James and Lari Johnston

One of the moms there just figured out that I really mean
it when I say we don't do lessons. And she asked me the dreaded
question "So -- what do you DO all day long?"

============
To those people I'm sensing disbelief from and not a true desire to really learn about unschooling and how it does work; to those not interested in investing some time to discover the truths of unschooling I simply say "we as a family can't learn in a school environment". That "we learn better through life lessons". That "we have to be creative in with our learning styles". That usually does it if they're not really wanting to investigate the options for themselves, if they're just looking to see just how crazy we really are :).
I would love to preach the virtues of unschooling to those who are and even those who aren't asking... all the time...everywhere, because I'm so convinced, but I don't. Am I a betrayer of unschooling? Should I be more interested in converting others? At this point I can sense the difference between who really wants to know because what they're doing now isn't working for them or they are open minded interested people who may not even have kids at school age compared to those that the only impression I'll leave with them is what *neglectful* parents we are.
I choose who to intimately share our unschooling lives details with. I may even phrase, ever so politely, a description so it will sound somewhat acceptable (if not a little mysterious) just to get people to shut up and leave us alone. I'm not always up for the argument-is that so wrong?
Lari




[email protected]





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

Sandra Dodd

-=-Am I a betrayer of unschooling? Should I be more interested in converting
others?-=-

-----
No, I don't think people should worry if they sense another isn't really
interested, or wouldn't begin to understand. Just say "We homeschool a
different way" or whatever will get them past that point.

I don't think others should be converted. It's hard enough to communicate the
subtleties of successful unschooling to those who really WANT to get it. It's
impossible to convey that to the clueless or resistant.

If it's harder to get to, those who get there will be more appreciative and
attentive than if it's scattered out all over the place and nobody has to work to
find it. If we somehow could make it an easy option for everyone the first day
they discovered homeschooling,what would probably happen (I fear) is that
there would be MUCH noise made about it being "doing nothing." And
people would rejoice that they "didn't have to do anything." And so how long
would it be before they even wondered what they DID need to do to make it
work?

Some people just don't like to play missionary or teacher, either, and so I don't
think they should feel the least big guilty if a "teaching moment" goes by and
they haven't told other people what unschooling is. Let it go. Let those who do
have the urge to nudge others to the point of discomfort do it. <bwg>

One way to deal with it is to just answer direct question simply.
"Do you use a curriculum?" "No."
"How do you know they're learning?" "Various ways."

Sandra