atheist homeschool atheist homeschool atheist homeschool atheist homeschool atheist homeschool atheist homeschool atheist homeschool atheist homesch
Homeschooling Parents, I'm here to offer more anecdotal evidence to the well-known unschooling mantra Trust Children. We hear it all of the time from our unschooling friends and from John Holt and I myself have even written posts offering reminders to trust our children.
While various websites and adherents define unschooling in different ways, it is generally considered an approach to homeschooling that advocates child-led learning, learning initiated by the interests of the child. Our family has not been an unschooling family, but I do embrace this basic approach of using personalized and meaningful content in our eclectic lessons.
Again and again in the lives of my children I have reminded myself to trust them, to trust the process of homeschooling. Especially as regards those areas of specific challenge for the kids. Elizabeth has struggled with math and John has struggled with language. With time, when learning these skills became necessary, they have both learned what they needed to know. Elizabeth has learned and is learning math because she now wants to and needs it for her own reasons and purposes. And John?
 |
| JD and John Wrestling Fans xxx |
John now has an interesting and totally unforeseeable reason to write. A reason for writing that I couldn't have predicted in a zillion years. John and JD have started getting into wrestling, as in wrestling, the kind of wrestling that is entertainment-based, story-lined, choreographed and scripted, but not fake at all.
That kind of wrestling.
JD has been writing for an online wrestling forum for about year and he's gotten John involved. Each week John writes a couple of promotions, promos, for the wrestling character that he has created for the forum. His character is called Maero, sounds like marrow, and is a total freak of a character.
The absolutely amazing thing about John's writing is this. Although he has found writing to be a total chore for over fifteen years, although picking up a pencil used to give him nerves and anxiety...now he is motivated, driven, and shockingly excellent at it!
No kidding! His writing is at a level that I though we would never reach a few months ago.
I Can't Believe It!
I read his promos each week, often several of them a week, and I have watched his writing skills improve so much over the past three months or so. Now that he's motivated, his learning curve has been straight up! His spelling, syntax, grammar, punctuation, style...all have developed into some truly excellent writing. And because he is proud of his burgeoning skills, his he delighted to send each of his promos to me for reading.
No kidding! His writing is at a level that I though we would never reach a few months ago.
I Can't Believe It!
I read his promos each week, often several of them a week, and I have watched his writing skills improve so much over the past three months or so. Now that he's motivated, his learning curve has been straight up! His spelling, syntax, grammar, punctuation, style...all have developed into some truly excellent writing. And because he is proud of his burgeoning skills, his he delighted to send each of his promos to me for reading.
Color me surprised.
If I had begged him to write it wouldn't have happened.
It had to happen when it meant something to him.
Trust your children.
Trust your children.
Do you have a similar story?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Other Posts You Might Enjoy:
I wish I had a similar story, my son still hates to write, and still doesn't read anything I don't make him. Thank you for the reminder, all in due time. Just trust .......I'm working on it.
ReplyDeleteYour view point of a long time homeschooler to older children is so valuable (and rare). Thank you for sharing.
Three months ago I was still freaking out and fretting...I'm as surprised as I can be. ;)
DeleteThank you so much for your encouragement; it is greatly appreciated.