pam sorooshian

Getting ready to talk about unschooling at the HSC conference and I
went through some websites designed to help teachers - and pulled off a
hundred terms that appeared frequently and which I have something to
say about, in relation to unschooling. Thought you all might "enjoy"
seeing them and I'd be interested in hearing YOUR responses to any of
them, too. Most are just one word, but some are short phrases - sorry
if the formatting is difficult. --pam

Absenteeism Administrators Assessment Assignments Attention
Deficit Authority Behavior Problem Boredom Bullying Character
Education Cheating Classroom Classroom Management College Track
Conferences Conflict Resolution Control Cooperative Groups
Corrections Curriculum Direction Discipline Disruption Due
Dates Enrichment Evaluation Exercises Expectations Experts
Expulsion Failure Field Trips Goals GPA Grade Level Grading
Held Back Homework Honors Incentives Instructions Learning
Learning Disabilities Lesson Plans Limits Missed Work Mistakes
Motivation Objectives Open House Parental Involvement
Participation Passing Grade Passing Notes Paying Attention
Permission Policies Potential Practice Problems Progress
Promotion Pull-Outs Punishments Quizzes Reports Research Papers
Review/Cram Rewards Rules School School Supplies Seat Assignments
Self-Esteem Skipping Grades Socializing Solutions Special
Needs Standards Strategies for Dealing with Students Structure
Students Study Study Habits Subjects Substitutes Success
Supervision Suspension Tardiness Teachers Teaching Teasing Tests
Textbooks Topics Truancy Under Achievement Vandalism Work

Robyn Coburn

I will think on these, but in the mean time, isn't it astonishing how little
most of them apply to our lives! Missing from the list, in no particular
order: enjoyment, joy, fun, laughter, love, vocation, hobby, leisure, games,
achievement, conversation, friendship, family, passion, concentration, help,
discovery.

Is Character Education the same thing that used to be called Personal
Development?

Robyn L. Coburn

<<<Absenteeism Administrators Assessment Assignments Attention
Deficit Authority Behavior Problem Boredom Bullying Character
Education Cheating Classroom Classroom Management College Track
Conferences Conflict Resolution Control Cooperative Groups
Corrections Curriculum Direction Discipline Disruption Due
Dates Enrichment Evaluation Exercises Expectations Experts
Expulsion Failure Field Trips Goals GPA Grade Level Grading
Held Back Homework Honors Incentives Instructions Learning
Learning Disabilities Lesson Plans Limits Missed Work Mistakes
Motivation Objectives Open House Parental Involvement
Participation Passing Grade Passing Notes Paying Attention
Permission Policies Potential Practice Problems Progress
Promotion Pull-Outs Punishments Quizzes Reports Research Papers
Review/Cram Rewards Rules School School Supplies Seat Assignments
Self-Esteem Skipping Grades Socializing Solutions Special
Needs Standards Strategies for Dealing with Students Structure
Students Study Study Habits Subjects Substitutes Success
Supervision Suspension Tardiness Teachers Teaching Teasing Tests
Textbooks Topics Truancy Under Achievement Vandalism Work>>>




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Visit the Unschooling website and message boards: http://www.unschooling.com

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Nichole in Round Rock, TX

and don't forget interest, fascination, delight, pleasure, happiness, confidence.

:o)
Nichole

----- Original Message -----
From: Robyn Coburn
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, August 09, 2004 11:41 PM
Subject: RE: [UnschoolingDiscussion] 100 school terms


Missing from the list, in no particular
order: enjoyment, joy, fun, laughter, love, vocation, hobby, leisure, games,
achievement, conversation, friendship, family, passion, concentration, help,
discovery.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Elizabeth Roberts

And nearly ever one of them about control. UGH.

Elizabeth

--- pam sorooshian <pamsoroosh@...> wrote:

> Getting ready to talk about unschooling at the HSC
> conference and I
> went through some websites designed to help teachers
> - and pulled off a
> hundred terms that appeared frequently and which I
> have something to
> say about, in relation to unschooling. Thought you
> all might "enjoy"
> seeing them and I'd be interested in hearing YOUR
> responses to any of
> them, too. Most are just one word, but some are
> short phrases - sorry
> if the formatting is difficult. --pam
>
> Absenteeism Administrators Assessment
> Assignments Attention
> Deficit Authority Behavior Problem Boredom
> Bullying Character
> Education Cheating Classroom Classroom Management
> College Track
> Conferences Conflict Resolution Control
> Cooperative Groups
> Corrections Curriculum Direction Discipline
> Disruption Due
> Dates Enrichment Evaluation Exercises
> Expectations Experts
> Expulsion Failure Field Trips Goals GPA
> Grade Level Grading
> Held Back Homework Honors Incentives
> Instructions Learning
> Learning Disabilities Lesson Plans Limits
> Missed Work Mistakes
> Motivation Objectives Open House Parental
> Involvement
> Participation Passing Grade Passing Notes
> Paying Attention
> Permission Policies Potential Practice Problems
> Progress
> Promotion Pull-Outs Punishments Quizzes Reports
> Research Papers
> Review/Cram Rewards Rules School School Supplies
> Seat Assignments
> Self-Esteem Skipping Grades Socializing
> Solutions Special
> Needs Standards Strategies for Dealing with
> Students Structure
> Students Study Study Habits Subjects
> Substitutes Success
> Supervision Suspension Tardiness Teachers Teaching
> Teasing Tests
> Textbooks Topics Truancy Under Achievement
> Vandalism Work
>
>




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Sylvia Toyama

Missing from the list, in no particular order -- add:

healthy happy curious interest



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Krisula Moyer

Wow Pam. Good list.
Reading these words brings back so many memories for me. I did my student
teaching as a ps music teacher back in Delaware and left the field shortly
thereafter. The word that jumped out at me reading your list was
enrichment. When you see the word "enriched" on a package of bread at the
store it doesn't mean it's healthier than the other breads. Rather it means
the flour they used was so processed it had practically nothing of any
nutritional value left so they had to add some vitamins back in to make it
better. Still, way worse than a nice whole grain bread. It's the same at
school. Enrichment, when you can get it, is only there to try to
ameliorate the woeful inadequacies of schooling children.

The other word that jumped off the screen for me was Socializing. I can
just hear the tone of voice used by my fellow teachers when they'd say that
word. "I had to move his seat because the kids in the back are always
socializing."

Aimee

<<When you see the word "enriched" on a package of
bread at the
store it doesn't mean it's healthier than the other
breads. Rather it means
the flour they used was so processed it had
practically nothing of any
nutritional value left so they had to add some
vitamins back in to make it
better. Still, way worse than a nice whole grain
bread. >>

That's a fantastic analogy!

Isn't there a best of UD list that should go on?

~Aimee

[email protected]

In a message dated 8/10/2004 12:09:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
aimeel73@... writes:

Isn't there a best of UD list that should go on?



<<<<

Pam has a "HIGHLIGHTS" list. She reposts really good things there.

~Kelly


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Nichole in Round Rock, TX

----- Original Message -----
From: Krisula Moyer
To: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 10:46 AM
Subject: [UnschoolingDiscussion] RE: 100 school terms

>>>The other word that jumped off the screen for me was Socializing. I can
just hear the tone of voice used by my fellow teachers when they'd say that
word. "I had to move his seat because the kids in the back are always
socializing."<<<<

Funny, and people are so worried when you tell them that you're homeschooling.... "Well, kids have to socialize!"
Nichole




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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

In a message dated 8/10/04 9:51:24 AM, krisulam@... writes:

<< The other word that jumped off the screen for me was Socializing. I can

just hear the tone of voice used by my fellow teachers when they'd say that

word. "I had to move his seat because the kids in the back are always

socializing." >>

OH yeah,
I lost count of how many times I heard the dripping-with-disdain, "You're not
here to SOCialize."

I guess we were there to be bored and learn our place in the world. If we
were having fun, we were violating school policy and intent.

Sandra

Penn Acres

Subject: Re: [UnschoolingDiscussion] RE: 100 school terms

Sometimes I think that so many adults don't know what to make of children.( especially active, enthusiastic kids.
The ones that don't act detached from the adults around them. I see so many people look at them with bemusement, surprise.
The "100 School Terms" list makes me think of children as "consumer products". Have them, feed, clothe them, educate them according to the products available. Give them to the "state" to provide an income from managing them (bldgs. staff. experts-seminars-products-producers-)
"Children are to use" even provide "reasons" for some women to justify themselves-then off to public school when having them around all day is annoying.
I am sure this is too vague but the "100" just has me babbling on.
Grace
In the gorgeous BC Rockies where it is going to be Too hot this afternoon but a glorious fresh morning.
And the girls are immersed in imagination game # 1,111,1111,1111.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

marji

At 12:38 8/10/04, Sandra wrote:


>OH yeah,
>I lost count of how many times I heard the dripping-with-disdain, "You're not
>here to SOCialize."

Of course, the irony of that is absolutely delicious! We all know that
practically the first concern people raise when they hear you're
homeschooling your kids is, "But, what about socialization?!" Geez!



Marji
<http://www.gaiawolf.org/>GaiaWolf ~ Music for the Planet

"The animals of this world exist for their own reasons. They were not made
for humans any more than blacks were made for whites, or women created for
men." ~ Alice Walker

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

In a message dated 8/9/04 11:26:47 PM, dezigna@... writes:

<< Is Character Education the same thing that used to be called Personal
Development? >>

We never had personal development, but I know there is a campaign in the
schools here lately, which Senator Pete Dominici initiated, and as he's a New
Mexico senator, I don't know whether it's local or not. It's called "Character
Counts" and there are billboards, and I know it's a school program. There
will be virtuous attributes put up on billboards, like integrity,
trustworthiness, honesty.

I'm guessing it's that. Morality.

Sandra

[email protected]

In a message dated 8/10/2004 3:57:57 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
SandraDodd@... writes:

There will be virtuous attributes put up on billboards, like integrity,
trustworthiness, honesty.<<<<

OH! And the BEST one: Respect.

Huh. In schools. <g>

~Kelly







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

In a message dated 8/9/2004 10:24:08 PM Eastern Standard Time,
pamsoroosh@... writes:
> Thought you all might "enjoy"
> seeing them and I'd be interested in hearing YOUR responses to any of
> them, too. Most are just one word, but some are short phrases


An amazing list, if you look into prisons and detention centers, you find
almost the same listings, so so SAD.

Pamela


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Elizabeth Hill

** The "100 School Terms" list makes me think of children as "consumer
products".**

The term that comes to mind for me is "widgets", that is things rolling
off of an assembly line.

Betsy

Crystal

One of the women at my job had made a tree out of construction paper
and hung it on the wall. The leaves were individual hearts with
inspiring words on them. One word that stuck out was "obedience".
I've looked at this tree over and over, but I just can't see how
obedience fits in with words like faith, love and happiness. My co-
worker is a devout Pentecostal who believes that God created us and
he can destroy us if we make him mad, therefore we should be
obedient to Him. To me, it sounds strange and maybe even far-
fetched to believe that our God, who is supposed to care about us,
would have a temper bad enough to destroy us. I just don't buy the
whole obedience thing.

But, isn't it similar to what we feared in school? That if we
weren't obedient to the school we would be punished or worse? Are
teachers, who are supposed to care about their students, God with
the power to create or destroy them? I know there are even parents
out there that think they have the power to create or destroy their
children.

The sad part is that teachers and some parents really can destroy a
child simply by throwing a label on them such as gifted or learning
disabled or a behavior problem, which will follow them the rest of
their lives.

Crystal

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Absenteeism Administrators Assessment Assignments Attention
Deficit Authority Behavior Problem Boredom Bullying Character
Education Cheating Classroom Classroom Management College Track
Conferences Conflict Resolution Control Cooperative Groups
Corrections Curriculum Direction Discipline Disruption Due
Dates Enrichment Evaluation Exercises Expectations Experts
Expulsion Failure Field Trips Goals GPA Grade Level
Grading Held Back Homework Honors Incentives Instructions
Learning Learning Disabilities Lesson Plans Limits Missed
Work Mistakes Motivation Objectives Open House Parental
Involvement Participation Passing Grade Passing Notes Paying
Attention Permission Policies Potential Practice Problems
Progress Promotion Pull-Outs Punishments Quizzes Reports
Research Papers Review/Cram Rewards Rules School School
Supplies Seat Assignments Self-Esteem Skipping Grades
Socializing Solutions Special Needs Standards Strategies for
Dealing with Students Structure Students Study Study
Habits Subjects Substitutes Success Supervision Suspension
Tardiness Teachers Teaching Teasing Tests Textbooks Topics
Truancy Under Achievement Vandalism Work

[email protected]

In a message dated 8/10/04 10:59:23 PM, crystal.pina@... writes:

<< Are

teachers, who are supposed to care about their students, God with

the power to create or destroy them? >>

They don't create much, but the sure do destroy.

Rhonda McDowell

These "100 terms" remind me of the first grade teacher my youngest child had. It was a horrible year, where she learned a lot of "academics", but had recurring tummy aches all year long. The teacher ended up accusing her of faking it, so I took her to the doctor and discovered she had a bladder infection. She had deep circles under her eyes all year long. I deeply regret not pulling her out. Since she was a "good girl," I kept hoping she'd stay under the radar and survive.

This teacher has never been a mother herself, was a complete control freak, thought she had the most organized program in the world (which she did ~ very anal). She expected high school level discipline and attention spans from those first graders (made them sit at their desks for up to 2 hours on Friday mornings taking tests), and her classroom management techniques were very harsh (she had this weird "reward" system where she passed out baseball tradering cards that none of the kids cared about). As I said, my daughter was a "good girl" and learned to stay out of trouble, but as a former special ed teacher my heart bled for the slow learners or those with minor "behavior problems" made to feel they were bad, eventually losing hope of ever pleasing her.

We parents complained to the principal, who did nothing that year or the next. But because parents finally threatened lawsuits, she was transferred out. I once witnessed a kid (diagnosed as ADHD, assigned a full-time aide who the teacher wouldn't let sit with him) wheeled away on a stretcher in a straight-jacket (with his mom sobbing behind and not allowed to ride in the ambulance), taken to the mental health ward of the local hospital where he was kept for a week with a bunch of nutty adults ~ all because this teacher had called 911 and said the kid was out of control and the office wouldn't help her (they told her to manage until they could find an administrator to come to the room. She said he was throwing chairs around the room, but my daughter said he was just scooting around the room on the teacher's chair with wheels.

I'm told that a number of kids in her second grade class last year started wetting their pants. I will always regret not pulling my child or taking a stronger stand against this woman who did so much harm.

Hopefully, my kids can heal from their negative experiences in school, and from the damage done by their recovering control-freak mom!! This will be my first year homeschooling. I've been fascinated by all the info on unschooling I've learned through this discussion group. Thanks to all of you for sharing such eye-opening, thought-provoking postings!

Rhonda




----- Original Message -----
From: pam sorooshian
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, August 09, 2004 7:23 PM
Subject: [UnschoolingDiscussion] 100 school terms


Getting ready to talk about unschooling at the HSC conference and I
went through some websites designed to help teachers - and pulled off a
hundred terms that appeared frequently and which I have something to
say about, in relation to unschooling. Thought you all might "enjoy"
seeing them and I'd be interested in hearing YOUR responses to any of
them, too. Most are just one word, but some are short phrases - sorry
if the formatting is difficult. --pam

Absenteeism Administrators Assessment Assignments Attention
Deficit Authority Behavior Problem Boredom Bullying Character
Education Cheating Classroom Classroom Management College Track
Conferences Conflict Resolution Control Cooperative Groups
Corrections Curriculum Direction Discipline Disruption Due
Dates Enrichment Evaluation Exercises Expectations Experts
Expulsion Failure Field Trips Goals GPA Grade Level Grading
Held Back Homework Honors Incentives Instructions Learning
Learning Disabilities Lesson Plans Limits Missed Work Mistakes
Motivation Objectives Open House Parental Involvement
Participation Passing Grade Passing Notes Paying Attention
Permission Policies Potential Practice Problems Progress
Promotion Pull-Outs Punishments Quizzes Reports Research Papers
Review/Cram Rewards Rules School School Supplies Seat Assignments
Self-Esteem Skipping Grades Socializing Solutions Special
Needs Standards Strategies for Dealing with Students Structure
Students Study Study Habits Subjects Substitutes Success
Supervision Suspension Tardiness Teachers Teaching Teasing Tests
Textbooks Topics Truancy Under Achievement Vandalism Work



"List Posting Policies" are provided in the files area of this group.

Visit the Unschooling website and message boards: http://www.unschooling.com


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ADVERTISEMENT





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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Robyn Coburn

<<<Getting ready to talk about unschooling at the HSC conference and I
went through some websites designed to help teachers - and pulled off a
hundred terms that appeared frequently and which I have something to
say about, in relation to unschooling. >>>

I had revisited the list of words again, and was trying to think of
something clever - without success. I was suddenly struck by some words in
the above paragraph. "Designed to help teachers". Not "to help students".

No wonder teachers find their work difficult. Look at the number of words on
this list that are negative - the focus is absolutely on problems and the
expectation of an endless series of problems and difficulties. Even the
neutral seeming words like "Grading" certainly have a negative component -
eg the bell curve means someone has to get an "F", "Solutions" - there must
be a problem for there to be a solution to it. BTW I don't know what
"Pull-Outs" means, I guess nothing to do with Pull-ups. ;)

Probably from an Unschooling perspective, almost the entire list represent
horrible circumstances for schooled children, and yet remain for us an
irrelevant multitude.

Absenteeism Attention Deficit Authority Behavior Problem Boredom
Bullying Cheating Conflict Resolution Control
Corrections Direction Discipline Disruption
Expulsion Failure Held Back Learning Disabilities Lesson Plans Limits
Missed Work Mistakes Passing Grade Passing Notes Paying Attention
Permission Problems Pull-Outs (?) Punishments
Review/Cram Rewards Rules Seat Assignments Self-Esteem Skipping Grades
Solutions Special Needs Standards Strategies for Dealing with Students

Supervision Suspension Tardiness Teasing Tests
Textbooks Truancy Under Achievement Vandalism Work

I'm not suggesting you cull the School Terms list, since I know that is not
your intention. I was just kind of auditing the list. The above words would
be the subset from the main list that are surely negatively predictive -
seen from a schooling context. (I include Special Needs as negative *only*
from that perspective - something that needs correcting with special
attention).

No wonder our lives look so extraordinary (to bring in an idea from another
thread) since we focus constantly on strengths and good stuff - as the
difficult to cull list of unschooling words shows.

I'm thinking that you are making a presentation to a largely mixed group of
homeschoolers and possible future homeschoolers, with a few Unschoolers
thrown in, with a view to showing how great Unschooling can be. How it
differs both from school and curriculum based homeschooling. Is this right?


I think it's interesting to investigate words that are intersecting - the
same word with hugely different meanings in the two contexts. Boredom,
Expectations, Experts (whom we tend regard either as service providers,
ourselves, or with a very jaundiced eye), Learning, Instructions (like for a
video game?), Limits (a great discussion on U/B recently), Progress, Work
("Play is the work of childhood" - who said that?), Structure.

How to cull the other list:

Acceptance active appreciation artistic attention authentic available
awareness beauty brilliant caring challenge choice closeness
community companionship compassion confidence connections contemplation
conversation courage creative curiosity dabbling easy empowerment
endeavors energy engaged environment everything excitement experience
experimentation explore facilitator family feelings figure out flow
focus freedom games generosity gentleness genuine growing-up growth
hands-on happiness help home honor ideas imagination immersion
independence individual information integrated interest joy kindness
knowledge learning life lifestyle listening living love mastery
model natural needs notice nurture observation offer opportunities
Passion pathway patience perception personality philosophy places
play pleasure preferences presence pretend process protect questions
Quiet real life relationships resources responsible rest right safe
serious sharing siblings situations songs strengths strew success
Suggestions support talk about it thinking thought time together
Toys trust truth understanding unique validate value voluntary
Whole wisdom wonder work it out world yes

(Yes I reformatted it by hand - you can thank me later, or not. ;) )

Vijay suggested 12. Given the interesting discussion the word "dabbling"
aroused, maybe not that - OTOH if the aim is to entice people to explore
Unschooling further maybe you shouldn't scare them off with words that are
too school-negative, even if they are Unschool-positive. Again the idea of
looking at the intersections could be interesting. "Environment",
"Suggestion" and "Immersion" are words that mean something different in
school and in Unschooling.

I think one way to cull could be to look at some that are almost
redundancies - or to cheat by grouping some words as if they were one. The
idea behind Life/Lifestyle/Living/real life/situations could be represented
by one word on the list, but expanded on in the talk.
Integrated/connections/relationships - again maybe the word "connections"
would be enough. Family/siblings/home/closeness/relationships; talk about
it/questions/listening/presence/available; notice/observation/perception;
personality/unique/acceptance; strew/offer/opportunities/available;
pleasure/passion/happiness/joy; kindness/compassion/caring/gentleness;
artistic/creative/beauty/imagination (another set of concepts that is
totally different in school); Truth/authentic/genuine;
curiosity/dabbling/explore

I don't like "Work it out" - too much like "sound it out" - like being sent
to the encyclopedia instead of answered. I guess if a word or phrase would
require a lengthy explanation as to why it is a positive word if initially
it seems to have a negative connotation it might be better off the list. How
much time do you have for your presentation?

This culling is tough work. I keep thinking of more words to add instead!

Good luck with it, Pam. I'm sorry I won't be there to hear you. I'll miss
you in Peabody also (assuming you are the Pam not going).

Robyn L. Coburn






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pam sorooshian

Thanks for your comments - GREAT insight, Robyn, on the fact that that
list was made for teachers, not students.

Pull-outs are what kids are pulled out of class for -- speech therapy,
gifted program, reading recovery, etc.

-pam
On Aug 17, 2004, at 3:58 AM, Robyn Coburn wrote:

> BTW I don't know what
> "Pull-Outs" means, I guess nothing to do with Pull-ups. ;)
>
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