tesspiano2003

hello all!

It has been a balm for me to read the posts on this list, having
lurked for a couple of weeks. I am an unschooler who is trying to
adjust to working and handing over 80% of the at home stuff to my
newly unemployed dh. We are redesigning our life, he is finishing
school and becoming a piano teacher/tuner. I teach drama, creative
writing and history to homeschoolers, and also work for a tutoring
agency...life has gone from highly structured to wildly hit and
miss. I am finally starting to get accustomed, but now we are moving
to the other side of the state! I have three daughters and they are
great, way more adjustable than their mother.

I used Seton tests last year and they were, by far, the least
expensive and least time consuming way to honor the testing
regulation. They were 25.00 a piece and that included scoring. They
do not give much added info or commentary, which was fine, because I
didnt care to have it. It did show me which areas my children had
not worked on that year(or at all, really) such as some language
mechanics, capitalization and punctuation. This was just
information, nothing I worried about or that affected my plan for
the next year. My youngest did worry about it, so I bought her a
couple of workbooks to practice, if and when she wanted to. She did
and those things improved. The other two didnt really care. They
seem to learn that stuff when they need it, in the context of
wanting something they write to make more sense to them and to
whoever is reading it.

Thats all, thanks for being there. Hope I helped.

Teresa

[email protected]

In a message dated 3/17/04 10:23:48 AM, ptjlmbaldwin@... writes:

<< It did show me which areas my children had

not worked on that year(or at all, really) such as some language

mechanics, capitalization and punctuation. This was just

information, nothing I worried about or that affected my plan for

the next year. >>

But if you HAVE a plan for next year, that doesn't sound like unschooling to
me.

Have you considered not showing them the test scores? Have you considered
not even looking at them yourself? They do tend to divide the world into school
years and school levels, neither of which need to affect real-life learning.

Sandra

tesspiano2003

--- In [email protected], SandraDodd@a... wrote:
> I guess when I say "plan", I am referring to the general idea of
stuff I want to buy/accumulate in the way of resources. My kids like
to give me lists of things that they think they might want for the
coming months. My children have let me know that they want new stuff
to mess with as the newness of the year is hitting them. We are not
yet completely out of a school mindset, unschooling is a process
that translates differently for each of my children so far.
Sometimes they like to see whats what(and including test scores) and
no matter how I tell them that it doesnt matter, there are people in
their lives( well meaning grandparents, mostly) who ask them awkward
questions. They discovered that tossing the bone of having taken the
test shortens the discussions they have with these people and frees
them up to continue doing whatever they were doing before the
converstation started. Does this make sense? Also, what if my almost
14 year old really wants to see her test scores? I try to encourage
an environment where she(and her sisters) create their own learning,
and if she expresses interest in her test, is it right to withhold
it from her? Thats why I shared them with the kids in the first
place.
Does anyone have suggestions to stem the tide of those well-meaning
folk that are related to us and their concern about standards?
We are learning, as a family, to disregard the opinions of other,
more school-minded folk, but I could use some encouragement on how
to do that from the folks on this list.
Thanks for challenging me, I needed that!
Teresa
> In a message dated 3/17/04 10:23:48 AM, ptjlmbaldwin@e... writes:
>
> << It did show me which areas my children had
>
> not worked on that year(or at all, really) such as some language
>
> mechanics, capitalization and punctuation. This was just
>
> information, nothing I worried about or that affected my plan for
>
> the next year. >>
>
> But if you HAVE a plan for next year, that doesn't sound like
unschooling to
> me.
>
> Have you considered not showing them the test scores? Have you
considered
> not even looking at them yourself? They do tend to divide the
world into school
> years and school levels, neither of which need to affect real-life
learning.
>
> Sandra

[email protected]

In a message dated 3/17/04 5:55:40 PM, ptjlmbaldwin@... writes:

<< > I guess when I say "plan", I am referring to the general idea of

stuff I want to buy/accumulate in the way of resources. My kids like

to give me lists of things that they think they might want for the

coming months. My children have let me know that they want new stuff

to mess with as the newness of the year is hitting them. We are not

yet completely out of a school mindset, unschooling is a process

that translates differently for each of my children so far. >>

As long as you keep getting them school supplies and resources, it's not
going to "translate" very well at all. If you want to unschool, you can do it!
If you want to keep doing school informally, it will be school still.

Do you have to test every year where you are?
Do you have to test at all?

Sandra

Laura

Attempt to reassure them if you have the energy and then let them sit
back and watch the great changes in your children. It took my Mom a
few years but she came around and is now a supporter.
Laura
*********************************************************
> Does anyone have suggestions to stem the tide of those well-meaning
> folk that are related to us and their concern about standards?
> We are learning, as a family, to disregard the opinions of other,
> more school-minded folk, but I could use some encouragement on how
> to do that from the folks on this list.
> Thanks for challenging me, I needed that!
> Teresa

tesspiano2003

hey
yes, I have to test once a year in my state(Washington) and so I
wonder how to make that easier on them.

I appreciate your thoughts, I am genuinely trying to unschool, that
is my desire...sometimes I admit I am such a product of the public
school system, my first impulse is to do it the school way, whatever
it might be. I know that we can do this, we can unschool, but I have
had so many false starts. I have a lot to learn(or unlearn, as the
case may be, smile)
thanks for the input,
Teresa
--- In [email protected], SandraDodd@a... wrote:
>
> In a message dated 3/17/04 5:55:40 PM, ptjlmbaldwin@e... writes:
>
> << > I guess when I say "plan", I am referring to the general idea
of
>
> stuff I want to buy/accumulate in the way of resources. My kids
like
>
> to give me lists of things that they think they might want for the
>
> coming months. My children have let me know that they want new
stuff
>
> to mess with as the newness of the year is hitting them. We are
not
>
> yet completely out of a school mindset, unschooling is a process
>
> that translates differently for each of my children so far. >>
>
> As long as you keep getting them school supplies and resources,
it's not
> going to "translate" very well at all. If you want to unschool,
you can do it!
> If you want to keep doing school informally, it will be school
still.
>
> Do you have to test every year where you are?
> Do you have to test at all?
>
> Sandra