unschooling by default
[email protected]
We're unschooling by default. My son Jimmy was in Early Intervention
preschool from ages 3-5, and it was not a good fit. By the end of the second year,
I knew we were going to homeschool. In PA you don't have to do anything
official until age 8, and since he was only 5, I felt I had plenty of time to get
my ducks in a row. I worked in preschool for 15 years, and was practically
rubbing my hands together in excitement at the prospect of "teaching him at
home".
I went out and bought "The Carolina Curriculum for Special Needs
Preschoolers". I was in checklist heaven. Here was EVERYTHING a kid "needs to know",
from catching a ball to making a sandwich. So I made lots of lists.
The next thing I did was read everything I could find about homeschooling.
And I joined lots of yahoo groups. PA has some crazy hs laws, so if a group
was about PA homeschoolers, I joined. One was called PA Unschoolers. That
was the first time I heard that term. I was intrigued by the whole idea, so I
joined Unschooling Dotcom.
In the meantime, I learned a few things. One, I could toss a ball forever,
but I can't make him catch it if he didn't want to. Two, while I was busy
with my lists, Jim had learned most of his letters and numbers by fooling around
with his computer games. And from being with people all day who talk to him
and listen to him, his speech has improved dramatically.
So, by the time I learned about unschooling, I already had proof that it
worked. That a child could learn without being "taught". And just because
we're unschooling by default, it doesn't make it faulty or inferior.
Mary J
PS One day, instead of running away, he stayed put and caught the ball.
Then he laughed, dropped it, and ran away.
preschool from ages 3-5, and it was not a good fit. By the end of the second year,
I knew we were going to homeschool. In PA you don't have to do anything
official until age 8, and since he was only 5, I felt I had plenty of time to get
my ducks in a row. I worked in preschool for 15 years, and was practically
rubbing my hands together in excitement at the prospect of "teaching him at
home".
I went out and bought "The Carolina Curriculum for Special Needs
Preschoolers". I was in checklist heaven. Here was EVERYTHING a kid "needs to know",
from catching a ball to making a sandwich. So I made lots of lists.
The next thing I did was read everything I could find about homeschooling.
And I joined lots of yahoo groups. PA has some crazy hs laws, so if a group
was about PA homeschoolers, I joined. One was called PA Unschoolers. That
was the first time I heard that term. I was intrigued by the whole idea, so I
joined Unschooling Dotcom.
In the meantime, I learned a few things. One, I could toss a ball forever,
but I can't make him catch it if he didn't want to. Two, while I was busy
with my lists, Jim had learned most of his letters and numbers by fooling around
with his computer games. And from being with people all day who talk to him
and listen to him, his speech has improved dramatically.
So, by the time I learned about unschooling, I already had proof that it
worked. That a child could learn without being "taught". And just because
we're unschooling by default, it doesn't make it faulty or inferior.
Mary J
PS One day, instead of running away, he stayed put and caught the ball.
Then he laughed, dropped it, and ran away.
[email protected]
In a message dated 7/9/2003 5:16:51 PM Mountain Daylight Time,
mc1mommy@... writes:
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
mc1mommy@... writes:
> So, by the time I learned about unschooling, I already had proof that itApplause!!!
> worked. That a child could learn without being "taught". And just because
> we're unschooling by default, it doesn't make it faulty or inferior.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]