the phrase in question on the certificate of empowerment
[email protected]
I never did get back to the topic of the phrase in question on the
certificate of empowerment. Life keeps sweeping me away to other things. This isn't
hugely important, but might be of interest to the nit-picky philosophical types,
of which we have a fair number here!
Someone wrote a few months ago with a question/suggestion on the Certificate
of Empowerment. The text of it is below, and it's at
http://sandradodd.com/empowerment
Also, someone adapted it for medical recovery purposes, here:
http://www.procovery.com/resource-certificate.htm
But here's my text:
CERTIFICATE OF EMPOWERMENT
As bearer of this certificate you are no longer required to depend on the
advice of experts. You may step back and view the entire world-not just your
home, neighborhood or town, but the whole Earth-as a learning experience, a
laboratory containing languages (and native speakers thereof), plants, animals,
history, geology, weather (real live weather, in the sky, not in a book), music,
art , mathematics, physics, engineering, foods, human dynamics, and ideas
without end. Although collections of these treasures have been located in museums
for your convenience, they are to be found everywhere else, too.
This authorizes you to experiment; to trust and enjoy your kids; to rejoice
when your children surpass you in skill, knowledge or wisdom; to make mistakes,
and to say "I don't know." Furthermore, you may allow your children to
experience boredom without taking full responsibility for finding them something to
do.
Henceforth you shall neither be required nor expected to finish everything
you start. Projects, books, experiments and plans may be discontinued as soon as
something more interesting comes along (or for any other reason) without
penalty, and picked up again at any time in the future (or never).
You may reclaim control of your family's daily life, and take what steps you
feel necessary to protect your children from physical, emotional or social
harm.
You have leave to think your own thoughts, and to encourage your children to
think theirs.
Each person who reads and understands this is authorized to extend these
privileges to others, by reproducing and distributing this certificate or by
creating another of his/her own design. Those who don't feel the need to obtain
approval to experiment, to think, or to do things they've never seen others do
are exempt, as they didn't need permission in the first place.
Sandra Dodd
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another homeschooling site posted it years ago, with one little tweak in the
text:
-=-Although collections of these treasures have been located in libraries and
museums for your convenience, they are to be found everywhere else, too.-=-
They added "libraries."
I think that largely defeats the purpose.
But...
The real question is about this paragraph, in the one I pass out at
conferences and have on my own website:
"You may reclaim control of your family's daily life, and take what steps you
feel necessary to protect your children from physical, emotional or social
harm. "
When it was first written, I had help from other online unschoolers to polish
it up for what I thought was a single day's use at a conference in New
Mexico. It has survived many, many years.
The question of unschooling is rarely, these days "Is it okay to take them
out of school?" That's what the phrase about protecting them from harm was
about, and reclaiming control. It was about not thinking schools could dictate a
family's schedule, or force a child away from parents.
Unschoolers are more often former other-kinds-of-homeschoolers these days, I
think, than fresh-from-school families.
The problem cited by the reader was that some parents will interpret " take
what steps you feel necessary to protect your children" as encouragement to
control their lives, to forbid television. It's a valid question.
Should the certificate be amended? Annotated? Left as it is?
Sandra
certificate of empowerment. Life keeps sweeping me away to other things. This isn't
hugely important, but might be of interest to the nit-picky philosophical types,
of which we have a fair number here!
Someone wrote a few months ago with a question/suggestion on the Certificate
of Empowerment. The text of it is below, and it's at
http://sandradodd.com/empowerment
Also, someone adapted it for medical recovery purposes, here:
http://www.procovery.com/resource-certificate.htm
But here's my text:
CERTIFICATE OF EMPOWERMENT
As bearer of this certificate you are no longer required to depend on the
advice of experts. You may step back and view the entire world-not just your
home, neighborhood or town, but the whole Earth-as a learning experience, a
laboratory containing languages (and native speakers thereof), plants, animals,
history, geology, weather (real live weather, in the sky, not in a book), music,
art , mathematics, physics, engineering, foods, human dynamics, and ideas
without end. Although collections of these treasures have been located in museums
for your convenience, they are to be found everywhere else, too.
This authorizes you to experiment; to trust and enjoy your kids; to rejoice
when your children surpass you in skill, knowledge or wisdom; to make mistakes,
and to say "I don't know." Furthermore, you may allow your children to
experience boredom without taking full responsibility for finding them something to
do.
Henceforth you shall neither be required nor expected to finish everything
you start. Projects, books, experiments and plans may be discontinued as soon as
something more interesting comes along (or for any other reason) without
penalty, and picked up again at any time in the future (or never).
You may reclaim control of your family's daily life, and take what steps you
feel necessary to protect your children from physical, emotional or social
harm.
You have leave to think your own thoughts, and to encourage your children to
think theirs.
Each person who reads and understands this is authorized to extend these
privileges to others, by reproducing and distributing this certificate or by
creating another of his/her own design. Those who don't feel the need to obtain
approval to experiment, to think, or to do things they've never seen others do
are exempt, as they didn't need permission in the first place.
Sandra Dodd
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another homeschooling site posted it years ago, with one little tweak in the
text:
-=-Although collections of these treasures have been located in libraries and
museums for your convenience, they are to be found everywhere else, too.-=-
They added "libraries."
I think that largely defeats the purpose.
But...
The real question is about this paragraph, in the one I pass out at
conferences and have on my own website:
"You may reclaim control of your family's daily life, and take what steps you
feel necessary to protect your children from physical, emotional or social
harm. "
When it was first written, I had help from other online unschoolers to polish
it up for what I thought was a single day's use at a conference in New
Mexico. It has survived many, many years.
The question of unschooling is rarely, these days "Is it okay to take them
out of school?" That's what the phrase about protecting them from harm was
about, and reclaiming control. It was about not thinking schools could dictate a
family's schedule, or force a child away from parents.
Unschoolers are more often former other-kinds-of-homeschoolers these days, I
think, than fresh-from-school families.
The problem cited by the reader was that some parents will interpret " take
what steps you feel necessary to protect your children" as encouragement to
control their lives, to forbid television. It's a valid question.
Should the certificate be amended? Annotated? Left as it is?
Sandra
mamaaj2000
--- In [email protected], SandraDodd@a... wrote:
may stop outsiders from harming your children by controling your
family's schedule/learning/life/socialization/whatever". Okay, I have
no idea how to end that sentence, but you get the idea.
--aj, master of the rough draft
> The real question is about this paragraph, in the one I pass out atsteps you
> conferences and have on my own website:
>
> "You may reclaim control of your family's daily life, and take what
> feel necessary to protect your children from physical, emotional orsocial
> harm. "Yeh, I think I'd change it to say something along the lines of "you
> Should the certificate be amended? Annotated? Left as it is?
may stop outsiders from harming your children by controling your
family's schedule/learning/life/socialization/whatever". Okay, I have
no idea how to end that sentence, but you get the idea.
--aj, master of the rough draft
Jon and Rue Kream
>>"You may reclaim control of your family's daily life, and take whatsteps you
> feel necessary to protect your children from physical, emotional orsocial
> harm. "**I do think I'd rephrase it. Something like, "You may refuse to allow
others to control your family's daily life, and give your children the
freedom to live without fear of physical, emotional or social harm." ~Rue
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
TreeGoddess
On Jun 30, 2004, at 10:40 AM, SandraDodd@... wrote:
family was reclaiming their freedom. Maybe more like, "You and your
family may reclaim control of your daily lives, ..... " KWIM?
Only because it was brought up am I also chiming in -- otherwise I love
it. It IS very empowering and I've passed it on to many friends. :)
-Tracy-
> You may reclaim control of your family's daily life, and take whatI think if you just tweaked it just a bit it would sound like the whole
> steps you
> feel necessary to protect your children from physical, emotional or
> social
> harm.
family was reclaiming their freedom. Maybe more like, "You and your
family may reclaim control of your daily lives, ..... " KWIM?
Only because it was brought up am I also chiming in -- otherwise I love
it. It IS very empowering and I've passed it on to many friends. :)
-Tracy-
Robyn Coburn
<<<<You may reclaim control of your family's daily life, and take what steps
you feel necessary to protect your children from physical, emotional or
social harm.>>>
I love this paragraph. For my response to the Certificate, this was the
heart of the thing.
However if you really wanted to update it, perhaps - concurring with another
poster - something along the lines of:
"Your family may reclaim control of their daily life, and take what steps
you feel necessary to ensure your children's freedom from physical,
emotional or social harm."
It never occurred to me that this would be taken as an endorsement of media
limiting, but that is undoubtedly because I was already familiar with
Sandra's writing and the concepts of non-limiting.
Robyn L. Coburn
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.707 / Virus Database: 463 - Release Date: 6/15/2004
you feel necessary to protect your children from physical, emotional or
social harm.>>>
I love this paragraph. For my response to the Certificate, this was the
heart of the thing.
However if you really wanted to update it, perhaps - concurring with another
poster - something along the lines of:
"Your family may reclaim control of their daily life, and take what steps
you feel necessary to ensure your children's freedom from physical,
emotional or social harm."
It never occurred to me that this would be taken as an endorsement of media
limiting, but that is undoubtedly because I was already familiar with
Sandra's writing and the concepts of non-limiting.
Robyn L. Coburn
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.707 / Virus Database: 463 - Release Date: 6/15/2004
[email protected]
I like these. Thanks.
In a message dated 6/30/04 3:09:21 PM, skreams@... writes:
<< **I do think I'd rephrase it. Something like, "You may refuse to allow
others to control your family's daily life, and give your children the
freedom to live without fear of physical, emotional or social harm." ~Rue
family was reclaiming their freedom. Maybe more like, "You and your
family may reclaim control of your daily lives, ..... " KWIM?-=- (-Tracy-)
-=-"Your family may reclaim control of their daily life, and take what steps
you feel necessary to ensure your children's freedom from physical,
emotional or social harm."-=- (Robyn L. Coburn)
The good news is I have a special folder where the original lives, and I will
print this out and put it there and consider changing it before it's ever
reprinted again.
The bad news is I have several hundred. As the cost of photocopying went up
and up, and I just pass them out broadly at conferences, I decided last fall
to go to a printshop and get them done on various papers in the cheap
ink-of-the-day (on a good ink-color day, I mean <g>), and so... It will be a while
before reprinting.
I do appreciate the input. I don't want it to have even a bit of harm in it.
Maybe, though, nobody really sees it without knowing enough about unschooling
or me to know what the intent is.
And maybe it will last a long time.
And maybe I could just change the online version.
But no. Yeah. That's what I should do.
No, I can't decide.
Sandra the undecided, the wishy-washy, the thinking-too-much
In a message dated 6/30/04 3:09:21 PM, skreams@... writes:
<< **I do think I'd rephrase it. Something like, "You may refuse to allow
others to control your family's daily life, and give your children the
freedom to live without fear of physical, emotional or social harm." ~Rue
>>-=-I think if you just tweaked it just a bit it would sound like the whole
family was reclaiming their freedom. Maybe more like, "You and your
family may reclaim control of your daily lives, ..... " KWIM?-=- (-Tracy-)
-=-"Your family may reclaim control of their daily life, and take what steps
you feel necessary to ensure your children's freedom from physical,
emotional or social harm."-=- (Robyn L. Coburn)
The good news is I have a special folder where the original lives, and I will
print this out and put it there and consider changing it before it's ever
reprinted again.
The bad news is I have several hundred. As the cost of photocopying went up
and up, and I just pass them out broadly at conferences, I decided last fall
to go to a printshop and get them done on various papers in the cheap
ink-of-the-day (on a good ink-color day, I mean <g>), and so... It will be a while
before reprinting.
I do appreciate the input. I don't want it to have even a bit of harm in it.
Maybe, though, nobody really sees it without knowing enough about unschooling
or me to know what the intent is.
And maybe it will last a long time.
And maybe I could just change the online version.
But no. Yeah. That's what I should do.
No, I can't decide.
Sandra the undecided, the wishy-washy, the thinking-too-much
cat
I do like all of the new suggestions - but I wonder if people who
are still in the mindset of "protecting" their children from
television or twinkies would still read even the new phrases as
supporting their choice to limit their children. As long as they
didn't know Sandra or hadn't read anything else she'd written!
-Cat
are still in the mindset of "protecting" their children from
television or twinkies would still read even the new phrases as
supporting their choice to limit their children. As long as they
didn't know Sandra or hadn't read anything else she'd written!
-Cat
[email protected]
In a message dated 7/3/04 8:36:30 AM, aceto3@... writes:
<< I do like all of the new suggestions - but I wonder if people who
are still in the mindset of "protecting" their children from
television or twinkies would still read even the new phrases as
supporting their choice to limit their children. As long as they
didn't know Sandra or hadn't read anything else she'd written! >>
Oh good! An argument for not changing it. <bwg>
I guess I'm not in a big hurry to decide since I have two or three years'
worth in my office.
It was fun, that day, ordering them. I worked in a print shop years ago, so
I knew to apply to their need to offload leftovers from old jobs, so I asked
him if he would charge me plain-paper cost for an assortment of whatever all
they had in the left-over nice-paper piles in the back, and he did. So I have
different colored papers with colored inks which satisfies my urge for them
to be a bit colorful.
Sandra
<< I do like all of the new suggestions - but I wonder if people who
are still in the mindset of "protecting" their children from
television or twinkies would still read even the new phrases as
supporting their choice to limit their children. As long as they
didn't know Sandra or hadn't read anything else she'd written! >>
Oh good! An argument for not changing it. <bwg>
I guess I'm not in a big hurry to decide since I have two or three years'
worth in my office.
It was fun, that day, ordering them. I worked in a print shop years ago, so
I knew to apply to their need to offload leftovers from old jobs, so I asked
him if he would charge me plain-paper cost for an assortment of whatever all
they had in the left-over nice-paper piles in the back, and he did. So I have
different colored papers with colored inks which satisfies my urge for them
to be a bit colorful.
Sandra
[email protected]
- but I wonder if people who are still in the mindset of "protecting" their children from television or twinkies would still read even the new phrases as supporting their choice to limit their children.>>>>>>
There is no single statement that would cause all parents to realize the benefits of removing limits. It takes many conversations and hearing or reading stories of families where it is working. Maybe some people read one thing, one time and totally change, but I needed to hear or read it over and over before it made sense. It also took self examination for me to realize areas I was setting limits without realizing it.
Mary Ellen
There is no single statement that would cause all parents to realize the benefits of removing limits. It takes many conversations and hearing or reading stories of families where it is working. Maybe some people read one thing, one time and totally change, but I needed to hear or read it over and over before it made sense. It also took self examination for me to realize areas I was setting limits without realizing it.
Mary Ellen