On Thu, Dec 21, 2023 at 11:47 AM, Katie French wrote:
Reaching out to this list in hopes that someone can offer some unschooling perspective or experience.
?There's nothing else that should be in this discussion.? :-)
I want to start with some philosophical considerations, to help with your thinking, since you're not yet on the edge of compulsory attendance laws.
Some parents are very sensitive to manipulation (and some kids are).? Some people are so fearful of "manipulation" that they won't even try to sweeten an offer, or feel guilty about persuasive arguments.? ?
My personal sensitivity is honesty.? If parents are dishonest in their persuasive arguments, that's harmful to the relationship, and to future trust,? and to parental integrity.
There are classic stereotypes that are based on human nature.? ?Some parents press a child to succeed and excel in areas where the parent was unable to succeed or even participate.? Sports, maybe.? Ballet.? :-)? Academics.? Music.? If you think about such pressures on kids or teens, that might be a direction you know you want to avoid.
I have seen that in homeschooling, though, of all sorts.
I have seen that in unschooling.?
A parent can be so enamored of a vision of her younger self 'being free' as an unschooler that she pressures her own child to be THAT.? If the parent/child relationship is solid and the child wants to be with the parent, it can still work IF the parent then makes life wonderful and rich, varied and engaging for the child.? ?
Some parents have started there, and made home so fun that school isn't as attractive.? Having friends already, a playgroup or park day, can help.? Some people have that possibility and more people don't, but consider finding? other families to hang out with who are considering homeschooling (not necessarily unschooling), so the child would still have others to play with and hang out with.
Some parents let the child go to school, with an offer to bring him home if it's not fun after a while.
That page has stories of several families.
It's a luxury to have time to consider this.
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Sandra
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