Marie A. in NY

Hello,
Laura,
How do did you get your son in to a

"floating
apprentice for a computer company, building systems, loading software,
and
working at the front desk with customers"

My son is 14 and big into computers. He makes movies and cartoons as well as cards. I was thinking maybe I could get him to work/Vol. at a computer place near here where we live.

He is still De-schooling and he hates it in one moment and then tells me all the wonderful things he is doing.

He tells me he could do every thing he is doing know and still be in school.

I think he is concerned about what his father might think sense his father told him that once.

De-schooling may not be as easy as I would like it to be. My son wants to go to collage and now says he can not go because he will not get a GED or a diploma.

I told him that there are a lot of homeschoolers who go to collage with out them.

I hope I was right. He does not forget anything.

Let me know if you or anyone have any input for me. Or info on how I might get him a job at a computer store. He has to penny saver routes and whats another job. Money has always been a big deal with him. He saves most all of what he gets.

THANKS










Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Marie Alexander





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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

crazeemom77043

--- In [email protected], "Marie A. in NY"
<angelwings14513@y...> wrote:
>
> Hello,
> Laura,
> How do did you get your son in to a
>
> "floating
> apprentice for a computer company, building systems, loading
software,
> and
> working at the front desk with customers"
>
> My son is 14 and big into computers. He makes movies and cartoons
as well as cards. I was thinking maybe I could get him to work/Vol.
at a computer place near here where we live.

Hi Marie --

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you. Kinda hairy around
here.

Actually I didn't get him into anything. He did it himself. I came
home from errands one day, and he informed me that he'd been calling
around to used computer stores, looking for old components that
they'd be willing to let him have to mess around with. He had a list
of three places in the area to go to, and when we visited he let them
know that he'd be willing to work around their places for no pay --
just for the opportunity to look over shoulders and learn a thing or
two. The last place took him up on it. I was absolutely floored at
his maturity and presence. He'd just come out of the first part of
his deschooling phase and took me completely by surprise.

He worked at that store for four months until it went under, then got
a letter of reference from the owner, which he used to find himself
another job -- this time with a larger company that builds new
systems and operates largely online. He helps them to assemble
systems and install software, and has begun working at the front desk
helping cutomers to customize their own systems. It's pretty
awesome. As a bonus, he's working with a Chinese immigrant who
speaks very little English and who is teaching him some beginning
Chinese -- a language that has fascinated him for a long time. It's
amazing to me what happens when we just let these kids go after
they've been imprisoned by the system for so long.

I would recommend perhaps that you let him read this message, and
show him the phone book. Let him know you'll drive him wherever he
wants to go, when he's ready, that you'll go in with him if he wants
or will sit in the car on your hands and biting your tongue if that's
what he prefers. If he hasn't already, have him read over the
sections of the Teenage Liberation Handbook that deal with mentoring,
apprenticeship and volunteering. Those were quite inspirational to
my ds. Remember, there's no money in this. It's for experience.
And part of the experience is going after the apprenticeship. It's
amazing how many people, who are in love with what they do, really
take to the idea of sharing that love with an eager and industrious
young person. It makes everyone feel good.

Good luck!
Laura B.