"Teaching" is a problem, in an unschooling light. Learning is the goal, and teaching gets in the way. |
photo by Sandra Dodd
"Teaching" is a problem, in an unschooling light. Learning is the goal, and teaching gets in the way. |
Overly self-centered people can't do it because it requires a lot of empathy. People with too many personal problems that they haven't addressed in their own lives probably can't do it because they are too distracted by those.People who are too negative or cynical can't do it because they tend to crush interest and joy, not build it up. People who lack curiosity and a certain amount of gusto for life can't really do it.
On the other hand, we grow into it. Turns out that we parents learn, too.
So—when we are making moves, taking steps, in the direction of unschooling, turns out the trail starts to open up in front of us and we get more and more sure-footed as we travel the unschooling path.
"Kindness, grace, and generosity go a lot further toward creating warm relationships and a joyfully harmonious home than measuring out equality." —Meredith Novak |
If a person wants to live in the light of his goals and intentions, then the "better choices" need to be made in that light. The clearer you are about where you intend to go, the easier your decisions are. |
About "academic things": If the parents are really involved and busy, and inspiring and inspired, and interested and interesting, then I trust it will happen. I know it will NOT happen if the parents are cynical, negative, critical, shaming. Parents, if they're considering homeschooling, need to make it better than school or not do it. |
Whole individual learning is the ONLY way anyone can learn. Each child builds his own internal model of the universe. School tries to insert one but it can't. It just can't be done. |
I see my children living full, real lives today, right now. I don't see them as students in preparation for life, who after a number of years and lessons might be considered "completed" or "graduated." It was a long way to come, and I never even had to move. I just had to look at what I considered to be real. |
Don't spend money at first. Read, meet other families, let your children have time to do what they're interested in, or what they weren't allowed to do before because of school.