Joshua Heath

>
> Anyway, I'd love some feedback on this- what do you tell your children
> about your homeschooling methods?
> Thanks,
> Lyn

I started homeschooling in Jan. this year... I started out "schooling" but
quickly moved over into unchooling. At first I just did it, but after a
month or so, I felt they deserved an explaination of why daddy wasnt making
them do any schoolwork they didnt want to. I explained to them that I
believed children learn best when they are interested in what they are
learning... and that as long as they were at home I didn't intend to force
any learning on them. I also explained that learning is like breathing...
you are always learning every moment. We had this conversation a few
times... Once it went no-where. The next times the boys really cought on to
the idea... saying that in that moment they had just learned that they were
always learning , and then going on giving me a play by play announcement of
all the things they were learning as they sat there talking to me.

The other day our 6 yo floored us all by proclaiming to some people my wife
was introducing him to, when asked what he did at home for school, "I am in
the school of life.... God is my teacher!" Pretty surprizing since we are
not at all religous. We do talk about spiritual matters freely though...
But I still get the "we didnt do anything" routine from them often as well.
I have tried going through with them all the worthwhile things that I saw
happen during a day when they say something like this. I think it makes an
impression about how playing at this and that are valued equally to doing a
math work-sheet in my eyes.. I think it helps them realize that they are not
wasting their time at all... but in fact are learning in their own style.
Things like pointing out the amount of addition and division required to
play risk, or the strategy involved in chess, the science in making bread,
or the care and effort involved in emptying the dishwasher.

Joshua

Susan and Theodore

> "I am in
>the school of life....

Hey that is the name of our "school"
Evolve
The school of life
WOW
My kids tell people freely that they are home schooled (although at times I
see them try to avoid saying much because people say "really oh" and then
kind of don't give them much input. I think they feel as though they are
aliens in those situations and have realized that it is best to avoid
telling these types of people.......
When we first started unschooling.....before that we were just
playing!.....they did tell people that they played all day (and I DO
still), but now they will tell them other things like we sold candy or we
made cookies. In PA you have to keep a journal and they help me with it
and see what I record so they know that their playing amounts to
something. They just took their tests the other day and shocked and
surprised me to no end what they DID learn!
Whew! IT WORKS!!
Anyways

I wanted to say that my 9 year old has not started developing nor has my 11
year old BUT there was a point where I thought that Brittany's hormones
were pumping (she is 11) BUT it was actually too much socialization ---she
was giving me the attitude (that I thought was normal---NOPE) and other
such things that you would relate to maturity...
SO I locked her back up in the dungeon (NO really I am kidding)
So I said Brittany I think that you are picking up some bad habits from all
this socialization (brownies, dance, etc) and I cannot live like this and
you are not happy either so I think that we need to cut back and come back
home and if you think that you can pull together and realize that it is not
acceptable to behave in such a negative fashion then we can try it
again. We did not leave her classes as she saw the errror of mimicking
this behavior.....And I saw where she was just asking for some
companionship (instead of rocking and boob) that she had moved on to
another level in out relationship and instead of moving away or out she had
moved closer and freer to me

It is wonderful that she is growing and I enjoy every moment of it!

I cannot wait till she has more growth and I can share in her life on
another level
Love POD....who is up at 5 AM with a stiff neck (I fear the chiro)




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Anita Bower

>SO I locked her back up in the dungeon (NO really I am kidding)
>So I said Brittany I think that you are picking up some bad habits from all
>this socialization (brownies, dance, etc) and I cannot live like this and
>you are not happy either so I think that we need to cut back and come back
>home and if you think that you can pull together and realize that it is not
>acceptable to behave in such a negative fashion then we can try it
>again. We did not leave her classes as she saw the errror of mimicking
>

Great example of how to approach undesireable behavior.

Thanks for sharing.

Anita
"There are many will claim to tell you what is due from you, but only one
who can shear through the many, and reach the truth. And that is you, by
what light falls for you to show the way." Brother Cadfael in "The Devil's
Novice" by Ellis Peters.

[email protected]

In a message dated 4/14/00 4:34:24 AM Central Daylight Time,
Stuff@... writes:

<< I locked her back up in the dungeon >>

With all the other homeschooled kids, right? <bg>

Tracy Oldfield

Ha!  This reminds me of something I read once in an old Preschool Playgroups Association Handbook (I think, though it may have been something about empathetic response) about how children react to being asked stuff.  That a parent had overheard another asking her son how school had been that day, saying 'did you have fun?'  The reply was, 'nah it was boring.'  The mother just said 'Oh.'  It tickled me at the time to think that this child (who would still have been at the 'nursery' or kindy stage of school) would say this although he'd probably spent the whole time doing everything in sight.
 
Anyway, we haven't actually discussed what we do, just that they're not going, but they are quite often with me when I start talking to others about it, and so I think they get to know what I think from that.  And since it's one thing that I'm clear on my stance on :-) I'm not going to give them mixed messages that way.
 
JM2pW
Tracy
----- Original Message -----
From: Shannon CC
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2000 5:40 PM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] What do you tell your children?

Cats Meow wrote:
> I thought I had explained it to my daughters, but every time we meet
> someone who asks how school's going, they have a totally blank look and say
> something like, "Oh we didn't do anything today, we just played."

This doesn't exactly pertain to your problem, but I'm reminded of when I
was a child in school. People (usually my mom) would ask "what did you
learn/do in school today" and I would answer "nothing". Even if we had a
good day, or did something interesting, I would have the same answer. I
think I felt like I was being put on the spot with the question. But
I've noticed a lot of children are like that when they are asked things
like that.

Anyway, good luck explaining unschooling to your kids :-)

ShannonCC

Susan and Theodore

>
>
><< I locked her back up in the dungeon >>
>
>With all the other homeschooled kids, right? <bg>

That is funny that you should say that
Last year I was the ONLY home school family in my district
this year there is only one other
OH MY


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Joshua Heath

.....And I saw where she was just asking for some
> companionship (instead of rocking and boob) that she had moved on to
> another level in out relationship and instead of moving away or out she
had
> moved closer and freer to me
Susan, I love the way you handled this! It is exactly how I *hope* to be
able to deal with my boys as they begin to get a little older... I totally
agree that the idea that teenagers "have" to rebel and develope rude
attitudes etc is a big fat myth! I relate to their anxt due to having lack
of parental support, and being sort of cought between worlds, but I think
the stereyotypes only exist in individual situations because they are put
allowed to get away with it. In my favorite parenting book ever (still!),
"parachutes for parents," she talks about that eloquently in her chapter
about teen(angels). I too look forward to this time... when our
relationship can grow in new directions.... Underlying this is the reality
that parenting teens is still just as demanding of your time and enertgy as
is parneting younger children.... it just changes a lot.
Thanks for inspiring example....
Joshua

Tracy Oldfield

Something I read somewhere,(may have been the same Playgroups Handbook, shame it's old and therefore (I'd love to find a keyboard equivalent to the maths symbol for 'therefore') no longer available) talked about the times of childhood when development is going on, and likened adolescence to early toddlerhood, times when a lot of physical and emotional growth goes on, so it needs handling with the same understanding.  I'm not being too clear as I'm a little drunk.  I'll see if I can figure out where I read it (may be Deborah Jackson's 'Do Not Disturb' that I found it, but it's a quote from somewhere else.)
 
Got a while to go before I hit that stage, unless something happens to dh and I end up being a stepmother...
 
Tracy
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, April 15, 2000 12:46 AM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] What do you tell your children?

.....And I saw where she was just asking for some
> companionship (instead of rocking and boob) that she had moved on to
> another level in out relationship and instead of moving away or out she
had
> moved closer and freer to me
Susan, I love the way you handled this!  It is exactly how I *hope* to be
able to deal with my boys as they begin to get a little older... I totally
agree that the idea that teenagers "have" to rebel and develope rude
attitudes etc is a big fat myth!  I relate to their anxt due to having lack
of parental support, and being sort of cought between worlds, but I think
the stereyotypes only exist in individual situations because they are put
allowed to get away with it.  In my favorite parenting book ever (still!),
"parachutes for parents," she talks about that eloquently in her chapter
about teen(angels).  I too look forward to this time... when our
relationship can grow in new directions.... Underlying this is the reality
that parenting teens is still just as demanding of your time and enertgy as
is parneting younger children.... it just changes a lot.
Thanks for inspiring example....
Joshua

Barb Eaton

Joshua,
Who is the author of this book again? I've looked and I can't find it in
my huge amount of saved stuff. I'm off to the Library, by myself, tomorrow.
When _I_ get to use one of the computers for a change. :-) TIA!

Barb E


In my favorite parenting book ever (still!),
> "parachutes for parents," she talks about that eloquently in her chapter
> about teen(angels). I too look forward to this time... when our
> relationship can grow in new directions.... Underlying this is the reality
> that parenting teens is still just as demanding of your time and enertgy as
> is parneting younger children.... it just changes a lot.
> Thanks for inspiring example....
> Joshua

[email protected]

In a message dated 04/12/2000 11:57:09 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
lturner@... writes:

<<
Anyway, I'd love some feedback on this- what do you tell your children
about your homeschooling methods? >>

I remember one time at the grocery store when the checker asked if my dd
was in school and she said no we homeschool. The checker said to dd "oh
your mom teaches you?" and dd said "no my mom doesn't teach me anything"
LOL, talk about a cringing moment. My children have never been to school,
so they don't know that there are different hsing methods. What I explained
to my children how school was and what they actually did there and then
explained to her that we learn from the world around us and from reading
books and playiing and doing things, she really picked up on it right away.
She was almost 5 at the time. She will now tell you that you don't have to go
to school to learn things, but by going places and doing things and exploring.
Every evening my kids ask me if tomorrow is a day off (meaning are we going
anywhere, be it fun/park/or just running errands). Tonight they asked me and
I said yes, tomorrow is but on Sunday we have a fun nature walk planned with
some of our friends. They were all excited and wished it were tomorrow.
After
a moment, my dd asks me"mom, do kids who go to school get a day off on their
birthdays?" I said "no they don't" and you should have seen and heard her
expression!! "They don't ?!?! I don't ever want to go to school!!" She was
just incredulous! She said do they get any days off? I told her yes they do
and
went on to explain that there are 7 days in a week and on Monday when our
secretary is here, kids go to school every day for five days including Friday
when we go to the Farmers Market, but that the next day, tomorrow , Saturday,
would be their day off and that they would have two days off together before
they would go back to school. (I also threw in that they would have to do
schoolwork on their days off too <eg>) Oh and when dad comes home from
work and says what did you do today, they often say play, but if they can't
remember, he chimes in for them and says did you play today?! I guess he
sees the value in play and just being a kid too!!
Kathy