Re: Definition Please
Lynda
I have a serious question and it is not meant to inflame anyone's
sensibilities. What do the folks on this list think unschooling is/define
unschooling as? My reason for asking is that I s*bbed based on the list
name but am finding that this is more a school-at-home, ps and occasional
eclectic list than an unschooling list.
Lynda, who does not mean to offend anyone, simply curious.
----------
sensibilities. What do the folks on this list think unschooling is/define
unschooling as? My reason for asking is that I s*bbed based on the list
name but am finding that this is more a school-at-home, ps and occasional
eclectic list than an unschooling list.
Lynda, who does not mean to offend anyone, simply curious.
----------
Lisa Bugg
>Lynda, you and I must not be reading the same list. :) The math response
> I have a serious question and it is not meant to inflame anyone's
> sensibilities. What do the folks on this list think unschooling is/define
> unschooling as? My reason for asking is that I s*bbed based on the list
> name but am finding that this is more a school-at-home, ps and occasional
> eclectic list than an unschooling list.
>
> Lynda, who does not mean to offend anyone, simply curious.
that follows your question sure doesn't sound like a school-at-home answer.
I do think we get an awful lot of questions, maybe even mostly newbie
questions that begin with a schoolish premise. Some people take years to
move through all their unstated assumptions about learning and school. We
are all at very different places in our own journey, so therefore you're not
going to hear a party line answer, not
even an unschooling party line answer to most questions.
I know for a fact that trying to define unschooling will bring out a whole
host of folks though. <VBG> We're the most vocal of the *don't define me
for me * groups that I have ever run across.
There is one thing that we are not doing on this list, we are not hearing
from our long-long term unschoolers. And we aren't doing much talking about
what affect our unschooling kids are having out there in the world.. that is
if we can tell what might be going on. I suspect that might be because life
is so very busy and hectic, at least it is for me.
I have some friends here who want to start a group called LLL -The Next
Generation. Our kids are way past the nursing/toddler age, but we find we
still need support as our parenting is oh so very different. And not just
different in the educational arena either.
So Lynda, what do you have on your mind? Unschooling wise that is?
LisaKK
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In a message dated 02/01/2000 11:28:12 AM Eastern Standard Time,
lurine@... writes:
<< I have a serious question and it is not meant to inflame anyone's
sensibilities. What do the folks on this list think unschooling is/define
unschooling as? My reason for asking is that I s*bbed based on the list
name but am finding that this is more a school-at-home, ps and occasional
eclectic list than an unschooling list.
Lynda, who does not mean to offend anyone, simply curious. >>
Lynda,
I believe that unschooling is learning about what your child is interested
in, when your child is interested in it. But.... unschooling means different
things to everyone, that is the beauty of it, so how can one definition
really cover it? I have been chastised at a local support group because they
felt that *unschooling* meant that we could not ever use any books or
anything even remotely *schoolish*! Seriously! The point of
homeschooling/unschooling to me is that as a parent I believe there is a
better more individualized way to teach my own children ,(there are also many
other reasons why I chose to keep my children home). My point is, how can
one definition fit so many different ways of life??
��� Dena���
Mom to Trenton and Callista
|{|{|{
lurine@... writes:
<< I have a serious question and it is not meant to inflame anyone's
sensibilities. What do the folks on this list think unschooling is/define
unschooling as? My reason for asking is that I s*bbed based on the list
name but am finding that this is more a school-at-home, ps and occasional
eclectic list than an unschooling list.
Lynda, who does not mean to offend anyone, simply curious. >>
Lynda,
I believe that unschooling is learning about what your child is interested
in, when your child is interested in it. But.... unschooling means different
things to everyone, that is the beauty of it, so how can one definition
really cover it? I have been chastised at a local support group because they
felt that *unschooling* meant that we could not ever use any books or
anything even remotely *schoolish*! Seriously! The point of
homeschooling/unschooling to me is that as a parent I believe there is a
better more individualized way to teach my own children ,(there are also many
other reasons why I chose to keep my children home). My point is, how can
one definition fit so many different ways of life??
��� Dena���
Mom to Trenton and Callista
|{|{|{
[email protected]
In a message dated 02/01/2000 4:28:13 PM !!!First Boot!!!, lurine@...
writes:
<< What do the folks on this list think unschooling is/define
unschooling as? >>
Also not trying to offend you Lynda --
But -- what do you want it to mean?
Nance
writes:
<< What do the folks on this list think unschooling is/define
unschooling as? >>
Also not trying to offend you Lynda --
But -- what do you want it to mean?
Nance
[email protected]
Lynda,
I haven't been around much lately but I had a little while tonight and
saw your post. When I was reading from the list a lot more in Nov and Dec, I
thought this list had a predominantly unschooling approach. I think of
unschooling as the child led learning that is written about in The Teenage
Liberation Handbook and John Holt's books, etc. I think many people come to
this approach over time as their homeschooling evolves. We started off years
ago as a school at home approach and gradually lightened up more and more.
Now I strongly believe in the unschooling approach. I have seen that other
approaches lead to threats, blackmail, and various forms of unhealthy
coersion to "make" the child do or learn what we have decided he must at a
given time. I wish I had realized all of this a lot sooner but I am glad
that I did at least figure it out while all my kids are still kids.
While we were in Minnesota, I listened to a friend of mine trying to
make her 7 year old son do a stack of worksheets he'd brought home over
Christmas vacation. He had spent 7 hours rewriting some sentences to correct
the mistakes and she was really frustrated with him. She told him if he
didn't get it done soon, he would be missing the Christmas party at his
grandparents' that his siblings and cousins would be at (a special one for
just the kids). I felt so sorry for him and yet I realized that those kinds
of threats are common methods used to make kids do school work. Worst of
all, I remembered using similar tactics when my oldest was little and in
public school. I thought I HAD to make him do the work and I didn't know
what else to do when he wouldn't.
I believe those kinds of threats are inherrent in forced learning. That
is why I have become such a strong believer in unschooling. Anyway, just
some thoughts brought on by your question...
Lucy
I haven't been around much lately but I had a little while tonight and
saw your post. When I was reading from the list a lot more in Nov and Dec, I
thought this list had a predominantly unschooling approach. I think of
unschooling as the child led learning that is written about in The Teenage
Liberation Handbook and John Holt's books, etc. I think many people come to
this approach over time as their homeschooling evolves. We started off years
ago as a school at home approach and gradually lightened up more and more.
Now I strongly believe in the unschooling approach. I have seen that other
approaches lead to threats, blackmail, and various forms of unhealthy
coersion to "make" the child do or learn what we have decided he must at a
given time. I wish I had realized all of this a lot sooner but I am glad
that I did at least figure it out while all my kids are still kids.
While we were in Minnesota, I listened to a friend of mine trying to
make her 7 year old son do a stack of worksheets he'd brought home over
Christmas vacation. He had spent 7 hours rewriting some sentences to correct
the mistakes and she was really frustrated with him. She told him if he
didn't get it done soon, he would be missing the Christmas party at his
grandparents' that his siblings and cousins would be at (a special one for
just the kids). I felt so sorry for him and yet I realized that those kinds
of threats are common methods used to make kids do school work. Worst of
all, I remembered using similar tactics when my oldest was little and in
public school. I thought I HAD to make him do the work and I didn't know
what else to do when he wouldn't.
I believe those kinds of threats are inherrent in forced learning. That
is why I have become such a strong believer in unschooling. Anyway, just
some thoughts brought on by your question...
Lucy