Reschooling Posts // August 13-26, 2023
Double whammy because I was away last Monday! Enjoy :)
Playground Drama: How to Deal with Park Parents who Hover?
August 24, 2023 from Free Range Kids
Apologies if this has been asked before…how to deal with INTENSE helicopter parents on a playground? I live outside of NYC, and the local playground is helicopter central. Basically, parents here go the extreme of micromanaging how their–and others’–kids use a slide. Yes. Children are heckled to proceed in a stately manner and God forbid anyone rushes or such.
The Sparkle of Unschooling, Episode 138 Flashback
August 24, 2023 from Living Joyfully with Unschooling
This week on the Exploring Unschooling Podcast, we’re sharing a very apt flashback episode, The Sparkle of Unschooling. It's a compilation episode in which we hear fifteen experienced unschooling parents answer the question, “Looking back, what has been the most valuable outcome from choosing unschooling?”
Five Things All Young People (and their Parents) Should Know About GCSEs
August 24, 2023 from Think Again
1. It is not possible for everyone to succeed in their GCSEs. The exam results are referenced against earlier cohorts, meaning that around 30% will get failing results every year. If everyone does very well one year, they'll shift the pass mark so that some will still fail.
[Podcast] The Value of Effort in Learning
August 23, 2023 from Brave Writer
In today’s homeschooling environment, misconceptions about learning often cloud our judgments. Key among these misconceptions – one I may be guilty of contributing to – is the belief that struggle is counterproductive to learning. It’s essential, however, to understand that effort can contribute to an effective recall process. Drawing a line between unnecessary suffering and purposeful effort becomes crucial.
Prioritizing Self-Care is Important for You and Your Kids
August 23, 2023 from Raising Lifelong Learners
One of the most beautiful things about homeschooling is how we can adjust kid-to-kid and year-to-year. It’s also one of the things that messes with us as parents. It’s inevitable that when everything is functioning well, there’s another change: developmentally, emotionally, and physically, and we find ourselves reevaluating again.
You Did that On Purpose
August 21, 2023 from Think Again
This morning I came down to find that my cats had opened a new packet of bread rolls I’d left out on the counter. They had taken one out and strewn crumbs across the kitchen. It was mildly annoying. More so because I knew that might happen, I even remember thinking last night ‘The cats might eat those’ but then forgot to put them away.
Protect Curiosity
August 21, 2023 from Brave Writer
Traditional education models train kids to devalue their own thinking in favor of right answers and a teacher’s instructions. Little children who are used to exploring the world with their hands and wild imaginations are gradually conditioned to save those impulses for “after school” until they give them up all together before they even get to junior high.
Consent-based-ness with Sophie Christophy
August 21, 2023 from Consent-Based Everything
I chat to Sophie Christophy about all things consent-based-ness: living in partnership with our children, practicing consent at home, in a setting, and out in the world; and creating cultures where consent thrives.
Finding Community
August 21, 2023 from Swimming Upstream
When we moved from the city to a rural property during the first wave of the pandemic, I never would have expected how long it took us to find community. We met our neighbours shortly after moving, but with a few acres between houses, you could literally go weeks without seeing anyone around. We even connected with a few home school families that were sadly torn asunder with the polarities of hot bed topics during the pandemic.
The Myth of School Readiness
August 20, 2023 from Happiness is Here
When my oldest daughter was approaching school age, people started telling me how ‘ready’ for school she was. How she would definitely be bored if she stayed home another year. What did they see in her that made her seem ready? I think it was that she was confident, talkative, curious, eager to learn, independent for her age, social, very aware, and engaged with the world around her.
50. What Happens When Your Unschooler Wants to Try/Go Back to School?
August 18, 2023 from Rethinking Self-Directed Education
You’ve discovered unschooling and LOVE it! You take your kids out of school, they start deschooling/unschooling and... suddenly they tell you they want to go back to school?! Or, maybe your kid has never been to school and keeps asking you to start. Regardless of whatever situation you identify with, it might totally freak you out! And we get it. It's scary and annoying when our kids reject the lifestyle that we have put all our efforts into co-creating.
Kids as Lumps of Dullness
August 18, 2023 from Free Range Kids
To be a kid today means to grow up in a culture constantly underestimating your creativity, resilience, gumption, and especially: your curiosity. The hallmark of this era is the assumption that all kids are dullards who would otherwise do and notice NOTHING, if adults weren’t there busily pointing things out every step of the way.
Unschool Basics: What is Unschooling?
August 18, 2023 from Stories of an Unschooling Family
I’m curious: can AI give an adequate definition of unschooling? I decide to find out. I type the following words into an AI assistant: write a definition of unschooling, and AI responds instantly: Unschooling is a unique and alternative approach to education that emphasizes the importance of learner-led and self-directed activities.
“Back to School Blues” May Be Worse Than Just Blues
August 17, 2023 from Freedom to Learn
Schooling has a halo around it in society’s eyes, and halos tend to interfere with perception and judgment. Maybe that’s why nearly everyone, including journalists, whose job it should be to keep their eyes and minds open and report honestly to the public, continue to ignore the ever-growing evidence that school is a major cause of anxiety, depression, and even suicide in children and teens.
Help Your Differently-Wired Kids Fall in Love with Reading
August 17, 2023 from Raising Lifelong Learners
Studies show a child who learns to read at four and a child who learns to read at nine or ten are very often reading at the exact same level by the time they’re 16. We want our kids to not only be able to read, but to enjoy reading and be able to glean new information when they do.
On Learning Math
August 17, 2023 from Let ‘em Go Barefoot
How often have you heard people say some variation of the following? I don’t do math. I am terrible at math. Please don’t ask me to do math. I hate math. While I did not personally harbor such strong feelings towards Math, I definitely ran into some problems (no pun intended) during my K-12 years. There were times when I considered myself “math dumb” and felt embarrassed for not knowing something or understanding concepts.
[Podcast] What to Do About Unmotivated Learners
August 16, 2023 from Brave Learner
There are days when you feel invincible, ready to conquer the world, and there are other days where getting out of bed feels like a herculean task. I confess, on those less-than-stellar days, I resort to watching bad sitcom reruns, while Melissa disappears into an endless loop of Instagram Reels. Sound familiar?
Homeschool and Unschool Q&A
August 16, 2023 from Honey! I’m Homeschooling the Kids
Are you considering taking this homeschooling or unschooling path but you've come to a standstill? Are you having doubts about your ability to homeschool or a lack of confidence in unschooling? How do you juggle homeschool and work? What about working full time? How can we best support reading and writing skills?
Helping Children with Anxiety
August 16, 2023 from Think Again
I’m a therapist, and one of the things I get asked about most is anxiety in children. Parents find it hard to navigate, because children don’t come up and say ‘I’m worried’. Instead they show us through their behaviour. They have tummy aches, or headaches, or they refuse to do things they usually enjoy. Sometimes they have trouble sleeping or separating from their parents.
Faceplanting - Our Backstories
August 15, 2023 from Rethinking Self-Directed Education
Daveed and Bria introduce themselves, because they haven’t quite done that, chat about how they met and started working together, and share the (not short) stories of their paths into SDE and youth liberation work. Spoiler alert: Our paths were very different! We also talk briefly how some people latch on to the ideas of SDE, and others do not.
We are not permissive (because it's not what you think it is).
August 15, 2023 from Radical Mothering
Recently I’ve heard quite a few people say that perhaps they are permissive parents, and that they don’t care one bit. Far be it for me to argue with anyone about how they wish to identify - if you feel like you’re permissive and proud, you do you! However, because I love words, and I feel like words matter, I want to pick apart what I believe permissive actually means - and I don’t think it means what some of us think it means!
8 Things to Schedule Into Your Homeschool Week
August 15, 2023 from Happiness is Here
What makes a successful homeschool week? Is it lots of academics packed in? Getting out of the house every day? Making it out of your pyjamas? Well, I guess that’s up to you! The beautiful thing about homeschooling is that we all have unique families with different needs. Since you’re opting out of the school system and opting in to living life on your own terms, you can do whatever you want.
Relaxed Alertness
August 14, 2023 from Brave Writer
It’s easy to associate learning with struggle and pain. Yet studies show that when you’re relaxed and happy, you’re more receptive to learning. I challenge you today. Gather data on who your kids are and how they learn. Notice when your child appears “alert and relaxed.”
Is He Behind?
August 14, 2023 from Think Again
I talk to lots of parents who are worried about their children. They’ve been told that they are behind, and that they will need remedial help to ‘catch them up’. They say to me, but I’ve been told that my child is behind in X, and they must follow a special programme. Surely that means I have to make them do it? Isn’t that really important?
