For Joy!

Well, believe it or not, I am finally loving unschooling again and it turns out the reason why is that I moved back to the city.  I will hopefully start posting more again once I get my camera and computer situation figured out!

Unschooling vs. Reality

I've started telling strangers I'm a homeschooler. Why am I doing this? I guess because in the past year I've realized that the lifestyle I've been living isn't working, and I am desperate for more rhythm and structure, and the whole idea of having curriculum actually sounds like a relief. But what's funny is I know I could never really use curriculum, so what is my problem? I have no idea.

Anyway, the reactions I get to saying I'm a homeschooler are totally annoying, because the person always starts going on and on about curriculum packages and "when are you going to start?" and all this crazy stuff that you don't get into when you say you're an unschooler (usually when I said we were unschoolers I used to end up in an uplifting philosophical conversation about the way humans develop). But at least when I mumble something about dabbling in various kinds of curriculi (?) I don't have to betray the fact that I have been totally uninspired for the past year, as my life was dissassembled, brick by brick. And continues to be. So, stay tuned. I'm starting everything all over again, and it's sure to be a revolutionary fall one way or another.

The Well-Trained Mind vs. A Thomas Jefferson Education

I have had a few friends ask me in the past couple of years, "What do you think of The Well-Trained Mind"? And I didn't know, and so I finally got it at the library. And now I can say: "Not much." Any book that uses the word "should" that many times (probably in the thousands) has no place in my life! Seriously - are they kidding? It is worth skimming every few years, as a reference, though, IMO, though anyone who is prone to getting neurotic over "shoulds" (this would include almost every parent I know) might do well to avoid it altogether.

Anyway, I have a few choice quotes to discuss. But first! I have to say, having also just re-read A Thomas Jefferson Education (which I lamely reviewed here), that TJEd is a *much, much* better book. It is an inspirational book, instead of a shaming and anxiety-producing book. TJEd gives me a framework, or in my case, more of a backdrop for unschooling. The Well-Trained Mind requires you to force a lot of things on yourself and your kid and I can't see how anyone could actually follow the program outlined in the book without being totally anal and joyless.

So. . . The Well-Trained Mind is overdue at the library so here is what I am going to quickly comment on this quote from the book:

"The pattern widens and deepens as the student matures and learns. For example, a first grader listens to you read the story of the Iliad from one of the picture-book versions available at any public library. . . Four years later, the fifth grader reads one of the popular middle-grade adaptions - Olivia Coolidge's The Trojan War, or Roger L. Green's The Tale of Troy. Four more years go by, and the ninth grader - faced with Homer's Iliad itself - plunges right in, undaunted. She already knows the story. What's to be scared of?"

I have included the above quote to contrast it with TJEd, which suggests that you always use the original, or classic version of every text to begin with. I like the TJEd idea, for sure. It makes intuitive sense. And also, I love the idea of reading a book to my kids first, and then as a special treat we get the video afterwards. But I am also intrigued by using the method above in certain cases - maybe like cases where *I* am scared to read something. . . like the Iliad. Which I know absolutely nothing about. So I got a kids' version at the library and we're going to read it and experiment with that approach. I think I will only be interested in using this step-by-step approach when it comes to very dense classics, because as a general rule I cannot stand "adaptations" for kids - usually I find them insulting to everyone's intelligence, and much less interesting, too.

Okay, and here's another quote I made a note of from A Well-Trained Mind:

"Every citizen in a democracy takes on responsibilities that were once reserved for the well-educated arisocratic segment of society. And every citizen, college-bound or not, should receive the type of education that will develop the life of the mind."

Ugh - there it is again - the word "should." It's an interesting point, though. But if I'm going to really believe in that, I am going to be a miserable person because that is most certainly NOT happening in America!

And here's another quote I marked:

"the study of art and music is a good late-afternoon or early-evening project."

See now I like it when people point out practical things like that. Late afternoon and early evening is such a bizarre time of day in U.S. society - there is always something off-kilter about it. Maybe if we start up the grill and get out the instruments, everything would fall into place. Seriously!

But here was something that annoyed me:

"Always begin with drawing, progress to painting, and finish up with modeling."

It annoys me because there is no evidence given as to why this should be so. Personally, I think modelling is a whole different ballgame altogether. It's in three dimensions. Why should anyone have to learn to draw something first before they pick up a piece of clay? Well, maybe I'm just bitter because I'm better at modelling than I am at drawing. If *only* I'd had someone force me to go through the steps of drawing, maybe I'd be better at it. Or. . . more likely. . . maybe I'd hate to draw?

In any case, A Thomas Jefferson Education is, in my humble opinion, a very superior book to A Well-Trained Mind. Because when I read it I got excited, and started reading classics right away - and because the author puts the responsibility of a good education on the parents educating themselves, and not forcing anything on their children. Which is the coolest thing ever.

Riverfront Living

Today, the Mississippi started to rise so high that if it goes up a couple more feet, we are going to have a very wet basement. How exciting! One of the few (IMO) perks of renting is that if that happens, it's only my problem to the extent that my stuff down there, which already smells like mildew, will have to be moved upstairs. I am also happy to report that the landlord took over the front room of the basement with his stuff (and that is the only room that doesn't smell like mildew) but his will be the first to get wet if the river continues going up!

Anyway, it's very exciting living on the edge of one of the biggest rivers in the world.

Last year, when I was in the depths of situational depression (which felt like regular depression, but as I suspected it went away when I changed my situation by moving), a fabulous friend of mine sent me an awesome book called The Power Path, which among other great tips on how to gain power, recommends first and foremost going to nature, because it says all shamen know that you go to something more powerful than yourself to get power. For example, the Mississippi River. And I *do* feel much more powerful (a.k.a. happy) since we moved here. The river feeds my soul.

Anyway, it also happens to be a great place to live for unschooler kids, who have no shortage of things to watch going up and down the river. Plus there is a public fishing dock in our front yard, and a very busy train track out back. And even a drawbridge, which goes up and down several times a day in the summer months, can be seen by the edge of the property.

I sure do wish I could post photos, but Ottar broke the camera again. :(

Totally Harmonious Interactions

I got really sick of myself recently, noticing how I started telling people over a year ago that "my kids don't really get along anymore." Finally it occurred to me that I don't even know if that's true. So I started paying attention to how often they *do* get along (which is actually still almost always) and sort of informally timing how long the fighting episodes last (which it turns out are usually about 1-2 minutes each, unless I intervene by shouting and threatening, which makes them each last about 20 minutes, plus I end up feeling like a total psycho.)

So, there you have it! Often things are just a matter of perception.

Another Great Unschooling Book Rec!

Well, I've done it again - I've finished another great unschooling book. This one I stumbled upon in the library - I had never heard of it before. It's called Child's Work: Taking Children's Choices Seriously by Nancy Wallace, who was a close personal friend of John Holt's. It is basically a beautifully written account of one family's experience with unschooling two very talented children. But besides that it is chock full of great insights for the general public! Here are some choice quotes (I copied about 50 of them out of the book, but here are some of my faves):

. . . any time we decide to teach our children the things we are sure they can't learn from experience in the real world, we not only remove them from the very world they are trying so hard to understand, by creating artificial learning situations for them, but we imply that they are incompetent learners and need to rely on our greater expertise and knowledge in order to learn properly.

***

By reading within whole contexts, [my children] guessed at strange words in order to make sense of phrases and sentences. I know a nine-year-old girl who can read books like Stuart Little fluently, but still can't read random lists of words out of context with any degree of accuracy. (Hence, the school considers her unable to read because she does so poorly on their reading placement test, which is exactly that: random lists of words.)

***

Children who, as John Holt put it, "observe, wonder, find, or make and then test the answers to the questions they ask themselves" have no conscious sense of "wrong" because like scientists, they are involved in a continual process of moving closer towards what is right - of defining and redefining their views of the world.

***

Children lose interest in us as teachers as soon as we make ourselves mere passive conveyors of knowledge, like most teachers in school, who try not to reveal their own personal biases and passions for fear of unduly influencing their students and preventing them from learning to think objectively. But children want us to reveal ourselves to them. Just as important, they want and need to be able to reveal their own feelings, ideas, and personal biases to us.

Not Back to School!

It's been a crazy summer, and I saw lots of yellow school buses out today. However, since we're NOT going back to school, our summer does not officially end until September 23! Just one of the many advantages of unschooling. . . plus we get to buy any "school supplies" and clothes after they've all been marked down. Joy!

In any case, I just love this time of year because I get so excited to think about various classes we can all take. On the menu (but not ordered yet) for fall are ninja classes for Ezra, Jiu Jitsu for Ezra and Papa, maybe "open build" art and science classes for both kids, swimming lessons for both kids, yoga for Mama (and hopefully kickboxing, too), possibly some Japanese tutoring for Ezra, and we shall see what else. Just waiting for that big paycheck to come in. . . the one we've been waiting for for weeks.

Right now Ezra, who is 7, is still really into martial arts. He's also teaching himself Japanese. Right now he's using a CD/book called Teach Me More. . . Japanese and he is in love with it! Both kids have also requested that I get them the Spanish version from the library. Ezra has also morphed over the spring and summer from being somewhat obsessed with The Civil War and guns, to moving on to submarines, and now he has expanded to be obsessed with World War II and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He spends many hours every day drawing and building battleships, submarines, and aircraft carriers. He is also on a Jesse James kick and he and Ottar spent an entire afternoon last week re-enacting his death.

What I'm trying to work out now is creating a more structured life. As many of you avid fans may recall, I tried doing a schedule last winter (read here). Well, that crashed and burned immediately. I think it is because it was not the kind of thing that is true to my nature. In fact my whole life was untrue to my nature. But now that we're living on the river and close to the Twin Cities, let me start that over. That will be my topic for tomorrow.

Another Great Gatto Quote!

I've been indulging myself and reading John Taylor Gatto stuff for the past hour. And I just came upon this gem from an article in Natural Life magazine:

Does going to school matter if it uses up the time you need to start a business, to learn to grow vegetables, to explore the world or make a dress? Or if it takes away time to love your family? What matters in a good life?
-John Taylor Gatto

A Nice Explanation of Unschooling

Recently a relative asked me to explain the difference between homeschooling and unschooling. After I explained it, she still wasn't totally satisfied, but maybe wasn't sure why, so I told her I'd look around for some articles.

Here's a good one I found at the site of the Family Unschoolers Network. It explains the history of the terminology as well as the differences. With a slight bias towards unschooling, I suppose, but hey, I'm totally biased, too.

Robert Louis Stevenson Quote

"Youth is the time to go flashing from one end of the world to the other in both mind and body; to try the manners of different nations; to hear the chimes at midnight; to see sunrise in town and country; to be converted at a revival; to circumnavigate the metaphysics, write halting verses, run a mile to see a fire, and wait all day in the theatre to applaud 'Hernani'."

-Robert Louis Stevenson

Lame Crafts

One thing I occasionally feel guilty about is that my kids are not having the quintessential American experience of getting to make silly, adult-led craft projects. Thank God, though, the local library was making these popsicle-stick birds one day while we were there, so that Ottar got to take pride in helping assemble an already-cut-out feather mass, an ice cream stick, a pre-colored cheerio (the librarian painted it before we got there) and 2 googley eyes.

It's things like these that my kids are going to look back on and think, "Wow, was that ever meaningful!" I'm sure of it.

It's pretty cute, though. I have to admit.

Blacksmithing!

Ezra really wanted to take a blacksmithing class, but we missed the fall session at the local folk school. Finally we were able to get in to a class this spring that was actually meant for older kids, but the instructor, Robert, was willing to let Ezra take the class as long as I signed up, too, which I have to say I was overjoyed about. And for half price!

Anyway, it was really fun. A full day, and after our preliminary projects, Ezra let it be known that he would be really disappointed if he didn't come away with a dagger, like the one his friend and "faux cousin," Luka, had made in the same class the year before. So, Robert quickly showed us how to make a dagger and we both worked together on the project. In the end we made one that will eventually have a carved wooden handle, though Ezra loves his dagger so much that now he says he doesn't want one, but I'm sure he'll change his mind someday. I highly recommend this art form and this folk school - it was a great experience for us both, and I hope to do more blacksmithing in the future. Oh, I forgot to mention I made my own "S" hook, and I am very proud of it. Mine is the super fancy one just above of the dagger in the first photo (and *so* sorry these photos are in reverse order - one of these days I will remember how to upload photos correctly.)

Ottar's first cartoon!

Ah! All this talk of family business and then finally my dream comes true where I am sitting and cartooning productively at a table *with my kids*. . . after all these years. Both the kids made amazing cartoons, but Ezra's is too big to scan (it's a story of him shooting Nerf guns with his friend Cody, very much influenced by Tintin). Anyway. . . hopefully a family cartooning business is in the works. . . but if not, we have plenty of other family business ideas up our sleeves, too.

Anyway, seeing as Ottar is only 3-1/2, I think we've got some real talent on our hands, if I do say so myself. Personally, I think he's already surpassed me.

And I'll post more of Ezra's work soon!

Good Morning America - Unschoolers Respond

So I admit I've been under a rock for 2 weeks, but for those who were horrified by the Good Morning America piece on April 19, here's a nice list of response links collected by the Blog of the Zombie Princess.

Home School to Home Business?

I'm also wondering if anyone out there has ever listened to this 14-CD set called Home School to Home Business? or anything else like it? I am dying to set up a *family-run* home business, and would love to get my hands on some inspirational information!

Out of a Rut

I haven't posted much lately - things got even more chaotic for a while there, and Kenny went out of town for a long time and took the computer, and all kinds of other things.

The good news is that we have decided that we are not moving to the farm town where Kenny has been working. The neutral news is that we have no idea where we're going next, or when, or what either of us will be doing or what kind of place we'll be living in.

Hopefully this will be a big turning point in our lives - the point at which we finally got on board and started doing all the things we love to do, but have been putting off because we were too busy waiting for something else.

Awesome Book! By David Albert

Well, after 6 years or more of being on this "unschooling journey" (with my child - before that I was on one with myself, but I didn't know it yet) I have finally been introduced to David Albert's book Homeschooling and the Voyage of Self-Discovery.

Thanks to my sister, who has only been homeschooling for a few months.

I do not know how come none of my friends know about this book - or why the ones who do never mentioned it, but I must say it is a must-read!!

Very inspirational and funny. And it manages to be hard-hitting (doesn't beat around the bush about the government or the history of schools) while also being totally entertaining and fairly light-hearted.

I'm in a hurry, as usual. And those of you who know me know how I hate to review books in any useful way. I can just say, READ THIS BOOK!

Unschooling in Small Towns

Well, thankfully I had a revelation lately, one day when chatting with a new friend of mine, and we got to chatting about various towns in the Midwest that might be better for unschooling in, and Ashland, Wisconsin came up. Now I know that moving to Ashland would not solve all my problems, but a lightbulb when off in my head - aha! That is what is missing from my life! Outdoor recreation people/activities! And we've been looking at land for about 10 years, my husband and I, and we've almost exclusively looked in Southern WI and MN, because that is where he has been thinking he'd like to live, because there is great visibility for storm-watching, and there is no Lake Superior (one of my favorite things in the world) to "mess up" the weather.

So we went up to Ashland last weekend, just to see if I would feel more comfortable there, and the city itself definitely could use a little beautification, though not too much more than the one I'm in (Viroqua). But the exciting thing was that there were BIKE TRAILS. And there is a giant lake!! And a REAL COFFEE SHOP!!! Wow!!! And ads up for drumming, martial arts, outdoor recreation for children, and various other things I can't remember. But they were exciting.

Anyway, my revelation is that if I'm not going to be in a big city, I need to be in a town that at least offers the kinds of things I am passionate about. Duh, right? Well, I guess I didn't realize how un-passionate the rest of the U.S. population is about things like public gathering spaces and outdoor recreation. Thank God I have now seen the light. Now to figure out what I'm going to do about it.

Frugality Fun!

Lots of unschoolers are living below, at, or just above the poverty level. Today I stumbled upon this fascinating site, meant for law students. Good tips! And it's helping me set up e-commerce on my (other) website, too!

5 Dangerous Things you should let your Kids Do

Did I already post this? Well, in case not, here it is (sorry, I'm in a hurry!)

It's a TED video of "5 Dangerous Things you Should Let your Kids Do" from his book (?) called 50 Dangerous Things. . .