u.s. $6
GG WITFIOI.]T
Apr./May 1995
S fssue 104
From Child's Work to Adult Work
Tl-rough ts fi-om Psycl-rol ouists
Mothers Reflect on TheirWork
-
,
I
â‚Źorr*nta News & Reports p. 3-b
How Many Horneschoolers in FL, Are Schools' Test Scores Accurate?, Local Access TV From Child's Work to Adult Work p.
6_g
Grown homeschoolers trace the connections between what they did as young chilclren at.rd what
they are doing today.
Before itwas Called Homeschoolingp.
l0-ll
Being out of school in the 1960s ancl 'Z0s Mothers Think about TlrcirWorkp. 12-14 Challenges & Concerns p. l5-17 Reading at 13, Socializatior-r, l,earnins to Relax Watching Children Learn p. 18-23
Earning Money, Learning in
tl"re
Community,
Detective Club, Typical Day, playing with Math, Science by Mail
FOCUS: How One Thing Leads to Another p.24-20 Teacher-Pleasing, Grading
-
and Learning? p. 3l_33
Psychologists Reflect on Homeschooling p. l4_IE
Opportunities & Activities p. 36 Additions to Directory pen-pals p. 3i-3g Book Reviews p. 39
Issun #104 Ann.,/M,ry 1991'r
9w8
FouNocu lN lg77 Ilv.forrrv Hor_r
Eorron - SusaNN,rrr Stu:rrr:.n . ptrllr.rsnltn - paL.nrcr FAncN(;,r . C.Ntrusur.lNlt; Enrrrx - Dottru,r Rrr;tt.trx o B<l<txrEtpr:n & Errrronr,rt. Asslsrmr - Mrrnr- IVl,tHr:n r Orrrr:r: M,rru,rr;nn - D,rr.F,tnr:Nr;..1 . Suns<;nrr,tLon M,tN.,tr;en - RrN'l KEt.l,t'o St'rptNt; M,tNer;l:n _ p'lt, Cn,lNstteu, . SttrpptNc; Assls'r,rNrs - ANNrr: TuivrlrrNO
.
&JcNrurrtn FrtzsrrrruoNs-G,rrrcnn
C,rr',rt.rx; OnDEn Pn<tr;l.sstx - Cl,r'r.ul:nr^-r: SL.nl:rrrEn r cl.enx, Boox R^,rtw CoonorNAt ()R - MaunrrN C.rnl:y r Cr>ut,trrcn Aolrttrs.r.nrrr..n GrNcen Fl rzslllrtrtor.rs . Orrlr;l: AsslsreNr - MrrunY M,ll ttn
Holr Assor;r,lres Boenn or Dlnnr;rons: Dav F,rnrlce, P,rrnr<:r Fanext;,r (Covon rr.r pnr:.sror:Nr.). MARy M,runn, MeruoJ PanKl, SusaNru.,rrr Sur:rrEn Aovrsons lct rrrn Bonno: f'oM
MAr rF:R, Mant'
GWS
fu.r.t-rsrn
Vrrx Donrru,
N,.rx< :r' \4:,rr.r,r< ;r.
rrrclNs ny Ellr.r' LrN^or Wtr.r.r,ttr,ruo At.Er:y<x,nr;.
Cor,'En prr<tro ts
St:r_ F<x:us. 1,. 24. Withour S.h<nlirrg #104, \'ot. t9. No. L ISSN $0-l7i'530r-' p'blislrr(l l)), IJolt Asso(inrcs, t 4t): (;t 7,lt{i.t,3 I (X,. tax (; I 7*64_t)235, c,,rait I t.)tr(;\\,S@a{,l.conr | 994. Scc.nrr-< rass posrrge pai(r at Rosron, I\tA an(r nr a(r(riti()nal DlailiDg olfices. t]lll]lb)],_11, a<ktrcss ctranges ro (;\\.S. 22(;9 i\tass. Atc. (ianrl>rirtgc. l\tA 021.10 l.,t Al)\'F-RTISERS: Spt<.c rcsr.nariorr dcadlirrcs arc lhc lst ot (xl(h1unb..",j r,,,,,,,.. Oopl rlcadlines are rhc l 5rh. \\i il(. f(n. rr rcs.
(;r*ing
M*s. Au'.. Carnbridge I\.t.\ {}2 $2irl}". Dare of issrre: f)ccenrrrcr r. 2269
2
#f
"Little children love the r'r'orlcl. That is why they are s<> goorl at learning about it," wroto .fohn l{olt in the revised l1ozu
( )lti kl nn Learn. Thirteen-year<rlcl Rebecca Beirne writes in this issue of (l'WS about how srlrdying orre srrbject lcads her into an ever-wider array of other sul>jects, arrrl slte conclucles,
"Basically, I love people and the wo.ld ancl rva.t to Iir-rrr '.t rnore about both." When I read rhar, I thought to rnyself; there it is, the heart of tl.ris issue's Foctrs and of the entire GWS philoso_ phy. Learnitrg is about embracing the world, not abotrt being shoved into it: deciding whar to Iearn rrexr is like contenrplating a banquet table, not like contemplating a trip to the dentist's office. Trre stories in this issue's Foctrs make it seem as if the world is ftrll of doors. you can enter anpvhere and eventtrally get anywhere. IJut one cautionary worcl: Sometirnes when people hear that, say, cooking led a child to lezrrn about frzrcti<_ms, they will attempt to set up a sirnilar situati.' in ar eflbrt to rnake this happen for their child as well. They think in terrns of curricultrm rather than le:rrning, and they say, ,,1 see; rve'll clo a orr cooki'g and teach frzrcti.ns th;.trsh that." Yet to luv'nit ear, the chilcl who tells us about learnirrg fiactions tltrotreh cookins is saying, ,,I cooked because I w:rntecl t' c.'k, and because the worlcl is so rnarvel.*sly,
interconnected, because so rtrany things involve other things, I fbturcl rnyself learning fr-actions as part of that other activity." That's the tone the kicls irr this isstre's Foc.s take. They say that a partictrlar activity or book or movie inspired thent to go olt to do or reacl or think about sorne_ thing else, not that they or someone else clevised this course of study as a clever nleans of making sure that a par_ ticular goal got met. To put it another tvay, these kids didn't separate work from play or pleasure from challenge ; they didn't cclat the "medicine" of literattrre or history oi plrysics with the "c:rncly" of a vide<l garne or a rnovie <rr a song. Rather, they took each interest seriously, followed it, and foturcl thirt one thing led to another. In many ways this issue of GWS is about connections, brrt it's not about the connections that we can mahehap_ pen. Instead it's about the connections that come about when kicls are taken seriously, when work is defined broacl_ ly, and when paths are allowed to unfold in unexpected rvays. Thtrs, we have a section in which grown homeschool_ ers describe how tl.reir chirdhood activities connect to their adult work, but tltese are connections they see in hincl_ sight, not connectiorrs that they or their parents tried to mandate at tlte tilne. As an experirnent, try reading throtrgh these stories or tlre ones in the Focrrs section Iooking specifically for incli_ catiolts of how other people were involvecl in what the kids dicl. So often other.s rvere tllere, strpporting, suggesting, inviting, responding, and senerally sharing in the aclven_ ture. I can understanrl this. Traveling along the pathways o{'knorulerlge nrrcl experience with young people who have strclr zest lirr tlre jotrntev is cer-tainly my chief reason for spendirrg tirnc tvitlr h<tnreschoolers! - Susannah Sheffer ()nonr^-r; Wrlrrcrlr S<:rroor.rNr; #104
.
Apnrr_/M,rv 1995
llruot E.ftlqortt
the real business of helping kids learn. Frorn the article:
In the late 1980s, test scores rose drarnatically in the Oklahoma City ptrblic schools lvhen then-superintenclent Arthtrr W. Steller encouraged
How Many Homeschoolers in Florida?
'l'\rc stute's
suruq asks honteschoolers tlrcir ptintnry reasons for hotneschooling,
ue try to print
these
Jigures uhen o slale
otganizatiott rnakes llrcm utailable. 'l-lte .lanuaty-I;ebruuty issue o.f the l;lorida Prtrent liducnlms Association neusletter
ISS:] \4henever figures about hrlmeschoolers' standardized test scores are available, these scores are
take tests.
generally in the high percentiles. Not all states require homeschoolers to take stanclardized tests, horvever-: irr several states, lirmilies can choose testing liom iunong several options. Solne
Although tl'rere is r.ro comprehensive strrdy of exclrrsionary practices in the nation's school systems, anecdotal ancl statistical evidence suggest some prrblic school systems ... exclude large
clitics
numbers of sttrdents.
Since the l99l-92 academic year,
'religiotrs reasons' have been a secondiuy rn()tivator for registered homeschoolers. This indicates a clenrographic broadening of the f)ight of firnrilies fl'onr rvhat the state's sur-\,e), sa)/s tlley deem an unsatisfactory
public system.
rcporls:
Floricla Statrrte 229.80i1 directs the Florida Departrnent of' Education t<r c<>ndrrct an anntral educational slln/ey of' Florida's schools. Horneschooling families who register rvith their superintendent receive tl-ris suney by rurail, rrsually in October. ... Sunrmarized below are sollle fhcts fronr these
Are Schools' Test Scores
srrrveys.
l. Ntrrnber of families
ancl chil-
dren registerecl rvith their supelintencle rtts (by olficial FI)OE count) : 1986-87: I,901 fanrilies, having 2,579 children 1987-8U: 2,716 fanrilies, having 4.137 children
1988-89: 4,153 fanrilies, having ti,035 chilcL'err I9fl9-90: 5,344 families, having 7.703 cltilclren l1)90-9 l: (i,356 f:unilies, han,ing 1),992 chil<h'en t99l-92: 7,203 families, having I 1.048 children
1992-93: 9,378 fanrilies, havir-rg 14,208 children
1993-94: I I,228 families, having 16,740 children
Keep ir-r rnir-rd that the Floricla Palent Edrrcators Associution slllleys inclicate that only about 507o o1' Floridir's horneschoolers register rvitlI tlreir srrpelintendent; alrnost all of the l'('st ur(: Ir'cgistclc<l as lrlivatt' scltoolsl, :rrtrl :tlc not inclrtrlc<l in thc c()unts ab<lve.
grades.
Thorrsands of students rvere placed in special education or bilingual classes rvhere they were often exempt fi'om tests. The number of strrdents tested during Steller's tenLlre dropped frorn 34,000 in 198485 to 19,000 eight years later. ... Steller, norv the Boston public schools' deptrty superintendent, acknowleclged that fltrnking students or putting thern in transition grades would inflate a system's test scores, but he cleniecl that Oklahorna City school offlcials sought to improve scores by excluding students. He also noted that teaclrers ancl parents, not supcrintendents. decide rvhich students do not
tttttl llte I'-l)liA c0til,ilenls:
Many people are intaesled to knou hout manl lnmesclnolers llu:re are in the U.5.. l4lhile figtu'es for the entire rcuntty ure onl^9 broad estimales, figures Jbr intlfuid'ual slales catr be nore precise, and
teachers to either flunk or place thousands of sttrdents in transitional
Accurate?
say that this mearns the resulting
test sc()res rvill necessarily be higher than averzrge, since the kids taking the test are a self-selected grotrp. In a seDse, that's true - when parents do have a choice in the matter, they nnrttrrally pref'er to have only those kicls who are cornfortable witl-r tests be the clnes rvho have to take them. It ttrrns out that many school . systenrs ck> the sarre thing, however'. An article irr the l/30/95 Boston Globe looks at the way school systems inflate
their average scores by exemptiug sorre students frorn taking the test the verl students who are less likely to do well (studer.rts in special education classes, for exarnple, and students wltose lirst langtrage is not English). Wrile it's irritating to learn that rve :rre being rnisled by skewed figures, it seenrs tlrat tlre more irnportant point here is that it's not fair to judge enyone
-
sclrool
on tlle
s)'ste rns
l>asis
ol lrorncsclroolers -
ol'these sct>res. In both
settings, rvolrying about the test scores directs people's zrttention irrvay fr-orn
()n<ll'rxr; WI'l rrotrL' S<:rtoot-rxr; #I04 o Apnrr.,/M.rr' I91)5
Many systems, for example, postpone the testing of students by flunking them, although current educational research opposes that practice. And systerns exclude other students by placing them in classes for special education students, despite research that they may be better served in regular classrooms, specialists say.
Improving test scores matters mightily in the nation's school systems. The scores can make or break the career of srrperintendents and principals. ... The proportion of students included in reported test scores ranges from a low of 66 percent in Boston to a high of 93 percent in Memphis, according to a study last year of l4 large school systems conducted for the Eclucation Writcrs Association. ... Aborrt three years ago, Forest Reece, then :r member of the Oklahonrir Boar<l ol' lldrrcation, surueyecl schools that hacl worked their way off
the state's probationary list throtrgh
higher test scores. He found that in 20
* schools two oI'every tlrree students had been exempted li()m state rests because of a special need r>r dif ficulty speaking English. ... "I've had aclrninistrators tell rne they ask the kids whetlrer he or she wants to take the test," said.lalnes
of [The National center on Educational Outcomes at the University of Minnesotal . "If tlre kid says he wants to take the test, we give the test. Then we look at the test. If they did a real lousy.job, we simply shred the results." ... Children across the United States spend the equivalent of 20 million school days a year taking rests. The annual cost to adrninister stale and local tests and related services: Yseldyke, director
$900 rnillion. "You don't have to be rnucl-r of a statistician to know if you can knock
out lthe bottom] l0 to 20 percent of your class, your scores are going to go up,"
Thomas Haladyna, an Arizona State University researcher . ... says
Homeschooling in Guam Chris Sims (Guarn) tutitc.s:
Guam is a lovely place to
homeschool. The Departlnent of Education requires registration and recommends three hours of "study and recitation" for 175 days per year. There is no reqtrirement for reporting on progress or testing. AJter the August 8, 1993 earrhquake damaged so many classrooms, class sizes nearly doubled and many, many more families joined the ranks of homeschoolers, rnuclt, I'm sure, to the relief of DOE officials. \{hen I pulled my daughter out ofschool (tong before the earthquake), I got trothing bur support from her teacher, the principal, the office staff, and the school counselor. They even olfered rne three years' worth of skills checklists and
other resources!
Publicizing Homeschooling on Local Access TV Ned Vare (C7:) told us tltat he has been lalking about homesclwolittg on local, access W. We ashzd him to tell other readets about his exlteriences: 4
Nuws & I{uponls
* it zrnd no one else is inconvenienced. write scripts fbr myself in which l talk :rbout rvhat is wrong with sch<lolirrg
Do y<tu know how easy it is t<> get a show on TV? I can set up ()rlr calner:l r>n tlte livir.rg room floor, point it at a chair, sit down, r'eaclr out :rn<l ttrr-n it
on, hold up cards with titles, r.ea<l a script or.just say what I want to say, cnd with a srnile :rnd nravbe with rnv phone number or other irrfornratiorr, and I can give that tape to the tr.affic manager of the local access TV channel. Bingo! I'm on the air. The show plays in rotation with others every few hours around the clock for several days. I can say or do anything
that's decent and non-commercial. In this town, hardly a local issue comes up that somebody docsn't get a few people together to make a show that pushes one side of the issue (usually there are shows made by both sicles). If I can do it, anybody can. I'll back up: about two years ago, our sonJonathan, norv 15, and I were invitecl to help videotape one of otrr town's regrrlar prrlllic nlectings, a selectlnan's or board of edtrcation (I can't remenrber). A fcw days later we went to a meeting of the TV group and were warmly welcomecl, shown
arounrl the f:rcilitics, iurd were told that, with only a f'ew sessions of (free) instnlction, we cotrld rrse any ol- the equiprnent including several calneras, lights, editing console, character generator (for making titles), and we could make shows on any subject we wanted. Of course, the technology is somewhat daunting if it is all trnfarniliar, brrt it is designed to be incredibly easy to trse, and farniliarity collles quickly. Otrr town, Guilforcl, has abotrt 20,000 people. Local access TV is a locally rlln, nonprofi t, tax-supportecl (pltrs mernberships) organization rvith the procltrction facilities clescrilted above and a transmitting station at the cornmunity center. Jonathan and I have helped tape several tolvn meetings but have not yet trsed the facilities at the studio. I have taken a few training sessions in the editing area and feel that I could, with
help, nrake a decent show by that method. So far, though, I feel comfortable doing it simply wirh my orvn equipment, a single camera. I have made three shows, using myself as a talking head. This way, I feel if I rnake a mistake it's easy to stop and remake Clnovvr^-c;
ancl clescribe the option horrrcsclroolir-rg.
I
o[
I think people who want to rnake their views :rl)out school <lr horneschooling known will firrrl it easy (() fl(:t the rnessage on local 'IV and also in their local newspapet.s. I also write lettels to the Iocal pal)er, tryirrg to
inforrn people that the school experience is not relevant or necessary or even legally required and to tell people who are having a hard time is an alternative. It is l'rard to gauge rhe effect of this, blrt my irnpression is that there are lots of people who are I'ed up with the
with it that there
schools, especially those whose kids are having problenrs.
Office News [SS:] We are excired to tell yotr that our FIolt. Associates-sponsore<l talk by Orace Llewellyn is set frrr.Jtrne l5tlr. Glace is the atrthor of 'l'hc'l'mn.age Libnation Handbooh, the influential book that is orrr bestselling title, ancl tlre cclitor of lleal, Liut:s.We will rnail inforrnation to New Enqland folks on our mailing list, btrt if you're llot olr the list, or if you Iive elsewhere brrt expect to be in the area at that tirne, call or write us f<>r the information. Spring is homeschooling conferellce season for many groups, ancl as you can see irr our Calendar sccti()n (next page), we'll be at several arouncl the country. 'fhen, this falt will be book publishing season as we welcorne several of.fohn Holt's books back into
print: How Childnn Failand Hou Clrildren Leantwlll be published by Addison-Wesley, and tfihat Do I Do Monday and Freedom and Bqondwrllbe
publishecl, with new forewords and updated appendices, by HeinemannBoynton/Cook. Heinemann will also publish rny book A Scnse of Self: Listenin,g to Homeschooletl Adole.scen,t Gir\s.
We'll be doing nr:rilings about all thesc books, and iI'you know ofany bookstores, libraries, groups, or individtrals who ought to know about them, please tell us. InJanuary,Jerry Mintz of the Alternative Education Resource Organization brought us visitors fron.r
Wrruour
Sc:rroor.nrc #104 r Apnrr.,/Mev
lgglr
* Moscorv's School of Self-Determina-
tion, one of the few alternative schools in Russia. We learnecl about the history and philosophy of'the school and in ttrrn described the hisrory and philosophy of homeschooling. Alexander Ttrbe lsky, the headnraster of the scho()I, also nrentioned in passing something that was quite intriguir.rg to us: the Creativity Horrses that are apl)arently c()n)nton in Russia. As Alexander described them, these are horrses in which people of all ages can come cltrring their free tirne to play chess, play nrrrsic, ancl clo var-iorrs otlrer
arts. From the clescription, they sotrnded much like tl.re wonderfirl
Pioneer Health Centre described in John Hof t's Insterul of l)lucation- jtst the sort of gathering place orrr counrly needs rnore of.
In Febnrary Elsa Haas carlre to visit. Elsa is the lbrrner HoltAssociate who now lives in Spain and who has prrblishecl a Spanish-langrrage GWS. Elsa tells us that there are norv regular meetiltgs of'Spanish horneschoolers, which is excitir.rg; in the past, homeschoolers in non-English-speaking countries have tencletl to be Ameri-
Nr:rr's
& Rn'<xrs
*
May l3: NewJersey Unschoolers Network conference at Brookdale College. Workshops by Pat Farer-rga. For irrfo: Nancy Plent, 908-938-2473. May l9-21: Nat'l Homeschool Assoc. southeastern regional confer-
Keynote speakers Raymond and Dorotl.ry Moore. For info: Molly Jacobson, 907 -7 47 -7483. Arrgust 25-27: California Home Edr.rcation Conference at the Radisson Hotel, Sacramento. Pat Farenga, the Colfaxes, Donna Nichols-Whire, many others. For info: Barbara David, 916-
ence at Cedars ofLebanon State Park.
Lebanon, TN. For info: SASE toJacki Willard, 3135 Lakeland Dr, Nashville
39r-4942. Atrgust 26: Minnesota Homeschoolers Alliance conference in St. Paul, MN. Susannah Sheffer, keynote speaker. For inftr: Sarah Kirnmes, 612-
TN 3721433 I 2; 615-889-4938. Jrrne 2-4: Clorrlala Horne Based Educzrtion Program conference at the Medical College of Ohio in Toleclo,
OH. For info: 313-769-4515.
755-5394. We are hoppy to print annourlcements of major homeschooling events, but rve need plenty of notice. Deadline for GWS #105 (events inJuly or later) is 5/10. Deadline for GWS #106 (events in Sept. or later) is 7 / 10.
lrUfe_lQ: Urah Horrre Edrrcarion Association conference. Pat Farer.rga, keynote speaker. For info: Sharrna Peatross, 80 l-964801 3. Jrrne l5: Talk by Grace Llervellyn, sponsored by Holt Associates, in Cambridge, MA area. For infb: 61786+3100. JU-ly-Z: Nat' I Association of' Oatho-
Clarification
lic Home Educzrtors conference in Manassas, VA. For info: Bill and
In my revierv of Sheldon Richman's Separating School and State (GWS #103), it may nor be clear that Rich-
l.isanne Bales, 703-349-4314. Ask abotrt regional conferences in other parts of the country too. July 7-8: Sitka (Alaska) Home Education Association coltference.
man cl<-les not in any way refer to Murray and Hernstein's current book, The Bell Crutte, nor to any other work that relates race to IQ. - Pat Farenga I
cans living abroad rather than families
native to tlrat corrntry. f'o those who are still interestecl ir.r helping with <>rrl birck issrre l)roject: We can now use typists rvho have IBM con)puters if thcy use 3.5" clisks. Contact Srre Miller at orrr office if ),orr lvotrld like to hclp rvith rhis projecr.
Calendar April 22. 1995: N{aryland Honre Eclrrcation Associirtion's I5th anniversary conference. Workshops by Pat Farenga, David Colfax, Narrcy Wallace, others. For inlb: Manfred Smith, 410730-0073. May 2: Home Ecltrc:rtors'Serninar at Chesapeake Central Library, Chesapeake, VA. Talk by Srrsannah sheff'er.
For info: 80.f43&8571. May 5-6: Beach Edr.rcators Assoc.
fbr Creative H<lmeschooling's CrrrrictrIum Fair at the Virgini:r Beach Pavilion Converrtion Center. For ir.rfo: 80+47+ 0389. May 5-7: (l(l-PAl,S Sorrrhe r.n
4150.
rrxrl
Sr:r
r<lol.lNr; #I 04
Calvert School offers supplementary courses for children ages 5-13. A leader in home instruction curriculum for nearly 90 years, Calvert School invites your family to join our creative adventures. Choose one of our specially designed enrichment courses including Melody Lane, a music appreciation course on video for ages 5-8;The LITTLE HOUSEa Books Reading Guiiles,based on the beloved series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, for ages 8-11; and Discoaeing Arf, an art appreciation course on video with additional hands-on activities for ages 913. Each course comes with an easy-to-follow guidebook and all the materials you'll need to make learning fun. For more information on all of our home study courses, please call, fax,
or write for a free catalog.
l.t uALV.b,r(t ^aYrrcDT I
(41 0) 243-6030
Calilirrnia regiorral c:rrnpout at.foslrua Tree Nat'l P:rrk. For infir: 1ll0-8illGnou'rx<; Wrrr
Beyond the basics...
.
Apnrr./IM,rr. Mg5
scHool-
. tax (41 0) 366-0674
Depl. GWS5 105 Tuscany Road
.
Baltimore, MD 21210
I
Fvom Child's Work to Adult Work These homeschoolers, now ranging in agefrom lg to 23, trace the connections between what thq did as )oung child.ren and what thq are doing today.
kitclren cotrnter, opene_'d the dr:rwers, and used thern as stairs to clirrrb. My rnom entered the room to find nre happilv nrtrnclring on n bananir on t()p of the refrigerator. I competed strongly with nry olcler brother and sister, trying to do the things I saw rhem doing. At the alternative school we attendecl before beginning homeschooling, my brother learned how to ride a trnicycle when he was in the "Upper Group" (the older age group). My sister also
Growing an Artist Frorn Taktha Acheson:
I've always loved art. Ever since I was
little I've been able to spend hours
creating things. My parents were both
into math and science and didn't realIy know what to do with me, but they always supported my artistic efforts. I remember when I started drawing on the walls, instead of yelling at me my Mom lined the wall with paper and let me draw to my heart's colttent. I never knew anyone who nrade a
living
an artisr, so I just thought it was something to do as a hobby, just as
for the fun of it. As I got older I took a few painting classes, but none of the other students were serious about art. That confirmed my view that art was merely a hobby. When I was 17 I found out thar a friend of mine was going to art school. He invited me to come to Florida to take the class that had helped him get into art school. I didn't even have to think about it. I knew right then that I wanted to take that class - that I wanted to Dean artist! Talitha with her arttuorh - on her tummy at age 4, and on a canuas af age 2J
That was six years ago. Since then I have gone through three years ofart school and three more of painting on my own. I've had several pieces shown in juried art shows. For fotrr years I've worked as an artist's assistant, painting detail on functional art cabinets. My experience has taught rne that if you give children rl-re freedom r<r decide what interests tllem. it is imposible for them not to clo it.
Making a Career out of What She Loves From lileadari Acheson (WA):
As a child I seemed to l-rave a
gift
for getting myself into sittratiorrs unusual for my age. I was athleticrninded from the starr and easily got myself into and out of trouble. At 8 months old, just a few days before I learned how to walk, I crawled to the
learned and taught it to the .,younger Group." Not to be outclone, I prac-ticed hard and managed to master unicycling while still in the kindergarten class. I began taking gymnastics classes at age 5 and within two years was on a competitive teatn. I cornpeted for one year, winning ninth- and tenth- place ribbons - perhaps lr()t tlte best, but one of the young potentials. At the end of the year, l'ny farnily rnovecl. It tot-rk tirtre to lnove and even more tirne to find a g'yln near my new hornetown. When I started gymnastics again I was out of shape, had gainecl weight ancl had grown several inches. I quickly worked rny way back to pre-tearn, but
nnforttrnately a combination of poorquality tumbling mars and my growth mined my knees and I was forced to quit. I wasn't upset for long. I fotrncl a new hobby.to pursue. Our new hotrse was located a quarter mile from a wildlif'e refuge with public access. As part of my homeschooling I started a wilcllife journal and Bird Book (to keep a recorcl of all the birds I identified). In two years I identifiecl over sixty clifferent species. I began sttrdying the entire reftrge, researching plants, insects, Ilsh, mirrerals, ancl manrmals as well as birds. In the fall my dacl and I would go mushroom hunting. It was fun finding all the edible ones but I found it more exciting when we found the deadly but beautiful Fly Amanita or the hallucinogenic Liberty Cap. Tlrese experiences were mere games to me then - something to have fun at but hardly something to consider as a career. Neither of my parents were able to make a career out of what they loved to do so I grew up thinking that you had to do miserable
Gnowrrc Wrruour Sc;uo<tLrNc; #104
. Alnrl,/Mnv lg95
boring rvork to nrake lnoney. At 15, nry newly ir<:qrriled
job provecl rle
wr()ng. My interest in h()h, to control and
corlrdinate rny body gave rne a passion for myjob as a
gymnastics coach.
\{4ren one of my students perfects a skill it is a tritrnrph for both of trs.
I have lreen r'<laching for Iive-anrl-a-l'rall' years, the last hvo as assistant rnan-
Iikulari (al
rugcr in chalgc of two ()tl)er conchcs. I teach
as e
)oltng gymnast and totlay
frrr left, aboue), coaching othns.
children 415 years olcl irnd have ot,er ninety sttrdents rveekly. My stucly <lf'nature has also l>lossorned. I've clrrg up a large porti()n ol'nry yarcl anrl ltlan to plant over a hrrrrrlrecl species of florvers, her-lts, vcge tal>les, trces, an(l fi'uit plants. I now pliurt lny ()wn rnrrslrlo<lrns irs well as lincl wilcl ones. I'm cloing everything irrrlepcn<lently, flrrnr laising nly own transplants in a nrakeshilt ltot fi-an-re t<r tilling the beds by hancl wirh a pitchlork (although the hancl tilling is more Iirrnr lack of firncls lirr :r rot<>(iller- than any love of digging) . I have plans r<> atterl(l a conrn.rrrnity college in search ol' :rn Associate of' Technical Arts deglee in landscape clesigr.r and installation. As a chilcl, lteoltle rvorrkl itsk nte rvlrat I rv:rntecl to be when I grerv trp. That qrrcstion confirsecl nte. 'Iherc \{/ere so lnany tltirlgs I wantecl to be; how corrld I prrrsrre.iust orre? I likecl to porrnd tlte piirno back then. Norv I'r,e turrglrt rrr;,sell pic<'cs cveu tny piirtrisr monr has trr>uble with. I'd love to plav rvr'll t'rrorrglr to llerlil'rrr s,rrrrc <lay. I like t<.r dance ancl once choreographed a prodrrction with some fi'iends as a going-away gilt to my best fi'iend. I've perlirrnrcd in many atnateur theatr-ical
I"trttn Arnarula Bergson-Shilcock (PA) :
and tlo the lights fbr others. I have a reputation as olle of the best babysit,ters and horrsesitters in the area ancl plan t() brrild ury orvn horrse ancl fanri11,. I lrave ltegtrn t() explore tlvo ()rthree of my interests and the otl'rer lrtrndrecl ol- so :lre rnerely on holcl -
Or.re of the rtrost wonderfirl things nly l)arcnts clicl fbr rne when I rvas grorving uJ) w:rs to take ruy work lvhatever-it happenecl to be - seriously. I can still ler-nenrber the sheets of onecent stalnps my sister Emily ancl I used to get at the post office. Fifty cents bought eltough statnps to last fbr a rveek or more of'otrr private mail garne. It was a perf'ect solution: inexpensive enough that my parents rvotrldn't go broke or feel gtrilty abotrt trsing the stanlps "only" for children's games ancl yet real enor,rgh to satis$r our rvish t() ltotjust irnitate the aclult rvorlrl brrt acttrally be a part of'it. I srrppose sollleone else corrlcl have looked ar nvo young chilclren playing rvith real starnps and trsing real envelopes irnd pirper and seen waste, llrt lirr llrn ancl me it was real lvork. As lve rrse<l orrr mail system to cleliver lette r-s an<l bills to our alter egc_rs ancl other farnily members, we practiced and learnecl what others might call penmansl-rip, spelling, grammar, pultctuatiol'r and etiquette. Much of rrty "real lvork" these clays involves writing in one lbrm or another, though oftentirnes it hides under labels such :rs le tter, essay, e-mail, story, or even (now that I'nt in college) homervork. But a lot of what makes my life joyful and rneaningful to lle now began as a plivatc rnail garne with my sister.
So insteacl of'asking nre wlrat I \vant t() be, I lvorrlcl rirtl)er lteople ask rurc all that I aur.
rvriting \vas Iny iurrnersion in or.rr doll corunrunity, known as Dolltown. The clolls sent mail to each other too.
pro<lrrctions ancl lrelpecl cr.eAte the set
not lbfgotten.
(
Taking All Work Seriously
)xotvtNr ; Wn
r
r<
lt
.
Another early influence on my
rl
S< :t
r<
lor.rr.r< ;
# 1 04 o Apri.l r.,/ M,,ry l {)-()l-r
althotrgh the challenge rvhere they were concernecl rvas often not the words thernselves btrt fitting otrr important messages onto the tiny scraps of paper we used. Dolltorvn also had several nervspapers, one of which, The Dolltown Daily News, lastecl for some tirne. Though the DDN clicln't always manage the claily
part, the publisher/eclitor,/ chief: reporter/ aclvertiser/ clelivery-person (or, as the clolls said, Human Arnancla) dirl Irer best. What I loved about wriring the DDN was tl-re freedom I had within the constraints I set for myself. If one edition contained too much about the Lotr family and not enorrgh about tl"re Peas, I knew I was in trouble, not rlnly with my readers but with my ()wn unspoken promise to be as fair and even-handed as possible in rny coverage. I also set space requirements fbr myself (mostly because as head printer and paster, I clicln't really want to have ro
do too much cutting and pasting my interests lay much more in the rvriting end of things). Using the real rrewspaper tllat carne into orrr horrse every Srrndiry as a model
of
sorts, I gave the DDN several sec-