Unschooler at school
Aleksi Rapkin
I am a die-hard unschooler. But the day before public school started
in September 2002, my daughter decided she wanted to go. Just like
that, an announcement. So as I always do, I said "fine". I had no
idea that she would still want to go in the morning.
I do not care about "homework" or "what teachers think". I do not feel
any pressure from the school because I do not to take this stuff
seriously. I do not see every mark on the paper, good or bad,as a
reflection on me or my child. . My daughter does not got exited over
100%'s or getting things wrong. She reports that to me in a matter of
factly or not at all.
If she wants to quit, she knows she can. If she wanted to see how a
farm works, I would arrange for a farm stay, I don't see this as any
different.
We take days off to go skiing and such. My homeschooling friends think
that is so amazing that the school "allows" that to happen. But I
would never think to ask permission.
By the way, she was 7 yrs and 2 months old when she started 1st grade
in September. She could not read at all or add or count very high. I
honestly believe that trying to learn something before it is time will
backfire. She finds it all easy now and I'm sure it is because we
didn't push and do not get excited one way or another.
I 'm not comfortabe with the word unschooler. I'm thinking "NO
schooler" although that doesn't satisfy me either. I don't like my
identity to be any kind of schooler. When I was little, my mother
didn't say "we're schoolers" or "we're public-schoolers" or "we're
private-schoolers". Actually she never used the "we" the way people use
it now.
Aleksi
in September 2002, my daughter decided she wanted to go. Just like
that, an announcement. So as I always do, I said "fine". I had no
idea that she would still want to go in the morning.
I do not care about "homework" or "what teachers think". I do not feel
any pressure from the school because I do not to take this stuff
seriously. I do not see every mark on the paper, good or bad,as a
reflection on me or my child. . My daughter does not got exited over
100%'s or getting things wrong. She reports that to me in a matter of
factly or not at all.
If she wants to quit, she knows she can. If she wanted to see how a
farm works, I would arrange for a farm stay, I don't see this as any
different.
We take days off to go skiing and such. My homeschooling friends think
that is so amazing that the school "allows" that to happen. But I
would never think to ask permission.
By the way, she was 7 yrs and 2 months old when she started 1st grade
in September. She could not read at all or add or count very high. I
honestly believe that trying to learn something before it is time will
backfire. She finds it all easy now and I'm sure it is because we
didn't push and do not get excited one way or another.
I 'm not comfortabe with the word unschooler. I'm thinking "NO
schooler" although that doesn't satisfy me either. I don't like my
identity to be any kind of schooler. When I was little, my mother
didn't say "we're schoolers" or "we're public-schoolers" or "we're
private-schoolers". Actually she never used the "we" the way people use
it now.
Aleksi
[email protected]
In a message dated 2/6/03 2:47:28 PM, aleksi@... writes:
<< If she wants to quit, she knows she can. If she wanted to see how a
farm works, I would arrange for a farm stay, I don't see this as any
different.
to have gone to school day 1 of first grade.
The analogy of visiting a farm is interesting, but she seems to have gone to
live at the farm.
What if a soccer mom wrote and said she was a serious soccer mom but her
children didn't play soccer?
I can understand the philosophical basis, but there really is a disconnect if
a person's kid is in school! Aleksi, do you have other school age children
not in school?
<By the way, she was 7 yrs and 2 months old when she started 1st grade
in September.>>
She had been homeschooled for a couple of years and wanted to try first grade?
Really interesting!
I assumed my second kid, Marty, would have wanted to go to school. He never
did go.
Sandra
<< If she wants to quit, she knows she can. If she wanted to see how a
farm works, I would arrange for a farm stay, I don't see this as any
different.
>>It's interesting for the mom to identify as an unschooler and for the child
to have gone to school day 1 of first grade.
The analogy of visiting a farm is interesting, but she seems to have gone to
live at the farm.
What if a soccer mom wrote and said she was a serious soccer mom but her
children didn't play soccer?
I can understand the philosophical basis, but there really is a disconnect if
a person's kid is in school! Aleksi, do you have other school age children
not in school?
<By the way, she was 7 yrs and 2 months old when she started 1st grade
in September.>>
She had been homeschooled for a couple of years and wanted to try first grade?
Really interesting!
I assumed my second kid, Marty, would have wanted to go to school. He never
did go.
Sandra