Unschooled kids complete tasks that they find difficult all the time. But, they do them because they see the reason for it and have a larger goal. They might want to create their own video game, so they go through the laborious process of learning a programing language. They may want to write a novel, so they spend hours and hours at the computer. They may want to win a Lego competition, so they learn about geometry and physics. If forced to do any of these tasks, they would find them pointless and frustrating. But, because they have set their own goals and have the freedom to pursue their own interests, they amaze us with their stick-to-itivenss and determination.
Category > Musings
Prodigies
But, here’s the thing: every child is amazing at something. Okay, maybe we can’t place every child on the prodigy pedestal because that’s really reserved for kids who are better at something than most adults will ever be. But, isn’t it possible that we are hindering every child in his pursuit of his gift by forcing him to go to school? We are trying to make all of our kids mediocre in everything, instead of excellent in one thing.
Mindful Parenting
Make sure you have actual, legitimate reasons for your actions, reactions, habits, discipline, and rules (or principles). And make sure your child knows those reasons.
We know they hate it
Adults KNOW that kids hate school. They EXPECT kids to hate school. And, yet, they STILL send them there and see nothing wrong with the whole arrangement.
The Myth of High Expectations
So, I have one expectation for my son (and future children). That is that he follow his passion. I don’t care if that passion is trash collecting, hair dressing, movie making, or even engineering.
On the Love of Reading
With unschooling, there’s really not that same stress about “instilling a love of reading” as there is in a schooled environment. We model to our kids what we want for them. My son sees my husband and I reading for pleasure and information on a near-daily basis. Unschooled kids get absolute freedom to read what they want and when. They can stop a book halfway through or read it twice in a row. They don’t have to take comprehension quizzes or write book reports. If they aren’t perfect readers by a certain age, that’s fine. If they hate Shakespeare, that’s fine. If they read comic books all day, that’s fine. And, if they dislike reading altogether, that’s fine too. Without the pressure to read,
Fighting the Temptation to Retreat
I live in California, and education funding is a hot topic right now. Teachers are being cut left and right, programs are getting slashed, and schools are closing. And, maybe this is just because I’m in an ambivelant mood today, but I have a hard time caring.
A Gentle Grip
I have wonderful mornings with my son, who will be turning one this Friday. He wakes up around 7:30am (a miracle for most nearly-one-year olds), and I get him from his crib and bring him back to our king-sized bed. After nursing and cuddling for a little while, he invariably pops his head up and [...]
More thoughts on reading
My son said his first word yesterday. No, it wasn’t “mommy.” It was “doggy.” In fact, he has been saying “dadoo” for weeks now, and we assumed he was talking about my husband. But, now it seems he’s always been referring to the dog.
The reason I mention this is that it caused me to think [...]
