That Myria column must’ve hit a nerve because I’m getting a lot of email about it.

I’m getting back to my unschooling roots. We’re still doing unit studies in a way. I plan activities for the week with an eye to whatever Noah is interested in. It helps me be organized enough to actually have things prepared for Noah to do it he wants to. This week it’s dogs because there’s a dog exhibit at the art museum that we’re going to check out on Thursday. This morning we read about dog communication and now he’s chasing Peanut around trying to get her to “talk” to him.

I’ve chucked the phonics lesson. They never sat right with me and then I reread my John Holt and regained my confidence to say to hell with them. Noah *is* reading but I have to resist my urge to get him to read harder, faster, better, more. I was reminded that one of the reasons Noah isn’t in school is that I think most learning goes on behind the scenes and I didn’t want him tested or evaluated all of the time, but that’s just what I’ve been doing.

I was really struck by the part of How Children Learn where he talks about the ways that in “helping” kids we actually limit them. I thought about the ways that I was “helping” Noah read and realized that I was just pissing him off. When I told him that when he asked what a word was, I would tell him from now on instead of showing him how to sound it out, he said, “Thank goodness!” That was a little humbling.

We went to the observatory on Saturday night as part of an event put on by our synagogue. It was so great. We had a ceremony (called havdalah) first and then looked at all the astronomical displays and then went to check out some small telescopes and the big one under the dome. I resisted the urge to say, “Are you getting this? Have you seen this? Do you understand this?” You know, it’s this thing I do where I start spouting definitions and information under the guise of conversation but really it’s teaching with a capital T.

What I love about unschooling is that the kids get to take what they want from their experiences. I don’t know what meant more to Noah. Looking at the stars? Saying the prayers over the lit candle with four wicks? The cold? The majesty of the dark night? Was it science or art or religion or simply family love? I can’t decide what things are for him; I have to divorce myself from my expectations.

I see him growing so much. He has so many big, interesting ideas. He is so excited about everything!!!

My mother-in-law sent me a lovely email. I’ve got a blog for Noah’s homeschooling activities for the grandparents and my inlaws have been huge homeschooling supporters. This is what my mother-in-law wrote after reading the blog for the first time:

I love it and will follow everyday…..how really, really fortunate and blessed Noah is to have you two as parents……wow, no wonder he is always pretty consistently happy……How do you feel if I from time to time forward some of these to [her friends]…they will love to feel apart of “school” in such a wonderful way again. ?? Keep it up, I am absolutely entranced with the whole thing

Isn’t that great? And she’s right; Noah is really really happy.

Bookmark
SubscribeBloglinesDiggdel.icio.usFacebookStumbleUponTechnorati

Related posts