Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] What do you tell your children?
[email protected]
In a message dated 4/13/00 12:42:46 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
heathfam@... writes:
individually. The oldest and the youngest go to ps but the middle one is
homeschooled (this one is 9 yrs old). Some days he wants me to introduce
worksheets and school stuff to do and some days he's done in 5 minutes with
whatever I suggest. I try to go with the flow (and it is hard work for me
sometimes). The other night we got into the discussion of the other two
being in school and I don't remember exactly what was being said but he asked
me, "Is that how come you don't teach me anything?" It kind of floored me.
I said he is learning all the time and he just doesn't know it. His question
stayed with me over the days and I kept asking myself "Is he learning?" over
and over. Then I realized how much he does. He is way more comfortable with
reading than he ever was at school though I don't think he doesn't realizes
it. He goes to work with my boyfriend out on a route where he helps checks
things in, how to talk with customers and prices things. He runs out with
me on photography road trips (a hobby of mine) and I explain to him the
beauty I see in simple things and how contrast of colors can be so beautiful.
He learns a lot about pet care from cleaning cages, water, feeding and trips
to the vet. He's my little calculator when we go grocery shopping and keep a
running total to $250. The other day he became obsessed with recycling
with a trip to the recycle center which also led to a great discussion on
"halfs" since he got half of the money for helping me smash cans. After I
thought of just these few things I put my mind to rest. So far when people
ask what he's doing home he says, "I'm homeschooled" but sometimes he seems
to say it in an embarrassed way I noticed. I guess I console myself by
letting go and trusting (thanks my 'new age' childhood upbringing) and by
hoping that as an adult he'll see how much he's learned. I wish I could give
this one of mine a good dose of self-confidence. His self-esteem has risen
greatly since I took him out of ps last Sept but but I wish he believed
himself more. I hope with more time here at home, he will.
Chelle the desert dweller
heathfam@... writes:
> Things like pointing out the amount of addition and division required toEvery night at bedtime I spend time with each of my kids (3 of 'em)
> play risk, or the strategy involved in chess, the science in making bread,
> or the care and effort involved in emptying the dishwasher.
individually. The oldest and the youngest go to ps but the middle one is
homeschooled (this one is 9 yrs old). Some days he wants me to introduce
worksheets and school stuff to do and some days he's done in 5 minutes with
whatever I suggest. I try to go with the flow (and it is hard work for me
sometimes). The other night we got into the discussion of the other two
being in school and I don't remember exactly what was being said but he asked
me, "Is that how come you don't teach me anything?" It kind of floored me.
I said he is learning all the time and he just doesn't know it. His question
stayed with me over the days and I kept asking myself "Is he learning?" over
and over. Then I realized how much he does. He is way more comfortable with
reading than he ever was at school though I don't think he doesn't realizes
it. He goes to work with my boyfriend out on a route where he helps checks
things in, how to talk with customers and prices things. He runs out with
me on photography road trips (a hobby of mine) and I explain to him the
beauty I see in simple things and how contrast of colors can be so beautiful.
He learns a lot about pet care from cleaning cages, water, feeding and trips
to the vet. He's my little calculator when we go grocery shopping and keep a
running total to $250. The other day he became obsessed with recycling
with a trip to the recycle center which also led to a great discussion on
"halfs" since he got half of the money for helping me smash cans. After I
thought of just these few things I put my mind to rest. So far when people
ask what he's doing home he says, "I'm homeschooled" but sometimes he seems
to say it in an embarrassed way I noticed. I guess I console myself by
letting go and trusting (thanks my 'new age' childhood upbringing) and by
hoping that as an adult he'll see how much he's learned. I wish I could give
this one of mine a good dose of self-confidence. His self-esteem has risen
greatly since I took him out of ps last Sept but but I wish he believed
himself more. I hope with more time here at home, he will.
Chelle the desert dweller
K WORTHEN
I look at this from another view point. That my kids never have days off
because they're learning all the time. I remember reading in GWS once about
a mother who realized this when her daughter asked her an astronomy question
at 9 pm on a July night. She thought to herself "should I wait until 9 am on
a Tuesday in Oct. to answer this? Of course not" I guess this was her
lightbulb moment. I remember taking this to heart and think of it in my
times of doubt.
Amy
because they're learning all the time. I remember reading in GWS once about
a mother who realized this when her daughter asked her an astronomy question
at 9 pm on a July night. She thought to herself "should I wait until 9 am on
a Tuesday in Oct. to answer this? Of course not" I guess this was her
lightbulb moment. I remember taking this to heart and think of it in my
times of doubt.
Amy
----- Original Message -----
From: <Natrlmama@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, April 15, 2000 3:22 AM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] What do you tell your children?
> 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
>
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