June 2011 Blog Posts (5)

I'm new to this site. I joined yesterday. I have to say I'm still not 100% convinced about all aspects of unschooling, but the more I read the more I come around to the idea. I first heard of unschooling on a program called 'extreme parenting' that I saw by chance on TV a few months ago. A couple on there were unschooling their two children. It didn't seem right to me to give your children such freedom, and I rejected the idea immediately. There were also a couple on there who were 'attachment… Continue

So, Wednesday I was able to hear Pam Sorooshian speak about Unschooling at a local park in Long Beach, CA.  It was wonderful to actually speak in person with someone who has walked this road with 3 children of their own.  Her youngest daughter (20) was in attendance and shared about her life and answered questions.  I came home more convinced that this is the way to go.  My husband just finished reading Sandra Dodd's Big Book of Unschooling so we had a great discussion about how we would…

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I'm so glad to be back. I've really been struggling on where I stand educationally and parenting wise. It has been a long road the last 4 to 6 months. Fears crept on of what if they are not learning? Don't you have to have math work books? What if state knocked on the door right now, what would I say we have been doing, how does that all fit into the hours and subjects we must do? So I backed out. But through prayer and much thought we are back. I don't have all the anwers but I know when… Continue

One of my great flaws is that I worry too much about our house- how cluttered it gets, how clean it needs to be, etc. instead of recognizing that in a perfectly clean, tidy house no one is actually doing anything, learning anything.  So, in my monumental effort to reinvent myself as a relaxed, unschooling mama that CAN handle mess on the floor (in combination with treatment for anxiety, which is helping with my need for 100% tidiness!!!), i did NOT pick up the knitting…

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For a long time, I just read and read and read.  Then, I thought and thought and thought.  Then I tried to put into practice some of these new thoughts.  And I thought, I got it!  Then I read some more and realized I had more "to get."  I've been drawn to unschooling for awhile.  So much of what I've heard (I've read) made sense to me.  Some of what I've read, I had already done with my children.  Again, I thought, I got this.  Okay, so I see the goal of mindful parenting ahead of me.  For…

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