susan

hi,

i completely agree with what carol said.  imo the first thing you need to do is find your 'comfort zone'.   this is often the hardest part of unschooling because so many people have strong and highly judgmental opinions against trusting children but before you can trust your kids you must trust yourself or perhaps it's while you learn to trust them you learn to trust yourself:)  either way it's a process done side by side and with mutual respect.  something i just read, in the miquon teacher's notes,  she said something to the effect that you need to be your own first student, for me this is sage advise.

in regards to gaps in knowledge, holt said in teach your own : 'you don't have to have every resource for your children, and if you did, they wouldn't have enough time to make use of all of them.'  imo, the point isn't to fill kids with knowledge but to help them stretch and learn to think not memorize or 'perform' (one of the problems with standardized test).  so it's more about helping children develop their own ability to recognize what they need to learn and how to go about acquiring that knowledge.  it's this skill that will help them the most in their adult life.

-susan
austin, tx
'unity through diversity'

Have a Nice Day wrote:

 Thanks for your response.  That does help some.  I'm finding that the one thing that seems consistant with unschoolers is that they provide an enriched environement...and then they let the child lead.  The amount of direct parental involvement seems to stem from what individual children need or want. I can see how this would work.  I worry about gaps though, even though I know we all have gaps. Unschooling fits our way of life well, but I tend to use it to "supplement" a more eclectic approach, hmmmm, or do I supplement unschooling with the eclectic approach??  (sigh). Kristen

Earth Moon

>Hello :) We're a family of 3 with one on the way. Our very spirited son
>(the pooter) is about 3yo, and the leetle baby is comming in January.

I look forward to getting to know the list, and hopefully to stay, if I
click here :) Unschooling has been the educational goal I have for my
children since I was in HS, and I revel in watching my 3yo learn about the
world at a blazing pace :)
Can't wait to get to know ya'll :)
earthmoon



Please come join us on the Positive Parenting e-list
at: http://www.egroups.com/group/PositiveParenting-Discipline
what did people do before diapers? what we're doing now :) Come check out
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Sonia Ulan

HI from Saskatchewan, Collette!

Sonia
Mother to 11 year old son, 8 year old daughter and 22 month old baby son


> Colette wrote:
>
> Hello,
> I am brand new to this list and am already enjoying the support
> that is shown for list members! That is very heart-warming. My name
> is Colette, I live in Washington state and have one child. Travis who
> is 10. I began schooling him at home about 2 years ago when he was
> having troubles with his teacher in public school. We took the
> relaxed appraoch to home-schooling then and I have just learned about
> Un-schooling and come to find out, that is exactly what I've been
> doing without knowing it! Anyway, just wanted to say "Hi" and that I
> am looking forward to being a part of this list and hope to make some
> new friends as well.
>
> Blessings,
> Colette
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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LisaKK

Welcome Colette!

Bonnie Painter

Welcome, Colette. I have a 5yo boy and 3yo girl. Just started hsing this
year.

Bonnie



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In a message dated 7/28/2000 5:12:18 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
woofermom@... writes:

> My name is Colette, I live in Washington state and have one child. Travis
> who is 10

What part of WA? (I should probably already know this...;) I live in
Olympia and have an 11 yr old boy.

Eiraul

Colette


<What part of WA?  (I should probably already know this...;)  I live in
Olympia and have an 11 yr old boy.

Eiraul>
Hi Eiraul-
     I live in Poulsbo about an hour North of you?  I have been a Washington resident for 3.5 years now and LOVE it!  Really wouldn't want to live anywhere else.  Glad to meet another person from the same area!
 
Thank-you to everyone for all the warm greetings too!  I was hoping that this list wouldn't be stictly about unschooling.  What all is allowed on the list?  Anything not allowed?  Pictures, jokes, anything like that?  Just want to know for my own information so that way I won't break any of the "rules".  :op
 
Hope everyone has a great weekend! 
 
Colette
 

[email protected]

Hi Colette, and welcome. I am curious about the troubles your son had with
his teacher, if you don't mind sharing. Was it a behavior issue, performance
issue, etc.... I used to be a teacher, and am just interested. Thanks.
~Karen, Ind.

Colette

 
 
Hi Colette, and welcome.  I am curious about the troubles your son had with
his teacher, if you don't mind sharing.  Was it a behavior issue, performance
issue, etc.... I used to be a teacher,  and am just interested.  Thanks. 
~Karen, Ind.
Hello!
     The trouble my son (and I) had with his 3rd grade teacher was.......she enjoyed the students that she didn't really have to teach but the ones that needed help were a burden to her and she didn't want to take the time out for them.  Travis and a couple other children were not up to par in her opinion and she just didn't want to spend the extra time with any of them.  Travis did go into the the extended help program which he liked but anything to do with his teacher, forget it.  I tried talking to her about how I felt towards him being taught but it feel on deaf ears.  Travis is a child that likes (maybe needs) to learn thru experience.  Being taught at, doesn't seem to work for him.  I was the same way.  The teacher was all concerned that his reading level wasn't up to what all the others were, etc. and I told her that I wasn't really too concerned about that since everyone learns at their own rate but once again, nothing.    I finally just got tired of it and decided to teach at home.  His reading level is fine.  He does get flustered when aske to read outloud which goes along with being extremely shy.   I know that he can use an extra push with spelling and writing too but that'll come all in due time as well. 
     May I ask what a typical day of unschooling is for others?  Do you have certain lesson plans that you go with?  Also, do any of you enroll your children in classes given by the school districts?  Do you have to hand in a letter of intent thru your school district or have you just done this on your own?  I have been asked by several people......."Can't you be thrown in jail for educating your child at home?" 
     Anyway- I have rambled on enough.  Have a great saturday!
Colette

aworthen

Welcome Colette,
I'm Amy unschooling mom of three girls 7, 4, and 2. We live in MA. Prob. couldn't get much further from you, but I look forward to getting to know you anyway. :-)
Amy
----- Original Message -----
From: Colette
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2000 8:07 PM
Subject: [Unschooling-dotcom] New to the list

Hello,
     I am brand new to this list and am already enjoying the support that is shown for list members!  That is very heart-warming.  My name is Colette, I live in Washington state and have one child.  Travis who is 10.  I began schooling him at home about 2 years ago when he was having troubles with his teacher in public school.   We took the relaxed appraoch to home-schooling then and I have just learned about Un-schooling and come to find out, that is exactly what I've been doing without knowing it!  Anyway, just wanted to say "Hi" and that I am looking forward to being a part of this list and hope to make some new friends as well.
 
Blessings,
Colette
Message boards, timely articles, a free newsletter and more!
Check it all out at: http://www.unschooling.com

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In a message dated 7/29/00 12:27:59 PM Central Daylight Time,
woofermom@... writes:

<< May I ask what a typical day of unschooling is for others? Do you have
certain lesson plans that you go with? Also, do any of you enroll your
children in classes given by the school districts? Do you have to hand in a
letter of intent thru your school district or have you just done this on your
own? I have been asked by several people......."Can't you be thrown in jail
for educating your child at home?"
Anyway- I have rambled on enough. Have a great saturday!
Colette >>
Hi Colette, It sounds like you made a very good decision to get your son out
of that school. It is ashame that some (many) teachers are only there to go
through the routine, and receive a paycheck; sad but true.
A typical
unschooling day is different for each family-- no two are really alike. In
my home, my kids are very young-- my oldest will be 6 in Sept. I have one
that will be 4 in Nov and a 10 mo old, too. We play a lot of games, and read
books mostly right now. My kids have a lot of outdoor play, we are raising
tadpoles, have a goldfish pond, and an indoor aquarium.I try to be an
encourager when it comes to learning a specific skill, but sometimes I find I
push a little, too. That's ok, because sometimes a little push is needed.
:) We are beginning to participate in our local homeschooling events, such
as in the annual science and art fair. My kids are enjoying learning on the
computer, too. We do not have a rigid scheduled day, and usually don't
pursue educ. activities until late morning or early after lunch, because
mornings are not conducive to those kinds of things at this time in our
lives. If we are having an off day, we may not do much that seems actively
educational. Some days are very busy, and some days are less busy, but it
all balances out. We do not have to turn in lesson plans to anyone here in
Ind. The laws are lenient and easy going here. Tell your questioners that
homeschooling is legal in all states in the USA. Have a great Sat., too.
~Karen

[email protected]

In a message dated 7/28/2000 11:08:41 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
woofermom@... writes:

> I live in Poulsbo about an hour North of you? I have been a Washington
> resident for 3.5 years now and LOVE it! Really wouldn't want to live
> anywhere else. Glad to meet another person from the same area!

There are LOTS of us! We almost got to move to Poulsbo recently. Job
interview went well, but the job still hasn't been filled. So, who knows, we
may end up there yet!

Welcome again.

Eiraul

[email protected]

In a message dated 07/29/2000 8:44:14 PM !!!First Boot!!!, HPaulson5@...
writes:

<< n a message dated 7/29/00 12:27:59 PM Central Daylight Time,
woofermom@... writes:

<< May I ask what a typical day of unschooling is for others? Do you have
certain lesson plans that you go with? Also, do any of you enroll your
children in classes given by the school districts? >>


It's different for each family. That's the good news and the bad! You get
to figure it out for yourself but you have to figure it out for yourself.

We don't use a lesson plan but I did a lot of checking when we started to see
what my kids would have been doing in school. The state dept of ed has a
listing called Sunshine Standards on line. Don't know what it would be by
you-- each state does it a little different -- but a lot do seem to have some
sort of on line info. And the "What Your X Grader Should Know" series is
helpful to a lot of people too. At least these and other organized
approaches can get you past that first nervous stage of what to do first.

Then it all starts to flow, I think. We've only been at this for about 1 1/2
years and I love it and just make it up as we go along. The kids are doing
so well that we are just going to keep on doing what we like to do.

Which includes but is not limited to: outside classes for Tae Kwon Do, piano
and dance, online math class, lots of CDs and internet computer time, lots of
trips to the library, a weekly science experiment that we get online,
suggestions from Gramma (very supportive now that she has started
volunteering in a local ps 1st grade class!), etc.

I am also constantly checking to see if something better has come along in
our area. No harm in checking, I say. So far, nothing has. The latest was
a charter school but they don't seem to be really ready for any sort of
part-time hs/ps arrangement and that's what we would want to do, if at all.

So, no, I don't have the option of classes at the local ps. Some people are
opposed to this sort of arrangement all together. I fall into the "whatever
works" category and just wish I even had the choice at this point but don't.




<< Do you have to hand in a
letter of intent thru your school district or have you just done this on
your
own? I have been asked by several people......."Can't you be thrown in jail
for educating your child at home?" >>


We live in Florida so, yes, we have to send in a letter of intent when we
start hsing. Then annual evaluations (testing or portfiolio review) after
that. And we have to keep a log and portfolio (nothing too formal tho if you
don't want to) as we go along.

But these things differ greatly from state to state. You might want to check
the state law for your state at:

www.nhen.org

This is a relatively new online hsers networking organization. They have
lots of good info. A page of info for new hsers, for instance. And they are
working on putting up more.

And there are lots of other resources on line and in the library to give you
tips and project and curriculum -- probably too much!!

And, altho this is not the case in many areas, our local school board was
actually helpful in getting us the info about the regulations and what to
file. So you could check there if that's comfortable. But it didn't sound
like you have a great school situation so maybe not.

Anyway, you can get everything you want and more if you just have lots and
lots of time to read.

Oh, and there are local hsing groups in a lot of areas. The one near us did
not fit our family (we are not Christians and they are) but you may find one
near you that can get you headed in the right direction.

Good luck with everything!!

Nance

[email protected]

In a message dated 7/29/2000 10:27:56 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
woofermom@... writes:

> May I ask what a typical day of unschooling is for others? Do you have
> certain lesson plans that you go with? Also, do any of you enroll your
> children in classes given by the school districts? Do you have to hand in
a
> letter of intent thru your school district or have you just done this on
your
> own? I have been asked by several people......."Can't you be thrown in
jail
> for educating your child at home?"
> Anyway- I have rambled on enough. Have a great saturday!
> Colette

WA state law requires a declaration of intent to homeschool. It is not
permission, but tells the school district you will be educating at home. You
do not need to worry about it at all before age 8.

There are testing/evaluation requirements. They are kept by the parents and
are not turned over to the school district. The theory is that if/when the
child enters public school they will need to know how the child is doing.
IMO it's hogwash because the school has the 'option' of re-testing the child
and will ultimately end up placing the child in the grade the school feels is
appropriate with our without the tests. So, don't let that throw you.
Assessments can be done or tests can be taken. (or ignored, if you're so
inclined)

A teaching parent is supposed to take a 'how to homeschool' class or have a
certain amount of college in order to teach at home. Or a certificated
teacher can oversee the education. I don't worry about it because DH and I
both have sufficient college hours to check that box.

Those are the basics...for more details on specific laws go to <A
HREF="http://www.nhen.org/">Click here: Welcome To the National Home
Education Network</A> (http://www.nhen.org/) Go to the legslative/legal
page and it lists resources for all states. They work hard to be accurate.

FWIW, many people never 'bother' filling out letters of intent for various
reasons ranging from 'it's not the gov't's business' to 'I never get around
to it'. There is potential for truancy issues which can bring a fine of
$25/day. It is potential and generally not a real threat, at this point.
Obviously you'll have to decide how you feel about it for your family. I
only want to point it out so you know it's out there. Again, no worry before
age 8!

As for typical day. In our home there is no such thing. I find I like it
that way. I have FMS, which often leaves me in pain, exhausted and weak. On
those days we don't 'do' much. On good days we 'do' more. I have had times
of feeling really guilty because I worried we weren't covering the basics
well enough (read not enough textbook or work book work for math or
spelling). I'm learning that we can't help but cover that material in our
day to day living! Seemingly out of the blue DS will come and tell me all
about how multiplication works or some other discovery he's just made on his
own. At that point, I ask questions to help me understand what he's sharing
and check to see if he's on the right track...also to figure out how in the
world that subject even came up! LOL Then I can
direct/correct/share/support as needed while he figures it out. It amazes me
what he comes up with.

DS (11 yr old) reads a LOT. Our family loves to read. Somebody is always
starting or finishing a book around here. We read out loud to each other and
silently. In fact, one of the benefits of my FMS is that on bad days I have
DS read to me. Gives us a great chance for quality time together, I can help
him out with his pronunciation and understanding of 'big' words. He tends to
read at early adult/college level novels. Doesn't want to waste his time on
kid's stuff...with the exception of Harry Potter! (But I read that too.
Love those books.)

Having him read to me is relaxing to me and gives us a great opportunity to
discuss what's happening in the book he's reading, share thoughts on the
world at large, whatever. Again, it amazes me the topics we cover on a
'typical' reading session! (one of the best benefits is I KNOW where he is
and what he's doing, while I am relaxing. The more relaxed I am, the more
likely to gain enough energy to accomplish something else.)

I've learned to not worry about it if he doesn't understand the book the
first time he wades through it...he'll pick the same book up later and read
it again with greater understanding. He's on his 3rd time through the
Tolkien series. Each time brings new insights and better understanding.

The way I see it is if he can read well and understand what he's reading, he
can find a resource somewhere to learn anything he wants at any time. We
encourage and recognize all manner of learning, but it was/is important to me
to help him gain reading skills. I read somewhere that if a child does
nothing more than read a lot, he will gain a great deal of knowledge. I'm
learning that is true for our family.

Eiraul

[email protected]

In a message dated 07/29/2000 2:33:57 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
marbleface@... writes:

> << May I ask what a typical day of unschooling is for others? Do you have
> certain lesson plans that you go with? Also, do any of you enroll your
> children in classes given by the school districts? >>


You should find out who your local support groups are, they can help you with
whatever registration is required in your state/district. They can also help
with unschooling focus groups, field trips, and other things that will assist
in your homeschooling adventure. There are many web sites to find support
groups through. Back when I started, I found my local and state group
through http://www.homeschoolzone.com

As for curriculums, we do not use any. I just keep my ears open and listen
to what it is my son might be interested in learning, then we pursue that.
We also read alot! Right now we are working on a Harry Potter book (one
chapter a night). I also keep a small palmcorder (very small hand held tape
recorder) so that when my son has a "great idea" or expresses some interest
in something, I can remember it, and persue it later.

Hope this helps,
Amy

[email protected]

Hi! I am new to the list, my name is Amy, and I am the proud mom of one son.
My ds is 7 1/2 yo, and we are unschoolers. I also run an award winning
In-Home Daycare for children, lead a 4-H group, and have started a local
homeschooling support group. Of course, I could not do all of this without
the support of my wonderful hubby, he is the best. My son is an Active/Alert
child, which is sort of a combination of traits from ADD, ADHD, and ODD.
These children are very bright, but will defy you to the ends of the earth.
Essentially their main problem is that they have hyper-sensitive sensory
perceptions, and therefore feel overwhelmed most of the time. This in turn
creates a fearful child, who tries to control this fear by controlling
his/her environment (clear as mud?) Anyway, I really look forward to
exchanging ideas and stories with all of you.

I do have one request: If any of you have been involved in a custody issue
with an ex-spouse (that involved homeschooling), and if you don't mind
sharing your story with other homeschoolers, would you please email me
privately? Thanks so much.

Best wishes,
Amy Aponte

Tracy Oldfield

Amy, this sounds like my child!!! V sensitive hearing and smell, v
high empathy, quiet fearful, quite controlling... This was a major
reason for me to not want to send ehr to school, I didn't think
she'd be understood and empathised with. I try my best to
empathise with her, maybe I was similar and have a problem
because of how I was treated. Hmm. I'm not keen on labelling
children, (or anyone, for that matter...) but I might have a look for
that book.

Tracy

On 29 Jul 2000, at 23:46, AmyKCA@... wrote:

 My son is an Active/Alert 
child, which is sort of a combination of traits from
ADD, ADHD, and ODD. 
These children are very bright, but will defy you to
the ends of the earth. 
Essentially their main problem is that they have hyper-
sensitive sensory 
perceptions, and therefore feel overwhelmed most of the
time. This in turn 
creates a fearful child, who tries to control this fear
by controlling 
his/her environment (clear as mud?) Anyway, I really
look forward to 
exchanging ideas and stories with all of you.

[email protected]

In a message dated 07/30/2000 11:39:39 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
tracy.oldfield@... writes:

> I'm not keen on labelling
> children, (or anyone, for that matter...) but I might have a look for
> that book.

Tracy:

I know some people really do not care for "labeling", and I can completely
understand that. I do however recommend the book, as it has some great tips
on how to help your child learn and mature. If you would like to join an
Active/Alert list, we have started one at
http://www.egroups/group/ActiveAlertChildren. There was so little
information and materials for families of children with this personality
type, that I thought it would be a good idea to give us a place to share our
up and down days, stories, tips and ideas.

Best wishes,
Amy

Corallyn

 
----- Original Message -----
From: Colette
 
 
Hello!
     The trouble my son (and I) had with his 3rd grade teacher was.......she enjoyed the students that she didn't really have to teach but the ones that needed help were a burden to her and she didn't want to take the time out for them.  Travis and a couple other children were not up to par in her opinion and she just didn't want to spend the extra time with any of them.  Travis did go into the the extended help program which he liked but anything to do with his teacher, forget it.  I tried talking to her about how I felt towards him being taught but it feel on deaf ears.  Travis is a child that likes (maybe needs) to learn thru experience.  Being taught at, doesn't seem to work for him.  I was the same way.  The teacher was all concerned that his reading level wasn't up to what all the others were, etc. and I told her that I wasn't really too concerned about that since everyone learns at their own rate but once again, nothing.    I finally just got tired of it and decided to teach at home.  His reading level is fine.  He does get flustered when aske to read outloud which goes along with being extremely shy.   I know that he can use an extra push with spelling and writing too but that'll come all in due time as well. 
     May I ask what a typical day of unschooling is for others?
 
For us the kids, 3.5yog and 5.5yob, play outside half the day. They watch Blues Clues any time they want. They also have some Thomas the Train tapes they watch anytime they want. We are currently learning about space and the solar system. I found a 2 min movie on the net that I downloaded about the sun that they like to watch over and over on the comp. Although they can watch the videos anytime most of their time is spent playing games like dominos, puzzles, and just made up games of their own. They keep themselves and me pretty busy. I make sure that they help pick up the house with me. This is usually stuff they got out but we work in the same room together. They feed and water their dogs and cat, climb trees and explore the woods on our lot. They also like to help me cook. Sometimes they will say, "Mom, lets make a cake."  About two weeks ago they got the food coloring out and suggested a cake. We made a yellow cake, from scratch, and divided the batter into four bowls. Then we added the color and took turns mixing all the bowls. We sworled the colors together when we put the batter in the pans and made it a two layer cake. The icing we used was black, but had been lighted by other colors (I always put my left over icing in a container in the fridge for fun cooking times) It was a beautiful purplish pinkish lavenderish and looked gorgious next to the colors of the cake, red, blue, green and yellow, when we cut it.
 
  Do you have certain lesson plans that you go with?
 
Our lesson plans are whatever the kids want to do or show and interest in, games, reading, math i.e. counting.
 
Do any of you enroll your children in classes given by the school districts?
 
I have chosen not to use the school districts at all mainly bacause in other states where this has been done it turns out to be a ploy to get the kids back in the ps. Also, here in TX the schools get money for any homeschooler using their facilities. I choose not to support the schools in this way.
 
  Do you have to hand in a letter of intent thru your school district or have you just done this on your own?
 
In TX this is not required. I have not written the state as yet, but everyone tells me that all they do is send you a list of places where you can get curriculum and what your legal rights are as a homeschooler.
 
  I have been asked by several people......."Can't you be thrown in jail for educating your child at home?" 
 
LOL at them. What do they think they are doing anytime they answer a question by their children?     Corallyn