Your Thoughts On An Ideal School Environment

[thebigpeatowski]

But anyway my choices along the way blessed me with two beautiful children so I'm grateful.

I'm very introverted and need a lot of downtime...

This is me EXACTLY...I married too young (barely 21), had NO idea what I was getting in to. I had a very hard time reading people (men in particular) and I didn't really realize that people weren't always what they portrayed themselves to be....I found this to be especially true in among religious fundamentalists, as ironic as that is. But, like you, I got two fabulous kids out of the whole ordeal and MANY (hard) lessons learned.

I too need tons of downtime, that's precisely why I'm self-employed (does not work well with others) ha ha. I have to mentally prepare myself for family gatherings, reunions and even just lunch with a girlfriend.

Human beings fascinate me, I could people watch for hours, but I find daily face-to-face interaction utterly exhausting. Looking back upon this fact makes me wonder how much of my poor health in previous decades was due to the fact that I did not overtly recognize this about me...or if I did, I certainly didn't manage it very well.

My boys each moved out on their own when they were 19 years old....I'll never forget what my oldest said to me "I love you and everything mom, but I gotta go!" And with that he packed up stuff and moved into an apartment two blocks away. My younger boy followed in his brother's footsteps as soon as he turned 19 as well.

As soon as the house was empty, I began my own personal healing journey.....wished I would have taken better care of myself earlier on.

 

[MommaBear]

I am an unschooling mom with 7 kids. It's taken me awhile to be OK with this system because the world says sitting in a factory setting is essential to learning. Public school was set up during the industrial revolution to make workers. It was not created for learning.

I will write more as I get time. But so far my kids are great. Too much on mine craft in my opinion but I'm still indoctrinated in the system.

Reading does not fully comprehend in the brain until after age 8. So there's that. Most of mine had issues and struggles until around 9. Some were natural readers by age 6.

My advice... stop looking at what the system says is Normal and go by what the kids say. School is filled with early readers and high math skills at young ages... but it is also filled with depression and kids forever lost to who they were created to be. We all have a purpose and place. The government uses school to put us in their places.

I give my kids a vote in many things In our life. Currently we voted to roadschool. We have hit many difficult times in these past 5 years and this is a breath of fresh air. We are searching for a new place to live and we are all voting on tbat place as we travel. We are In our 2nd year of traveling the US in an RV.

 

[InChristAlone]

I am an unschooling mom with 7 kids. It's taken me awhile to be OK with this system because the world says sitting in a factory setting is essential to learning. Public school was set up during the industrial revolution to make workers. It was not created for learning.

I will write more as I get time. But so far my kids are great. Too much on mine craft in my opinion but I'm still indoctrinated in the system.

Reading does not fully comprehend in the brain until after age 8. So there's that. Most of mine had issues and struggles until around 9. Some were natural readers by age 6.

My advice... stop looking at what the system says is Normal and go by what the kids say. School is filled with early readers and high math skills at young ages... but it is also filled with depression and kids forever lost to who they were created to be. We all have a purpose and place. The government uses school to put us in their places.

I give my kids a vote in many things In our life. Currently we voted to roadschool. We have hit many difficult times in these past 5 years and this is a breath of fresh air. We are searching for a new place to live and we are all voting on tbat place as we travel. We are In our 2nd year of traveling the US in an RV.

Wow thats awesome! How does your family make money then? I am unschooling my 2 boys and yes lots of gaming! My oldest loves roblox for the last 6 months. He is almost 8 and not reading yet, he keeps saying he wants to but won't let me do any formal teaching! haha

 

[MommaBear]

I am blessed (?) with a disability check from the VA and child support. I could no longer afford the house pymt so I got an old RV the first year and upgraded when my VA went to 100% with a little back pay. we live very modestly and usually boondock as much as possible.

I have some website work for a friend (it seems when we are in need of money he needs updates!)
We are restarting our old etsy store to bring in more income. we notice things just come together at the right time. it seems destiny provides when it calls .

As for reading.. well it will come. no stress. there are unformal ways to learn/teach! just be patient and watch it unfold before your eyes!

 

[MommaBear]

This is me EXACTLY...I married too young (barely 21), had NO idea what I was getting in to. I had a very hard time reading people (men in particular) and I didn't really realize that people weren't always what they portrayed themselves to be....I found this to be especially true in among religious fundamentalists, as ironic as that is

Wow... sounds all to familiar!

 

[Integra]

1. kids are given options to choose, decisions to make, and trust to act on those
2. no age groups
3. a much more careful utilization of any form of grading
4. encouraged to ask questions--probe their questions with additional questions before giving answers

4.a. show them you don't know something and let them see you look for answers by going online, checking a book, etc.
4.b. don't pretend you care about things you don't--they'll catch on to you
4.c. start caring about everything they say or ask because everything is interesting; if it's not, you're not looking hard enough or in the right direction​

5. honestly trust that kids know their question's answer the best
6. no forcing of 'participation', no forcing to be 'active', don't force extroversion
7. give them your opinion when asked for an opinion

7.a. learn the difference when you're being asked for an opinion and when for authoritative instruction (this is hard)​

8. don't mask your opinions as facts about the world--your opinions become their facts
9. interest-based groups
10. feedback is positive only, criticism is unacceptable (not even 'constructive'); that is an imposition on their personal power. Instead,
try to understand why a kid did something and point to alternatives. All mistakes are adaptations. It is your responsibility to figure out to what the kid was responding/adapting to.
11. give them the respect for an adult but the scaffolded responsibilities for a child
12. find something likeable in even the worst brats in the school. Speak to that likeability. Imagine stories for why they act in irritating ways.
13. keep tabs on group dynamics by observing kids being excluded, etc. Not always good to interfere directly.

 

[steel_reserve]

My 7 yr old shows no signs of wanting to read yet. But he plays minecraft like an expert!

my kid right there

 

[DButter]

1. kids are given options to choose, decisions to make, and trust to act on those
2. no age groups
3. a much more careful utilization of any form of grading
4. encouraged to ask questions--probe their questions with additional questions before giving answers

4.a. show them you don't know something and let them see you look for answers by going online, checking a book, etc.
4.b. don't pretend you care about things you don't--they'll catch on to you
4.c. start caring about everything they say or ask because everything is interesting; if it's not, you're not looking hard enough or in the right direction​

5. honestly trust that kids know their question's answer the best
6. no forcing of 'participation', no forcing to be 'active', don't force extroversion
7. give them your opinion when asked for an opinion

7.a. learn the difference when you're being asked for an opinion and when for authoritative instruction (this is hard)​

8. don't mask your opinions as facts about the world--your opinions become their facts
9. interest-based groups
10. feedback is positive only, criticism is unacceptable (not even 'constructive'); that is an imposition on their personal power. Instead,
try to understand why a kid did something and point to alternatives. All mistakes are adaptations. It is your responsibility to figure out to what the kid was responding/adapting to.
11. give them the respect for an adult but the scaffolded responsibilities for a child
12. find something likeable in even the worst brats in the school. Speak to that likeability. Imagine stories for why they act in irritating ways.
13. keep tabs on group dynamics by observing kids being excluded, etc. Not always good to interfere directly.

I like most of this; and this whole thread, super interesting. Thanks!