Student-Directed Learning

It's late in the evening, feeling sleepy, so won't write up a long post.  This video jarred me into a more awake state, though!  It's an enlightening look at what education could be if turned over to the student(s).  I get excited to see such activity!  Please watch:

If Students Designed Their Own Schools

I am struck that the "administration" views this method of learning as novel.  The teachers seem surprised at the engagement of the students and the outcome of the experience.  A very loud message is not-so-hidden in there.

The tricky part for unschoolers/homeschoolers is arranging group activities like that which is demonstrated in the video.  It's awesome.

It is my fervent wish that every single child could experience learning in a similar fashion.  Our world would sincerely benefit from such interest and passion.

Life Happens When You Least Expect It.

I really should have blogged through the last couple of months and events, but frankly, didn't have the gumption to do that.  My attention was most assuredly diverted to various complex and sundry projects like MOVING and SURGERY.  It happened all at once, too - as in simultaneous madness reaching a crescendo that you just can't quiet down until it's darn good and ready to hush itself.  You sometimes just have to strap in and wait patiently (PUN!) for it to wind down to a halt, even if you hadn't planned on spending a few months at the theme park on a thrill ride.

Slow down it has!  Life is GOOD right now.  We've moved to the mountains and I've healed well enough to feel almost up to speed.  An ultrasound in March revealed a large tumor on my left ovary.  I nicknamed it "the Dictator", sent in a team of surgeons with a DaVinci robot to extricate it, and am ever so glad it's all behind me.  Although large, the tumor was benign, a fact I learned after I awoke from the anesthesia.  The not knowing part sauteed my nerves a bit, but I really didn't have much choice other than to go in and see what it was.  I learned of the interloper after we were under contract to purchase this house and right or wrong, we elected to forge ahead.  Enough said!  This particular story has a happy ending, for which I will eternally be grateful.

Through it all we UNSCHOOLED!  See?  Moving, surgery and unschooling can absolutely co-mingle in a room together successfully.  I didn't even have time to introduce anybody, so instead chucked them all together and hoped they'd work it out on their own.  Since we were following an unschooling philosophy for most of the school year anyway, the teenager took the stressors in stride and carried on with learning the way he likes to.  On his own, with little interference from me.  Because of the surgery we, of course, spent a few weeks oblivious to any type of educating, but even then, in his own way, he found interesting subjects to pique his curiosity.  He also learned about mortgages, closing, packing, schlepping boxes, interest rates, paperwork, and stressed out parents.  He even got to see his mom on morphine the night after the surgery.  I remember trying to communicate with him, but I think my words were pretty slurred and I kept falling asleep mid-sentence.

We are almost settled in the new digs and are absolutely relishing the warm days, cool nights and the wild critters who run amok all over the property.  So far we've seen a giant wolf spider, two black widows, one rattlesnake, tons of birds, coyote, deer, and wild turkeys.  I keep waiting for the mountain lions and bears to join the party.  I am going to post a picture of the giant wolf spider.  If you don't like giant wolf spiders, I suggest you squeeze your eyes shut and scroll down a little further past the picture of the giant wolf spider because this one is a doozy.  She was on the wall of the house near one of the windows.  My husband refused to harm her, so he used a plastic box to move her away from the house.  I did not sleep well that night or the next, so had to figure out a way to come to terms with our new cohabitants.  I'm feeling pretty good about them - until I see the next one, that is.  BRACE YOURSELF:

Holy cats.

The teenager and I looked at all sorts of pictures of spiders online to figure out what this one was.  That's a good practice to help with a spider phobia of sorts, by the way:  immersion!  As near as we can figure, this is a wolf spider.  I'm told they do a good job of ridding the land of other unsavories; hopefully they don't lump humans into that category.

Onward, ho!  I've had energy to research options for ninth grade homeschooling.  We will be forging ahead into highschool, learning at home.  He's enrolled in an umbrella school which offers homeschooling families oodles of flexibility and options.  We'll likely do a mix of online classes, lots of reading, some computer programming, some writing, some guitar and drum playing, and some volunteer work for 9th grade.  Our advisor will help us assess the teenager's interests and learning styles and will offer suggestions for the year.  We can be as clever and as broad as we want to be and I am truly excited about what will take shape.

I ordered a series of Chalk Dust math videos and texts on eBay for the year.  That's the only item that is settled.  The rest is gradually forming as we brainstorm the endless possibilities.

On a much cuter note, after we moved we fostered two litters of kittens from the animal welfare department.  If you like kittens, you'll want to pause and linger over the next picture.  PDC.....pretty darn cute.  That's Ernie on the left and Tub on the right.  Yes, Ernie always sported that expression.  They just left today to get neutered and to move on to the adoption center.  We sure do wish them great families and long, healthy kitty lives.

Khan Academy II and Update on Unschooling

Lots of homeschoolers know about Sal Khan's Khan Academy.  The format has changed a bit since we started making use of this resource, but the mission has clearly retained its vigor.  I am undeniably impressed with Sal's endeavor.  If you have never visited Khan Academy, you need to stop reading right now and head over there.  Here's the LINK, again.

We've been messing with the math tutorial.  It is FUN.  It is ENCOURAGING.  It is GENTLE.  The program meets you where you are at via a pretest and then proceeds to gently coax you to mastery over topics, slowly but surely.  It's brilliant in that it sets the learner up to WIN.  By the way, Lumosity is a barrel of fun, too.  Nothing like a little brain training to get a day started.

Math has always been received with reticence around these parts.  There's just not enough room in this here town for math and Max.  Somehow Sal has ingeniously managed to sell math to my reticent teenager by boosting his confidence, showing him that he can, in fact, 'get it'.  I could cry and hug this marvelous human named Sal.  He probably hears it all the time!  Math, at least in my mind, is a magnificent tool to help one carve out a unique worldview.  It is pattern, it is art, it is language, it is rhyme and reason.  I don't need Max to know how to do math.  I do, however, crave for him to be able to see what math really is and then decide from there if it's worth taking a closer look at.  Math is magical stuff.  Exactly the kind of cool, mysterious stuff that makes life worth examining.

This unschooling journey has been simply marvelous so far.  He is learning how to learn with what can be described as single-minded determination.  Having tackled many books, built a computer, fiddled with the speed cubing arena and countless other subjects in which he noses about, he is developing a strong drive to discover and understand.  That's exactly IT.  The point of an unschooled life is to discover and uncover as much as you wish.  I harbor a deep craving that every child could experience the freedom of learning dictated by one's interests.

Sir David Attenborough has hung out in our living room via Netflix lately.  Gosh, isn't he wonderful, too?  I could gush, but won't.  So many admirables out there to explore with.  This week, here is what has come up so far:  we've visited the Constitution and its amendments, the three branches of our government and their purposes, and that whole electoral college thing; we've projected forth into the future and talked about having your very own mortgage and what that entails.  "How long does it usually take to pay off a house?"  The thirty year answer was met with saucer eyes, so we talked about the pros and cons of renting.  Which led to us opening a credit card application that conveniently arrived in the mail today.  After careful examination of the fine print, we shredded it with glee.  Take that, credit card company!

Every day is different.  Some days are packed, some are nice and quiet.  A good friend asked when I planned to test Max, just so I know where he is at grade-level-wise.  We won't be testing him because it simply doesn't matter where he is grade-level-wise.  As his mom I see how he is conducting himself and based on that observation alone, I am confident that he will craft a life that fits his own personal standards, whatever they may grow to be.  Our internally-generated standards are more important than the arbitrary ones dictated by the school system.

I am one homeschooling mom who is grateful for people like Sal Khan and David Attenborough.  They epitomize what it looks like to live life in line with one's passions.  Imagine what the world would be like if everyone was given room to explore their very own interests?  Perhaps this all sounds a little 'Pollyanna-ish', but.......just imagine!  

Flow

This week is off to a good start.  Three weeks back in to learning at home and we're establishing a pleasant rhythm.  The first two weeks felt like we were groping in the dark for the light switch, tentatively adjusting to the big idea that we didn't need to get up, make breakfast, get dressed and drive to another building across town, all before 8 a.m.  So not morning people we are.......not.  Right now it's 9:40 p.m. and I feel like I'm revving up for the day!  The teenager is also bouncing around (he's cleaning out cat boxes).  A nice soothing activity before one retires for the evening, yes?

Here are the two main reasons for the increased demand in cat box reconnaissance:

Squidge and Tova

Squidge and Tova are foster kittens from the city shelter.  They've been the teenager's charges for just over a week, living in his room, keeping him up at night.  These two are teaching him tremendous concepts like what's required to take responsibility for other living things, by paying a little more for nice-smelling litter, your room stays fresher longer, and, of course, how to stay up all night.  Six weeks old.  Total cuteness, sharp claws and stealth stalking topped off with tiny vampire bite marks all over your ankles (when they aren't biting each other, they are biting us).  It's really fun to hang out in his room!  S & T will be here for another week and then will be off to new life adventures.  We are doing our best to give them a safe place to test out their teeth and learn to appreciate humans.  Sweet babies, both of them.

After bandaging our bite marks yesterday, we watched this movie on Netflix:

Indie Game*

It's an inside look at three game developers and the victories and trials they experienced bringing three independent video games from concept through design/programming to market.  Incredibly stressful (in a first-world sense) about sums it up.  The teenager was familiar with two of the three games and the developers and was thus enthralled with the movie.  He wore a permagrin the entire hour and forty four minutes.  I enjoyed watching him grin out of the corner of my eye knowing he was sparking on something, that we were hitting closer to home.  In the twenty-four hours since viewing this movie, he has researched all sorts of related topics from graphic design to gaming conventions to computer components.  I was inwardly horrified by the lack of daylight/exercise/any-activity-other-than-sitting-in-front-of-the-computer the developers exhibited.  All three pasty-faced guys had a penchant for fast food and other video games, too.  One of them had a cat, at least.  Listen to me.  I spend an awful lot of time in front of the screen.  The guys were incredibly talented and skilled.  It was fun watching them bring their dreams to fruition.    

What's interesting about this is that two years ago when we were homeschooling, I wouldn't have chosen this movie to watch with him.  He would have watched it in his free time when we weren't working on 'school' stuff.  A documentary on slavery or a movie based on a book we read would have felt like a better fit then, because I wanted him to learn about slavery, etc.  I doubt he even remembers the documentaries I steered him  toward.  He won't soon forget the Indie Game:  The Movie, though, because it connected with something he's already jazzed about.  That makes for a good fit and I'm starting to understand now.

Today was even cooler because he went to work with his dad and hung out with the computer guys all day.  They taught him how to build a computer and how to write a little code for Linux.  He came home, ate dinner and bolted for his room so he could continue more research on computer componentry and operating systems and pet the kittens.

Flow happens when you lose track of time and lose yourself in an activity.  That's what best describes the heart of unschooling.  I witnessed it yesterday and today.  Flow certainly won't happen everyday; when it does, step aside and GET OUT OF THE WAY.  Best advice I could ever give you.  Best lesson I am learning as a homeschooling parent.

*Although a good movie, it may not be appropriate for kids younger than 13 or so, or whatever age you deem best for your kids.  The developers, one in particular, are fond of colorful expletives and they are sprinkled liberally throughout the dialogue.  Know this before pressing play!

The Books on Unschooling Moving Through My Hands Lately

Unschooling.  It's on my mind.  It's on the tablet reader.  It's on our bookshelves.  It's on our tongues.  The more you read the more you open yourself up; the more you open yourself up, the more likely you will experience paradigm shifts that rock your world.  I find this whole process to be terribly exciting! I've experienced three major shifts in the past few years, mainly due to reading, thoughtful contemplation and a strong desire to be true to the best parts of myself.

As a homeschooling parent I really want to be true to the best parts of my son, too!  Unschooling serves that endeavor well.  Here are the books that have passed through my hands lately about schooling/unschooling:

The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn

By far the book that left the biggest impression on me with respect to unschooling.  

The Reader's Odyssey by Dena M. Luchsinger

It's been fun assessing the teenager's favorite genres and interests and then hunting for books that might intrigue him.  I've filled a big shelf with fiction, mysteries, how-to books, science fiction, classics, comics, adventure stories, etc.  If he doesn't end up reading them, his dad and I are certainly set for awhile!  Today at a used book store I picked up an Isaac Asimov and a Frank Herbert - both science fiction giants.  The goal is to read widely and WILDLY.  And the hunt is kind of fun, too!

Free to Learn by Pam Laricchia

Free to Live by Pam Laricchia

Guerrilla Learning by Grace Llewellyn and Amy Silver

101 Reasons by Ps Pirro

It quickly becomes clear that the author does NOT like traditional schooling and she doesn't separate that distaste from her writing; some of her 101 reasons are snarky because she's trying to drive the point home.  You can read around the edges without getting hurt and take out of the book what means the most to you.

 Viral Learning by Mary Griffith

And I haven't even gotten to John Holt yet!  I much prefer when the author rises above bashing traditional schooling and focuses on the possibilities and positives that result from unschooling.  So many people don't know what unschooling really is and looks like, thus they may react viscerally to hearing that a child is being unschooled; they may equate it with neglect or extremism.  Saying the word, "vegan", can generate much the same response sometimes....... a horrified look, a wan smile and then a cloud of dust as the person scurries off in the other direction!

Unschooling is a joyful, stimulating, interesting, refreshing, soul-saving way of looking at and living life.  Go ahead!  Read more about it :).

Here are a few more books about homeschooling/unschooling on a Pinterest board of mine.
  

Picking Up Where We Left Off

It's Halloween, 2013.  My kiddo is fourteen and almost able to look me eye-to-eye.  Teenagers grow in odd and scary ways!  Kind of like our Great Dane puppy who is now two years old.  His growth could be measured daily, something to be seen to be believed.  He just recently seems to be able to exert control over his body; his brain understands now how to move appendages in synchrony with one another.  When in a narrow hallway with a Great Dane, move deftly to one side and hug the wall, especially if you suspect he is cavorting behind you.  DANGER.  We have survived twenty four months with this dog without any head injuries, thank goodness.  He's pretty awesome.

Cobus grew up!

I stopped blogging about being high on homeschooling because Max spent his seventh grade year with his best friend at a charter school.  It was a genuinely good year for all parties involved.  The teachers were outdoor enthusiasts and got the kids out a lot, into nature.  For one whole week in May they toured through the southern part of our state while tent camping.  He endured playing a stringed instrument, tolerated math homework and thoroughly enjoyed his friendships.  During the summer he took juggling lessons, an improv class, read book after book and lost himself in Minecraft.  Hours were dedicated to tackling its intricacies.  Did you know that Sweden uses Minecraft as part of its national curriculum?  You can learn more at www.minecraftedu.com.

I used the time while he was at school to work on my photography business, raise a baby parrot and scoop Great Dane poo.  Household materials got pared down, closets got cleaned out and a kitchen got remodeled. I also became a fan of following a plant-based diet and discovered an underlying desire to spend time in the kitchen chopping vegetables.  All the while, though, I wondered what we would do for eighth grade.  The benefits and beauty of homeschooling become rather glaring when one isn't partaking of them.

Ziggy, the female Green Cheek Conure

A few weeks into this 2013-2014 school year Max began to petition to stay home.  He wrote a persuasive essay.  He began to research curriculum that he could do at his own pace.  He growled at his cello and plastered sad on his face.  The hours between homework and bed every day felt like fleeting wisps of light, like he had best get what was required of him out of the way so he could move on to the things he wanted to learn about if there was any energy left to be had.  There wasn't much time to hunker down into a good book of his choosing or research how to build a computer.  Go to sleep, get up, repeat process and sink deeper into a funk.  Two weeks ago, with my husband's support, I filled out the paperwork and pulled him from school.

We are learning at home again.

It's likely he won't set foot in another school building long term until such time he deems college a path to step out on.

I prefer to say that he is on an independent learning adventure of a sort to be determined (that's the line held in reserve for the occasional person at the grocery store who wonders aloud why that young man isn't in school where he should be; I will leave the "to be determined" part out of those interactions.  Heck, maybe I'll choose not to interact at all.)  It will take awhile to figure out where he wants to go, what he wants to do.  We are wandering into UNSCHOOLING territory with its heavily prescribed doses of freedom to breathe and be; my job is to remain calm and keep feeding everyone kale.

It feels like good timing to begin blogging again.  I hope you will have us back as we pick up where we left off.