Tim and Maureen

I loved one author's take on this attitude in people - it's very ingrained in them - he called it MAS/DOS or something like that - "Mad at School/Defensive of School." Perfection is not the issue, but rather the 110% unwillingness to change - school is the same now as it was in 1900. All other things have changed except maybe bureaucracy.

My Thots
Tim T

----- Original Message -----
From: Stephanie
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, August 04, 2003 7:25 PM
Subject: [Unschooling-Discussion] Introduction and question: Is unschooling perfect?


Hello. Before I begin, I thought it would be best to introduce
myself. My name is Stephanie and I have two daughters, ages 3 and 6,
who have never been to school. I have been lurking here for about a
year, and haven't ever really mustered up the nerve to post. I read
a lot, when I can, and this email list has been extremely inspiring
and helpful to me. So a quick "thank you" to all who contribute:
Thank you!

Now, the other bit. I have been arguing with people I don't know
about homeschooling, unschooling, and schooling today. This is
annoying in itself, but while I was mulling it over, this thought
came to me: I think it is telling that whenever people argue with me
about school vs. home/unschooling, they always say, "I will readily
admit that school has it's problems, but nothing is perfect." Yet, I
have never felt the need to make a similar statement about
unschooling (school-at-home maybe, but not unschooling). And
further, I don't think that many other unschoolers would feel the
need to either.

But then I thought that maybe that wasn't entirely true. Maybe other
unschoolers do find that unschooling has its problems, maybe even
ones I would agree with. So, I decided to ask you all.

Does unschooling have its own problems? I don't think it's perfect,
but I do think it <i>works</i>, while school does not.

Anyway, there we go. My first real post. Any thoughts?

~Stephanie


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In a message dated 8/5/03 6:11:47 AM, tmthomas@... writes:

<< I loved one author's take on this attitude in people - it's very ingrained
in them - he called it MAS/DOS or something like that - "Mad at
School/Defensive of School." >>

Everyone knows that govenment schooling is far less than perfect, but they
don't want to admit it because they don't want the responsibility to change.
They are happy sending their children to people they don't even know and
expecting a product with no guarantee and no option to get a guarantee. They would
not accept such poor service in any other area except with their children's
lives. These same people see you enjoying your children and all the time you
spend with them and they assume that there is no way they could do that. They
have been carefully conditioned to believe that it is way too hard to be a full
time parent educator. And they are usually too selfish to try.
In my state, NY, it is hard to be an unschooler because of the stupid regs
and requirements and reports we have to write. So I have to be creative and I
have to enlist my children's help. For them to be able to keep their freedom
which they love there are minimum things they have to be able to do. Because
they have to pass the stupid tests every year. That is not too hard and they
do it.
However both homeschoolers and non homeschoolers alike, at least in my area
think of homeschooling and schooling as about the same thing. Keeping your
kids doing some sort of curriculum for 6 to 8 hours a day. So simply to keep my
children safe, I am a closet unschooler. I find that once they learn to read
and begin to understand numbers my job is to keep them supplied with the
stuff they want to learn. My oldest (still at home ), is 12 and he is teaching
himself all sorts of things on the computer about programming, about programs
like photoshop and illustrator. He's making movies and writing a book. He
reads constantly about the stuff he is interested in and sometimes things I
suggest. He is working on making clay figurines....it goes on and on. While his
little brother, who is 7, and is not reading yet, is fascinated with the
animal world and just recently aquired frogs which caused us to do more research
and opened more worlds. We regularly visit zoos, pet stores and have just
recently found an animal wildlife rehabilitator to get to know. But I know that in
this state, because he is not reading yet, I could have a real problem. My
oldest who is not at home anymore did not read until he was 9. He graduated
from college. hmm. I don't think it was a problem. I hate the box of
government schooling.
I think my littlest would be labeled with so many labels by now if he was in
school. Yes, I think unschooling is about perfect. It sets up an attitude
that life is full of unlimited possibilities.
Cathy

[email protected]

In a message dated 8/7/03 6:44:07 AM, C4M4@... writes:

<< n my state, NY, it is hard to be an unschooler because of the stupid regs
and requirements and reports we have to write. So I have to be creative and
I
have to enlist my children's help. For them to be able to keep their freedom
which they love there are minimum things they have to be able to do. Because
they have to pass the stupid tests every year. That is not too hard and they
do it. >>

Anne Ohman is in New York State, and she's an unschooler. I think at
www.unschooling.com in the states folder there are posts about unschooling in NY.

Sandra