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In a message dated 8/27/03 1:40:32 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
caygibson@... writes:

> this remark by Teresa really perked my ears up...or caused my
> eyebrow to raise ...being the case of email. ;-) The reason is
> because I use FIAR and love it. I know Teresa doesn't mean anything
> against FIAR when she shared this...and I'm not taking it that way

Cay,
You sound a lot like the mother I was talking to in Wal-mart. And, you are
absolutely right, I meant nothing "against" FIAR. I have not done much
research on FIAR, but from what this mother said, it is a big step AWAY from
structured lessons for her family. Her son loves to read and he is enjoying FIAR,
especially in comparison to doing "school at home- very structured lessons" I
talked to this mother about unschooling, the things we do, and don't do. And
for her, it seemed a bit TOO radical. But, the thing is, as we get to know
them better, maybe spend more time with them, they may begin to move closer to
unschooling as they see that it really does work! The best way to
demonstrate and convince folks that something is valuable is through modeling and BEING
it.

Some folks unschool from the beginning, never sending thier kids to ps or
doing school at home. Some folks send thier kids to ps school for years, then
decide to take them out and homeschool them. Some familes homeschool from the
beginning, but they do school at home. For the folks that start out either
in public school, or doing school at home, sometimes they make a flying leap to
unschooling and just go "cold turkey" lol.. Others will take smaller steps
going from structured lessons, to relaxed lessons, to eclectic style, to
"modified unschooling" to full fledged unschooling. We have to meet each
person where they are, and help support and guide them from there. To me, for
you to say that you love FIAR means that you are moving away from "boxed
curriculum -structured lessons" It is a step closer to unschooling.

One major key here is that you said that YOU love FIAR-- How do your kids
like it? If given the choice, would they do FIAR on thier own?, without your
direction or requirements? Maybe they would chose FIAR over other curriculums
that you have used, and in comparison to them, they "love" FIAR.. Think of the
things your kids really love to do, things that bring them joy, passion,
excitment.. Would they chose FIAR over these things?


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