while they think they're doing something to/for their
child. And they ARE doing things for their children and with them, but they
often start off feeling like the responsible adult, "the teacher," and not
like just one of two (or three or four) humans experiencing something
interesting together.
Sandra
Julie Bogart <[email protected]>
--- In [email protected],
SandraDodd@a... wrote:
has caused me to put on the brakes about traditional learning in
schools. I found myself expecting of my kids what I know doesn't
work at all with me. That's how I got here.
By urging moms to get invested in developing their own
passions and interests, by expanding their thoughts and
experiences, we give them a model that comes from inside...
and it's that that drove me to this list again.
Just this morning, my dh and I took the five out for breakfast and
talked about our best years of "homeschool." The kids all quickly
recalled the years where I was hands-off and where they had
free reign of their learning (unschooling). I have undulated in
how free I've been due to lack of support and the encroaching
fears related to college. But today, both my dh and I felt free from
those fears.
We shared with the kids that we were going to go back to that
way of learning only this time without fear. I used my personal
experience of studying art, U2, Hans Kung and African violet care
as examples of how my education has blossomed without
structure or accountability.
Three of the five really caught fire. The other two (my pleasers)
both immediately felt that the freedom was too great and worry
that they will not meet requirements if left to themselves. Wow.
Humbling to think I had already damaged their sense of
personal responbility and self-trust.
In any case, thank you for all the help yesterday. We've jumped.
And my husband is fully on board. In fact, he kept saying last
night (into the wee hours) "I don't want our kids to be brain dead
like all the freshmen I teach in college." He has weekly proof that
just because kids are prepared for college doesn't mean they
are learning anything or even want to be there.
Btw, for those who are interested, a friend and I started a website
for women who want to talk about art, books, movies, and
anything else they are learning. It started out predominantly with
Christian homeschoolers, but we've broadened some and are
eager for all kinds of women to join us. The forum is
non-sectarian and the emphasis is on the humanities not
religion. We are just over 200 users now.
http://www.trapdoorsociety.com
Julie
SandraDodd@a... wrote:
>writes:
> In a message dated 1/6/03 8:38:34 AM, starsuncloud@c...
>way to get
> << Anyhoo, sometimes focusing on yourself can be a good
> unschoolingall
> off the ground so to speak. >>
>
> That's a really hard thing to tell new unschoolers, too, who are
> frightened and anxious. "Ignore your kids a while, and just dowhat YOU want
> to do."nuts.
>
> That doesn't instil confidence, and makes them think we're
>parents and
> When I write about deschooling, though, I try to make it things
> kids do together, hoping that somewhere in there the parentswill have
> lightbulb moments while they think they're doing somethingto/for their
> child. And they ARE doing things for their children and withthem, but they
> often start off feeling like the responsible adult, "the teacher,"and not
> like just one of two (or three or four) humans experiencingsomething
> interesting together.May I add to this? It's my own pursuit of learning as an adult that
>
> Sandra
has caused me to put on the brakes about traditional learning in
schools. I found myself expecting of my kids what I know doesn't
work at all with me. That's how I got here.
By urging moms to get invested in developing their own
passions and interests, by expanding their thoughts and
experiences, we give them a model that comes from inside...
and it's that that drove me to this list again.
Just this morning, my dh and I took the five out for breakfast and
talked about our best years of "homeschool." The kids all quickly
recalled the years where I was hands-off and where they had
free reign of their learning (unschooling). I have undulated in
how free I've been due to lack of support and the encroaching
fears related to college. But today, both my dh and I felt free from
those fears.
We shared with the kids that we were going to go back to that
way of learning only this time without fear. I used my personal
experience of studying art, U2, Hans Kung and African violet care
as examples of how my education has blossomed without
structure or accountability.
Three of the five really caught fire. The other two (my pleasers)
both immediately felt that the freedom was too great and worry
that they will not meet requirements if left to themselves. Wow.
Humbling to think I had already damaged their sense of
personal responbility and self-trust.
In any case, thank you for all the help yesterday. We've jumped.
And my husband is fully on board. In fact, he kept saying last
night (into the wee hours) "I don't want our kids to be brain dead
like all the freshmen I teach in college." He has weekly proof that
just because kids are prepared for college doesn't mean they
are learning anything or even want to be there.
Btw, for those who are interested, a friend and I started a website
for women who want to talk about art, books, movies, and
anything else they are learning. It started out predominantly with
Christian homeschoolers, but we've broadened some and are
eager for all kinds of women to join us. The forum is
non-sectarian and the emphasis is on the humanities not
religion. We are just over 200 users now.
http://www.trapdoorsociety.com
Julie
[email protected]
On Mon, 6 Jan 2003 10:36:26 EST starsuncloud@... writes:
Wende
________________________________________________________________
Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today
Only $9.95 per month!
Visit www.juno.com
> I think this is an important point that shouldn't be overlooked.you can
> In fact, I think it's the KEY to unschooling joyfully. Because what
> you just
> said there, indicates just how deep the damage goes in school.
> I believe we are born confident. I believe that until school or
> parents break
> a child down, they are confident in who they are.
> Sure, there are degrees of confidence genetically. But children
> don't have a
> problem with it until someone gives them a reason to not be
> confident. I think healing yourself is one of the most important things
> do.I agree with you 100%, and trying to do just that.
Wende
________________________________________________________________
Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today
Only $9.95 per month!
Visit www.juno.com