True Learning and the Stinkin' Co-op

Long ago (last year) I wrote a post titled "We don't do no stinkin' co-ops"...beware of such pronouncements as they may come back to bite you!! My oldest son, the lifelong unschooler, decided last September he needed to try academics and through a surprising series of events (iow it was a God-thing), got himself enrolled in a highly academic co-op. As part of the deal, I got to teach World History to high schoolers at the co-op.

In my mind, it became the "the co-op that ate my life". It has been a major adjustment to arrange our lives around a school and homework schedule after 10 years of unschooling. He had to figure out how to organize his formerly laid back ways, where the biggest demand had been an hour of piano practice everyday. Now he had to fit in homework from 4 classes, algebra at home and, oh yeah, that hour of piano practice; plus, playing music in 2 bands, working on Saturdays and teaching piano lessons to a friend. On top of his schedule, I needed to prepare lessons for World History every week which led to competition for Word Processing time! It has taken us 6 months to finally get the hang of it all. Which is why I have not posted here for many a moon--the stinkin' co-op was kicking my butt!

So now I look back at that six months and see what has come of it.
One of my all time favorite quotes is from John Holt:
"True learning--learning that is permanent and useful, that leads to intelligent action and further learning--can arise only out of the experience, interests, and concerns of the learner."
So the interesting thing about it is, he is experiencing that true learning that I value so highly in a new setting that is the opposite of unschooling. His Writing and Literature class is his favorite! He is loving it, soaking up so much knowledge and learning to love writing. And because he chose the co-op and he wants to succeed at it, he is truly learning some valuable skills for organizing his life and making good choices with his time. The fact that this is his chosen path and so it is addressing his interests and concerns, makes all the difference for me.

It makes the whole stinkin' co-op that ate my life morethanfine after all!

Bridge Week

Okay my blog got mentioned in the VaHomeschoolers latest e-newsletter (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VaHomeschoolersAnnounce

Or join via email: VaHomeschoolersAnnounce-subscribe@yahoogroups.com)

so I guess I better get a new post or two up!

I am writing quickly as I am on my way to the dentist in a few minutes (gotta get that out of the way!). And I am trying to focus on wrapping up all the loose ends from the amazing, way morethanfine VaHomeschoolers Conference in Richmond last week (fun, fun, fun) and preparing for school to get really underway next week. So I guess this is our bridge week! I am looking at the schedule for next week which includes co-op classes (for the family that once was the "we don't do no stinkin' co-ops" family...ahh the irony), music lessons and tumbling class; and I wistfully see the long lazy summer ending and an energizing new school year beginning! One last long weekend and the checkered flag will be waving and we're off!

The Fringe of the Fringe

I forget sometimes when I use the term 'unschooling' that it is a weird, unknown term to many people outside the homeschooling circles I run in most of the time. Of course, it is weird and unknown to some of the people *inside* the homeschool circles I run in too! At a recent board meeting of VaHomeschoolers--the statewide homeschool group I work with--we were discussing how homeschoolers are on the fringe and since most (all?) of us on the board are unschoolers, I pointed out that we are the on the fringe of most homeschoolers--we are the fringe of the fringe. Academic rebels who have purposely placed ourselves outside the mainstream. It's funny because I was never outside the mainstream growing up. And even though I went to a radical college (Berkeley) I stayed pretty much in the mainstream (except for becoming a born again Christian :o) until I had kids. But as a mom, I began to slip out of the mainstream! I didn't have any interest in working anymore, I wanted to stay at home, breast feed, eventually homeschool and finally, I fell completely out of the mainstream altogether and began to unschool. lol So here I am in my own little eddy on the side of the river surrounding myself with morethanfine fringe-fringers like myself. Come on in the water's fine!

Unschooling continues

While my oldest DS may be gearing up to go academic (he is now wondering what he's gotten himself into lol) , my youngest continues innocently and obliviously unschooling, which is morethanfine with me! His most recent project is using a spiral notebook to copy 3 words or phrases from the morning paper and then reading them back. He is still a beginning reader and is using this activity (although he doesn't realize it) to expand his vocabulary. It is so gratifying to watch kids teach themselves the stuff they want and need to know! Middle DS has started voluntarily reading the comics, in response to his little brother messing with the newspaper I think. As a very reluctant, not very fluid reader, this is a big step for him. So while the biggest brother will be off exploring new educational philosophies, the unschooling continues (but please don't tell them that is what they are doing! ;o)

3 Months Neglected!

How could 3 months have gone by! I can't believe it. I guess that's what a morethanfine summer will do to you! It has been a new kind of summer for us with oldest buy, 14yo, away from home for 4 weeks altogether. A week of Mountain Expedition camp, a week of Surf Camp and 2 weeks of his first real job working in the kitchen at Triple R Ranch. 4 weeks out from under his parents thumb, a 14 year old's dream come true! lol

The other change has been his desire to try a tough, academically rigorous class schedule twice a week in a local homeschool co-op. Haha, after my reckless declaration "we don't do no stinkin' co-ops", now we are doing the very stinkin' co-op that riled me in the first place. I am learning the #1 law of teenager hood, what mom and dad provide, the teenager will want the opposite. In addition, I am teaching teh high school World History class at same said co-op. I know it will be fun, even though it will take a little effort to get into a 'real school' mindset---assigning homework and papers and projects and giving quizzes, midterms and finals! But I have refused to use the textbook (lol) that has been used in previous years! I may have climbed back into the box but I've got my toe hanging out the edge!

Unschooling Lightly Defined

Now that we have been outed on TV as unschoolers, I have wanted to be able to put into words what unschooling is and on one of my favorite e-mail lists, a friend (Susan M--the radical Christian unschooler) took a stab at defining it for her family. I have taken that and modified to describe our version. So here it is, I hope you find it morethanfine.

Unschooling Lightly Defined:

There is no exact definition of unschooling, because it is so individual.

John Holt, who was one of the first to write about unschooling said: "True learning--learning that is permanent and useful, that leads to intelligent action and further learning-can arise only out of the experience, interests, and concerns of the learner."

Based on that here's one definition:
Basically, unschooling is "not school". It is believing that what a person needs or wants to know can be learned through their everyday activities, pursuing their interests and just living life. So the emphasis isn’t on assigned textbooks, workbooks, on line courses, etc…

It is personal learning, led and focused by the learner. There are times when a person might choose to take an on-line course or use a textbook or workbook, or even take a class somewhere, but it is their choice and in their control, not their parents or someone else's.

For a parent, unschooling requires a measure of trust. Trusting that kids will learn what they need to know when they need or want to know it. In return, parents give them guidance and information so that they can make right and good decisions, always talking a lot about what they are doing or want to do, and doing most things together. Parents are the facilitators, helping them by providing information and counsel, also making it financially and logistically possible for them to have that freedom needed to explore their interests.

So imagine, if you had total freedom from any and all school obligations, what would you want to do? Travel? Learn Spanish? Learn how to bake? Horse back ride? Raise guinea pigs? Work on writing a short story or novel to get published? Get a job? Play video games? Build your own website? It is all unschooling, all learning, all worthy and good.

Mark Twain said, “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” And I think many unschoolers would concur. A final quote to reflect the heart of unschooling: "Learning can only happen when a child is interested. If he's not interested it's like throwing marshmallows at his head and calling it eating." -Anonymous

TV Stars--the follow up

Well, our TV debut was Friday night on the 11 o'clock news. I think they overall did an okay job. As long as it remains on-line you can see the video at:

http://wtkr.com/Global/story.asp?S=4896897
(click on Site Features: Leaving Normal School Behind? to play the video)

It was funny that it was supposed to be a report on unschooling and the main video they chose
was us sitting around the kitchen table doing math.  The reporter asked us to sit at the table and
do something, so (what you didn't see) I asked the boys what they wanted to do and
they chose math, because that is one of the few things we do at the kitchen table LOL!

My 14yo was a little humiliated because he thought they took him out of context and made him
sound lazy.  An early lesson on media spin I guess!  And he has received encouragement from
other unschoolers, who totally understood what he was saying.

Priscilla Monti, the reporter was very nice and seem to pretty much 'get' unschooling.  I think it was
the editors that made it seem rather 'schoolish'.  You really can't expect much from a 3 minute
report, so overall, we are pretty pleased. It was generally a morethanfine experience.  I have an
inquiry from a magazine reporter for an interview---we'll see how that goes :o) 
My kids are wondering how they got into this!?

TV Stars?

We had an interesting morning today. A reporter from the local CBS affiliate called and asked if she could interview us as relaxed homeschoolers for a report coming in May on alternative types of education. I agreed and she asked if she could come by in an hour (!) and fortunately my house was clean from having friends visit yesterday LOL.

She and her camera man spent a little over an hour with us, interviewing my 2 older boys (my youngest declined the opportunity :) and myself about how our days are and how their education is different from both school and 'school at home.' It was overall very positive and I spent alot of time talking about natural learning (I actually said 'birds fly, fish swim, children learn') and how my kids really enjoy learning. My 14 yo said he thought relaxed homeschooling was great and that if he had to go to public school he might die!

When we were done she said to me "you seem to really love what you do" and I had to agree!
It was, overall...morethanfine!