Looking for suggestions
B & S Nowicke
Gee - you think after 3 yrs she'd back off - but it's getting worse than ever! My dear mom is driving me crazy! Every time I talk to her she is ragging on me abt "What are the kids doing in school?" In the beginning (3 yrs ago) she was supportive - now that she realizes we don't "do" school at home - she is on my case constantly.
Seems we always end up talking while the kids and I are out somewhere - (like yesterday when she called and we were at Legoland) - "Doesn't sound like you ever teach them anything - You know it's not all just play time - you need to make them do some work too!" AAARRGGHH! I try to cut her lots of slack bcz I almost lost her this past yr due to a brain tumor - and she's still in the "recovery" phase. Her short term memory is bad - but that long term memory is a steel trap! I keep saying - It's fine - they're fine - they're learning constantly. and sometimes - Just Back off! - Depending on my mood I may be more, or less, "understanding and responsive" to her "demands". So, I'm looking for advice on what to say - etc.....I'm tapped out on ideas and comebacks - and though I've tried to explain unschooling - she just doesn't get it!
Thanks
Susan
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Seems we always end up talking while the kids and I are out somewhere - (like yesterday when she called and we were at Legoland) - "Doesn't sound like you ever teach them anything - You know it's not all just play time - you need to make them do some work too!" AAARRGGHH! I try to cut her lots of slack bcz I almost lost her this past yr due to a brain tumor - and she's still in the "recovery" phase. Her short term memory is bad - but that long term memory is a steel trap! I keep saying - It's fine - they're fine - they're learning constantly. and sometimes - Just Back off! - Depending on my mood I may be more, or less, "understanding and responsive" to her "demands". So, I'm looking for advice on what to say - etc.....I'm tapped out on ideas and comebacks - and though I've tried to explain unschooling - she just doesn't get it!
Thanks
Susan
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Ren Allen
"I'm tapped out on ideas and comebacks - and
though I've tried to explain unschooling - she just doesn't get it!"
You don't need more ideas and comebacks, you need to stop talking to
her about this and protect your personal boundaries.
I would tell her you've done massive research on this topic and
you'd be happy to share some articles with her. If she's willing to
read, great! If not, I'd let her know that this topic is 100% OFF
LIMITS until she's willing to do some research.
Ren
though I've tried to explain unschooling - she just doesn't get it!"
You don't need more ideas and comebacks, you need to stop talking to
her about this and protect your personal boundaries.
I would tell her you've done massive research on this topic and
you'd be happy to share some articles with her. If she's willing to
read, great! If not, I'd let her know that this topic is 100% OFF
LIMITS until she's willing to do some research.
Ren
Kristi Hayes
Im with Ren. Ive done this with my mom about so many things
pressuring my kids to eat meat before they were old enough to make an
informed decision and pressuring them once they had made the decision
(Morgaine decided to eat meat so mom bought an organic Turkey to fit my
chem.-free ideals, and was upset that M decided not to eat any);
unassisted birthing (I got tired of hearing how my babies and I were
going to die), homeschooling (we havent even STARTED with unschooling
yet; shes still telling M she can go to kindergarten soon).
What helped, though, was leaving the kids with dh and going to her home,
when I knew she was home alone, and doing it face to face. Mom, I
appreciate your concern, but you need to respect the fact that Im a
good mom even though you dont agree with my choices. I research every
choice I make one way or another, but since its clear you dont want to
really listen to me about this, were going to have to agree to disagree
and not speak about this any more. Or something vaguely to that
effect. She didnt like it, but once Ive said it, I just need a firm,
Lets change the subject.
Im going to have to revisit the schooling issue soon. Morgaine is very
aware that her moms a bit out there what with homebirthing and
babywearing and vegetarianism and homeschooling we havent linked up
with a lot of likeminded people and is starting to feel ostracized.
My mother is only exacerbating this with the schooling issue, esp. where
shes not even old enough (at 4 ½ she wont even be let in until 2005)
to make the choice yet. Youve got to set your priorities and it sounds
like this is a priority for you; you just have to decide what the most
effective tactic will be with your mom.
Good luck!
Kristi
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
pressuring my kids to eat meat before they were old enough to make an
informed decision and pressuring them once they had made the decision
(Morgaine decided to eat meat so mom bought an organic Turkey to fit my
chem.-free ideals, and was upset that M decided not to eat any);
unassisted birthing (I got tired of hearing how my babies and I were
going to die), homeschooling (we havent even STARTED with unschooling
yet; shes still telling M she can go to kindergarten soon).
What helped, though, was leaving the kids with dh and going to her home,
when I knew she was home alone, and doing it face to face. Mom, I
appreciate your concern, but you need to respect the fact that Im a
good mom even though you dont agree with my choices. I research every
choice I make one way or another, but since its clear you dont want to
really listen to me about this, were going to have to agree to disagree
and not speak about this any more. Or something vaguely to that
effect. She didnt like it, but once Ive said it, I just need a firm,
Lets change the subject.
Im going to have to revisit the schooling issue soon. Morgaine is very
aware that her moms a bit out there what with homebirthing and
babywearing and vegetarianism and homeschooling we havent linked up
with a lot of likeminded people and is starting to feel ostracized.
My mother is only exacerbating this with the schooling issue, esp. where
shes not even old enough (at 4 ½ she wont even be let in until 2005)
to make the choice yet. Youve got to set your priorities and it sounds
like this is a priority for you; you just have to decide what the most
effective tactic will be with your mom.
Good luck!
Kristi
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
I agree with Ren. Give her a book or two to read and say when she's done
you'd be happy to discuss it with her. When she's done. If she says anything
about it before, hold up your hand to cut her off and say "Did you finish
reading those two books?"
I'd recommend The Unschooling Handbook by Mary Griffith
and
The Homeschool Book of Answers by Linda Dobson.
If she thinks traditional education is the way to go, give her some homework.
Followed by a test. <g>
Sandra
you'd be happy to discuss it with her. When she's done. If she says anything
about it before, hold up your hand to cut her off and say "Did you finish
reading those two books?"
I'd recommend The Unschooling Handbook by Mary Griffith
and
The Homeschool Book of Answers by Linda Dobson.
If she thinks traditional education is the way to go, give her some homework.
Followed by a test. <g>
Sandra
[email protected]
Looking for something online (didn't find it) I did find some interestig
criticism of unschooling:
This mom says that unschooling works and kids will learn, but just because it
works doesn't mean it's best, meaning best for the mom. She said she
unschooled two years and hated it. But the kids did well. But she went to
structure because.... [seems to me]... she like controlling.
noblechild.com/noble_child_unschooling.html
Sandra
criticism of unschooling:
This mom says that unschooling works and kids will learn, but just because it
works doesn't mean it's best, meaning best for the mom. She said she
unschooled two years and hated it. But the kids did well. But she went to
structure because.... [seems to me]... she like controlling.
noblechild.com/noble_child_unschooling.html
Sandra
[email protected]
AHA!
There it is:
http://sandradodd.com/unschool/relatives
Ideas others have used that you could borrow from. Maybe one carefully
composed letter to your mom would help more than anything.
Sandra
There it is:
http://sandradodd.com/unschool/relatives
Ideas others have used that you could borrow from. Maybe one carefully
composed letter to your mom would help more than anything.
Sandra
AM Brown
I tried to find the link to the article but couldn't so I pasted a copy in here (sorry to the digest folks). Anyway, this was the first article I gave my MIL. She asked all the time about what are they doing in 'school'. She would actually spend most of her time with them quizzing them. This drove me insane. Then I realized she just didn't understand. So I gave her this article and another one. Surprisingly, she really appreciated it and said it was so different from what she imagined but she understood more now what we were doing. I sent her home with "Learning All the Time" I haven't heard back yet but hopefully it will help. It sounds like you have already tried to talk to your mom but somehow books and articles seem to have more legitimacy or at least it isn't you against her. Good Luck. Anna
Nurturing Children�s Natural Love of Learning
by Jan Hunt, M.Sc.
As homeschooling parents, my husband and I sometimes wonder who is learning
more in our family, the parents or the child. The topic we seem to be learning the most about is the nature of learning itself. The term "homeschooling", however, has proven to be misleading. Homeschooling children do not spend all of their time at home, nor is their learning approached in the same way that it would be in school. In fact, many of the assumptions about learning found in public school teaching are reversed in homeschooling. The main element in successful homeschooling is trust. We trust the children to know when they are ready to learn and what they are interested in learning. We trust them to know how to go about learning. While this may seem to be an astonishing way of looking at children, parents commonly take this view of learning during the child�s first two years, when he is learning to stand, walk, talk, and to perform many other important and difficult things, with little help from anyone.
No one worries that a baby will be too lazy, uncooperative, or unmotivated to learn these things; it is simply assumed that every baby is born wanting to learn the things he needs to know in order to understand and to participate in the world around him. These one- and two-year-old experts teach us several principles of learning:
Children are naturally curious and have a built-in desire to learn first-hand about the world around them.
John Holt, in his book How Children Learn, describes the natural learning style of young children:
"The child is curious. He wants to make sense out of things, find out how
things work, gain competence and control over himself and his environment,
and do what he can see other people doing. He is open, perceptive, and
experimental. He does not merely observe the world around him, He does not
shut himself off from the strange, complicated world around him, but tastes
it, touches it, hefts it, bends it, breaks it. To find out how reality
works, he works on it. He is bold. He is not afraid of making mistakes. And
he is patient. He can tolerate an extraordinary amount of uncertainty,
confusion, ignorance, and suspense... School is not a place that gives much
time, or opportunity, or reward, for this kind of thinking and learning."1
Children know best how to go about learning something.
If left alone, they will know instinctively what method is best for them. Caring and observant parents soon learn that it is safe and appropriate to trust this knowledge. Such parents say to their baby, "Oh, that�s interesting! You�re learning how to crawl downstairs by facing backwards!" They do not say, "That�s the wrong way." Perceptive parents are aware that there are many different ways to learn something, and they trust their children to know which ways are best for them.
Children need plentiful amount of quiet time to think.
Research shows that children who are good at fantasizing are better learners and cope better with disappointment than those who have lost this ability. But fantasy requires time, and time is the most endangered commodity in our lives. Fully-scheduled school hours and extracurricular activities leave little time for children to dream, to think, to invent solutions to problems, to cope with stressful experiences, and simply to fulfill the universal need for solitude and privacy.
Children are not afraid to admit ignorance and to make mistakes.
When Holt invited toddlers to play his cello, they would eagerly attempt to do so; schoolchildren and adults would invariably decline.
Homeschooling children, free from the intimidation of public embarrassment and failing marks, retain their openness to new exploration. Children learn by asking questions, not by answering them. Toddlers ask many questions, and so do school children - until about grade three. By that time, many of them have learned an unfortunate fact, that in school, it can be more important for self-protection to hide one�s ignorance about a subject than to learn more about it, regardless of one�s curiosity.
Children take joy in the intrinsic values of whatever they are learning.
There is no need to motivate children through the use of extrinsic rewards, such as high grades or stars, which suggest to the child that the activity itself must be difficult or unpleasant (otherwise, why is a reward, which has nothing to do with the matter at hand, being offered?) The wise parent says, "You�re really enjoying that book!" not "If you read this book, you�ll get a cookie."
Children learn best about getting along with other people through interaction with those of all ages.
No parents would tell their baby, "You may only spend time with those children whose birthdays fall within six months of your own. Here�s another two-year-old to play with. You can look at each other, but no talking!"
John Taylor Gatto, New York State Teacher of the Year, contends, "It is absurd, and anti-life, to... sit in confinement with people of exactly the same age and social class. That system effectively cuts you off from the immense diversity of life."2
A child learns best about the world through first-hand experience.
No parent would tell her toddler, "Let�s put that caterpillar down and get back to your book about caterpillars." Homeschoolers learn directly about the world. Our son describes homeschooling as "learning by doing instead of being taught." Ironically, the most common objection about homeschooling is that children are "being deprived of the real world."
Children need and deserve ample time with their family.
Gatto warns us, "Between schooling and television, all the time children have is eaten up. That�s what has destroyed the American family."3 Many homeschoolers feel that family cohesiveness is perhaps the most meaningful benefit of the experience. Just as I saw his first step and heard his first word, I have the honor and privilege of sharing my son�s world and thoughts. Over the years, I have discovered more from him about life, learning, and love, than from any other source. Homeschooling is always a two-way street.
Stress interferes with learning.
Einstein wrote, "It is a very grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching can be promoted by means of coercion."4 When a one-year-old falls down while learning to talk, we say, "Good try! You�ll catch on soon!" No caring parent would say, "Every baby your age should be walking. You�d better be walking by Friday!"
Most parents understand how difficult it is for their children to learn something when they are rushed, threatened, or given failing grades. John Holt warned that "we think badly, and even perceive badly, or not at all, when we are anxious or afraid... when we make children afraid, we stop learning dead in its tracks."5
While infants and toddlers teach us many principles of learning, schools have adopted quite different principles, due to the difficulties inherent in teaching a large number of same-age children in a compulsory setting. The structure of school (required attendance, school-selected topics and books, and constant checking of the child�s progress) assumes that children are not
natural learners, but must be compelled to learn through the efforts of others.
Natural learners do not need such a structure. The success of self-directed learning (homeschoolers regularly outperform their schooled peers on measures of academic achievement, socialization, confidence, and self-esteem) strongly suggests that structured approaches inhibit both learning and personal development.
Homeschooling is one attempt to follow the principles of natural learning, and to help children retain the curiosity, enthusiasm, and love of learning that every child has at birth.
Homeschooling, as Holt writes, is a matter of faith. "This faith is that by nature people are learning animals. Birds fly; fish swim; humans think and learn. Therefore, we do not need to motivate children into learning by wheedling, bribing, or bullying. We do not need to keep picking away at their minds to make sure they are learning. What we need to do - and all we
need to do - is to give children as much help and guidance as they need and ask for, listen respectfully when they feel like talking, and then get out of the way. We can trust them to do the rest."6
1 John Holt, How Children Learn (New York: Delacorte Press, 1983), p. 287.
2 John Gatto, "Why Schools Don�t Educate", The Sun, June 1990, p.24.
3 Ibid., p.26.
4 Albert Einstein, "Autobiographical Notes", in Schilpp, Paul Arthur, Albert
Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist (Evanston: The Library of Living
Philosophers, Volume VII,1949), pp. 3-94.
5 Holt, op.cit., p. xi.
6 Ibid., p. 293.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Nurturing Children�s Natural Love of Learning
by Jan Hunt, M.Sc.
As homeschooling parents, my husband and I sometimes wonder who is learning
more in our family, the parents or the child. The topic we seem to be learning the most about is the nature of learning itself. The term "homeschooling", however, has proven to be misleading. Homeschooling children do not spend all of their time at home, nor is their learning approached in the same way that it would be in school. In fact, many of the assumptions about learning found in public school teaching are reversed in homeschooling. The main element in successful homeschooling is trust. We trust the children to know when they are ready to learn and what they are interested in learning. We trust them to know how to go about learning. While this may seem to be an astonishing way of looking at children, parents commonly take this view of learning during the child�s first two years, when he is learning to stand, walk, talk, and to perform many other important and difficult things, with little help from anyone.
No one worries that a baby will be too lazy, uncooperative, or unmotivated to learn these things; it is simply assumed that every baby is born wanting to learn the things he needs to know in order to understand and to participate in the world around him. These one- and two-year-old experts teach us several principles of learning:
Children are naturally curious and have a built-in desire to learn first-hand about the world around them.
John Holt, in his book How Children Learn, describes the natural learning style of young children:
"The child is curious. He wants to make sense out of things, find out how
things work, gain competence and control over himself and his environment,
and do what he can see other people doing. He is open, perceptive, and
experimental. He does not merely observe the world around him, He does not
shut himself off from the strange, complicated world around him, but tastes
it, touches it, hefts it, bends it, breaks it. To find out how reality
works, he works on it. He is bold. He is not afraid of making mistakes. And
he is patient. He can tolerate an extraordinary amount of uncertainty,
confusion, ignorance, and suspense... School is not a place that gives much
time, or opportunity, or reward, for this kind of thinking and learning."1
Children know best how to go about learning something.
If left alone, they will know instinctively what method is best for them. Caring and observant parents soon learn that it is safe and appropriate to trust this knowledge. Such parents say to their baby, "Oh, that�s interesting! You�re learning how to crawl downstairs by facing backwards!" They do not say, "That�s the wrong way." Perceptive parents are aware that there are many different ways to learn something, and they trust their children to know which ways are best for them.
Children need plentiful amount of quiet time to think.
Research shows that children who are good at fantasizing are better learners and cope better with disappointment than those who have lost this ability. But fantasy requires time, and time is the most endangered commodity in our lives. Fully-scheduled school hours and extracurricular activities leave little time for children to dream, to think, to invent solutions to problems, to cope with stressful experiences, and simply to fulfill the universal need for solitude and privacy.
Children are not afraid to admit ignorance and to make mistakes.
When Holt invited toddlers to play his cello, they would eagerly attempt to do so; schoolchildren and adults would invariably decline.
Homeschooling children, free from the intimidation of public embarrassment and failing marks, retain their openness to new exploration. Children learn by asking questions, not by answering them. Toddlers ask many questions, and so do school children - until about grade three. By that time, many of them have learned an unfortunate fact, that in school, it can be more important for self-protection to hide one�s ignorance about a subject than to learn more about it, regardless of one�s curiosity.
Children take joy in the intrinsic values of whatever they are learning.
There is no need to motivate children through the use of extrinsic rewards, such as high grades or stars, which suggest to the child that the activity itself must be difficult or unpleasant (otherwise, why is a reward, which has nothing to do with the matter at hand, being offered?) The wise parent says, "You�re really enjoying that book!" not "If you read this book, you�ll get a cookie."
Children learn best about getting along with other people through interaction with those of all ages.
No parents would tell their baby, "You may only spend time with those children whose birthdays fall within six months of your own. Here�s another two-year-old to play with. You can look at each other, but no talking!"
John Taylor Gatto, New York State Teacher of the Year, contends, "It is absurd, and anti-life, to... sit in confinement with people of exactly the same age and social class. That system effectively cuts you off from the immense diversity of life."2
A child learns best about the world through first-hand experience.
No parent would tell her toddler, "Let�s put that caterpillar down and get back to your book about caterpillars." Homeschoolers learn directly about the world. Our son describes homeschooling as "learning by doing instead of being taught." Ironically, the most common objection about homeschooling is that children are "being deprived of the real world."
Children need and deserve ample time with their family.
Gatto warns us, "Between schooling and television, all the time children have is eaten up. That�s what has destroyed the American family."3 Many homeschoolers feel that family cohesiveness is perhaps the most meaningful benefit of the experience. Just as I saw his first step and heard his first word, I have the honor and privilege of sharing my son�s world and thoughts. Over the years, I have discovered more from him about life, learning, and love, than from any other source. Homeschooling is always a two-way street.
Stress interferes with learning.
Einstein wrote, "It is a very grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching can be promoted by means of coercion."4 When a one-year-old falls down while learning to talk, we say, "Good try! You�ll catch on soon!" No caring parent would say, "Every baby your age should be walking. You�d better be walking by Friday!"
Most parents understand how difficult it is for their children to learn something when they are rushed, threatened, or given failing grades. John Holt warned that "we think badly, and even perceive badly, or not at all, when we are anxious or afraid... when we make children afraid, we stop learning dead in its tracks."5
While infants and toddlers teach us many principles of learning, schools have adopted quite different principles, due to the difficulties inherent in teaching a large number of same-age children in a compulsory setting. The structure of school (required attendance, school-selected topics and books, and constant checking of the child�s progress) assumes that children are not
natural learners, but must be compelled to learn through the efforts of others.
Natural learners do not need such a structure. The success of self-directed learning (homeschoolers regularly outperform their schooled peers on measures of academic achievement, socialization, confidence, and self-esteem) strongly suggests that structured approaches inhibit both learning and personal development.
Homeschooling is one attempt to follow the principles of natural learning, and to help children retain the curiosity, enthusiasm, and love of learning that every child has at birth.
Homeschooling, as Holt writes, is a matter of faith. "This faith is that by nature people are learning animals. Birds fly; fish swim; humans think and learn. Therefore, we do not need to motivate children into learning by wheedling, bribing, or bullying. We do not need to keep picking away at their minds to make sure they are learning. What we need to do - and all we
need to do - is to give children as much help and guidance as they need and ask for, listen respectfully when they feel like talking, and then get out of the way. We can trust them to do the rest."6
1 John Holt, How Children Learn (New York: Delacorte Press, 1983), p. 287.
2 John Gatto, "Why Schools Don�t Educate", The Sun, June 1990, p.24.
3 Ibid., p.26.
4 Albert Einstein, "Autobiographical Notes", in Schilpp, Paul Arthur, Albert
Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist (Evanston: The Library of Living
Philosophers, Volume VII,1949), pp. 3-94.
5 Holt, op.cit., p. xi.
6 Ibid., p. 293.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
J. Stauffer
<<<My dear mom is driving me crazy! Every time I talk to her she is ragging
on me abt "What are the kids doing in school?">>>
May I suggest caller ID?
Julie S.
on me abt "What are the kids doing in school?">>>
May I suggest caller ID?
Julie S.
----- Original Message -----
From: "B & S Nowicke" <snowicke@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, April 16, 2004 4:35 PM
Subject: [UnschoolingDiscussion] Looking for suggestions
> Gee - you think after 3 yrs she'd back off - but it's getting worse than
ever! My dear mom is driving me crazy! Every time I talk to her she is
ragging on me abt "What are the kids doing in school?" In the beginning (3
yrs ago) she was supportive - now that she realizes we don't "do" school at
home - she is on my case constantly.
>
> Seems we always end up talking while the kids and I are out somewhere -
(like yesterday when she called and we were at Legoland) - "Doesn't sound
like you ever teach them anything - You know it's not all just play time -
you need to make them do some work too!" AAARRGGHH! I try to cut her lots
of slack bcz I almost lost her this past yr due to a brain tumor - and she's
still in the "recovery" phase. Her short term memory is bad - but that long
term memory is a steel trap! I keep saying - It's fine - they're fine -
they're learning constantly. and sometimes - Just Back off! - Depending on
my mood I may be more, or less, "understanding and responsive" to her
"demands". So, I'm looking for advice on what to say - etc.....I'm tapped
out on ideas and comebacks - and though I've tried to explain unschooling -
she just doesn't get it!
>
> Thanks
> Susan
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
>
> "List Posting Policies" are provided in the files area of this group.
>
> Visit the Unschooling website and message boards:
http://www.unschooling.com
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
DotCom
Thanks for posting this! As a non-unschooler and not-even-homeschooler
who is interested, I always have to read positive and negative views
before coming to decisions about things and have been hard-pressed to
find criticism from people who have actually unschooled for a period of
time and then chose to move away from it.
Sarah
-----Original Message-----
From: SandraDodd@... [mailto:SandraDodd@...]
Sent: Friday, April 16, 2004 6:27 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [UnschoolingDiscussion] Looking for suggestions
* Looking for something online (didn't find it) I did find some
interestig
criticism of unschooling:
This mom says that unschooling works and kids will learn, but just
because it
works doesn't mean it's best, meaning best for the mom. She said she
unschooled two years and hated it. But the kids did well. But she
went to
structure because.... [seems to me]... she like controlling.
noblechild.com/noble_child_unschooling.html
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
who is interested, I always have to read positive and negative views
before coming to decisions about things and have been hard-pressed to
find criticism from people who have actually unschooled for a period of
time and then chose to move away from it.
Sarah
-----Original Message-----
From: SandraDodd@... [mailto:SandraDodd@...]
Sent: Friday, April 16, 2004 6:27 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [UnschoolingDiscussion] Looking for suggestions
* Looking for something online (didn't find it) I did find some
interestig
criticism of unschooling:
This mom says that unschooling works and kids will learn, but just
because it
works doesn't mean it's best, meaning best for the mom. She said she
unschooled two years and hated it. But the kids did well. But she
went to
structure because.... [seems to me]... she like controlling.
noblechild.com/noble_child_unschooling.html
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 4/17/04 11:10:06 AM, dotcom.com@... writes:
<< have been hard-pressed to
find criticism from people who have actually unschooled for a period of
time and then chose to move away from it. >>
That's the first clearly explained example I have ever seen.
I didn't respect it, but I understood it.
The others who have unschooled and then not have seemed on closer examination
to never really unschooled wholeheartedly or actively. They left their kids
alone a while to see if not teaching would work, and then they declared it a
failure and bought a curriculum or put the kids in school.
It might seem too much of a twist of logic to say that if unschooling fails
the family wasn't doing it right, but I haven't seen evidence to the contrary.
Honestly. And I've been paying close attention since Kirby (who'll be 18
this summer) was newly five years old.
Sandra
<< have been hard-pressed to
find criticism from people who have actually unschooled for a period of
time and then chose to move away from it. >>
That's the first clearly explained example I have ever seen.
I didn't respect it, but I understood it.
The others who have unschooled and then not have seemed on closer examination
to never really unschooled wholeheartedly or actively. They left their kids
alone a while to see if not teaching would work, and then they declared it a
failure and bought a curriculum or put the kids in school.
It might seem too much of a twist of logic to say that if unschooling fails
the family wasn't doing it right, but I haven't seen evidence to the contrary.
Honestly. And I've been paying close attention since Kirby (who'll be 18
this summer) was newly five years old.
Sandra