Living in a learning world

"My kids think learning is what life is for. And I agree with them."

—Pam Sorooshian

SandraDodd.com/pam/learningworld
photo by Sandra Dodd

A generous, compassionate parent

Being a parent changes people but being a generous, compassionate parent is far above and beyond what happens if a parent goes with the flow of separation, cry-it-out, daycare, pre-school… and they forfeit the ability to see their children directly, and to know them intimately.

From a chat, once....
photo by Sandra Dodd

Means, encouragement, time and space

If the child is allowed to sit with mom or walk across the room, read or not read without pressure or fanfare, walk or not walk as he wishes, if his environment is kept comfortable (taking his personality, fears, needs into account when arranging his comfort) and if he has the means and encouragement and time and space to explore his ever-expanding world, he will learn.

SandraDodd.com/labels
photo by Sandra Dodd, at a tile museum in Lisbon

Are you there yet?

Joyce Fetteroll wrote:

If there is one thought that will help you understand unschooling and respectful parenting it is this:

The primary goal is joyful living.
      All other goals are secondary.

All decent parents, of course, want their children to be happy. But they assume that sometimes happiness needs to be sacrificed to get something better.

But for unschooling, peaceful parents meeting any goal must also meet the goal of living life more joyfully.

"Are we there yet?"
photo by Sandra Dodd

Practice with this

Finding ways not to be grumpy about dishes is a good model and practice field for other choices in life.


SandraDodd.com/dishes
photo by Sandra Dodd
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You'll know.

"How do you know they're learning?"

The people who ask that question are looking at the world through school-colored glasses. Those same parents knew when their children could use a spoon. They knew when the child could drink out of a cup. They knew when walking and talking and bike riding had been learned.

SandraDodd.com/playing
photo by Karen James

Connections and cross-connections

If one thing makes you think of another thing, you form a connection between them in your mind. The more connections you have, the better access you have to cross-connections. The more things something can remind you of, the more you know about it, or are learning about it.

SandraDodd.com/connections
photo by Sandra Dodd