Follow Your Heart

Yeah, no.... don't do that.

Joyce responded years back to some "follow your heart" advice. She wrote more, but her conclusion was:

Critical examination is better for reaching clear goals than pretty sentiments of "following the heart" and "mom knows best."

Deb Lewis once wrote, about how unschooling can appear to those who like to agree with whatever they just heard that seemed cool:

I think unschooling attracts many people who value feelings and "intuition" over critical thinking. I think to a certain kind of person the ideal of unschooling "freedom" fits right into, or should I say *aligns* with, *vibrates* with, their thinking style. And some of them get to a discussion like this and find out there are unschoolers who don't think sugar is poison or wheat is toxic or fairies are real, or wood toys are better than an iPad, or TV is mind control and video games turn you into a sociopath, and it's surprising.
It's some problem of heuristics. Unschooling, on the surface, looks like some hippy-dippy, barefoot, freedom fest. They think it's what they already do.
If you're willing to believe anything at all because you read it in blog post by someone who heard it from their spirit animal in a dream after seeing a shooting star, you're going to have trouble in a rational discussion.
Likewise, if your thoughts are mostly cliches and platitudes, discussion becomes confusing and disturbing. Unschooling *looks* crazy and irresponsible and artsy-fartsy, anti- intellectual. It takes some real consideration and understanding of learning to know it's more than wishful thinking and hope.
Discussions like this give participants the opportunity to unravel ideas and really think about what they believe and what they want. But since examining your own ideas and being challenged, can feel like those most horrible moments in school when you give the wrong answer, and feel stupid and ashamed, not everyone will stay. Not everyone is willing to unpack all that. Or not willing to do it in public.

original, on facebook, March 2015

Follow Your Heart

Follow Your Gut
I understand and honestly I feel it is totally appropriate for you to follow your gut reactions about this...I have struggled in the past about TV and computer use and just realized that at this time I cannot be comfortable with my 5 yo child watching DVDs for hours and then computer games for hours.
"that resonates with me..."
"The paragraph at the bottom of the page you linked resonated deeply with me and is an example of what I believe to be a very important aspect of unschooling."
(So many words with so little meaning...)
Clarity Logic