GG WITI-IOTJT
u.s. $6
Oct./Nov.. 1995
S Issue L07
w
?#,
s
ry
'''a:: . *{e?ef d -.. .,i,, i,f i :,r::.t.,i::iitrr.r,.,.
i
-*",
"ffi ".*
,x& i&!!ii,l
,
More on To Comply or Not?
......
Homeschooling Non-Parental Adult , Sce page 16 . "#:
When Mother Lacks Enthusiasm
Exploring Mathematical Thinking Letting Students Decide Qualified, But Not Credentialed
"Can anyone homeschool?" This
&tztet*t
"/n
News & Reports p. 3-4
The Value of Letting Students Decide, Homeschooling in the Military
To Comply or Not? p.
Exploring Mathematical Thinking p. 9-ll Too many homeschoolers still dislike math. Here are two stories with ideas about how to let kids explore what mathematical thinking really feels like. Challenges & Concerns p. 12-15 10, When
Mother Lacks Enthusiasm
FOCUS: flomeschooling with a Non-Parental Adult p. f 6-1 Interviews with a grandmother and an uncle Watching Them Grow p. 20-21 How interests develop into adult work
Qualified, but not Credentialed p.22-24 Interview with Charles Hayes, author of Proaing You' re Qualified
Watching Children Learn p. 25-28 When Writing is Difficult, Learning to Like Science, Politics and History Through Newsletter, Siblings as Friends Book Reviews p.
Issut #107
Ocr./Nov.
1995
3l
9w8
FouNono rN 1977
BvJouN Hor.r
Eonon - SusaNNalr Ssnrptn o Puer-rsHnn - Pnrrucr FenrNcn o ColrrpJeurrNc Entron - DowNa Rrcuoux r Booxrrrpen & Eorroruar Assrsralu - Manv Mannn . OFFTcE MeNecEn - Day FanrNce o SuescRrprroN MaNecrx - RqNtr Krr-r r SnrpprNc MeN,A,cnn - Pstr. Cnellssew o Cereroc Ononn Pnocpsson - Srn'r Cogs . Cr-nRK, Boor Rrvrrw Coonorrueron - MaunnnN Caruy r Cor'lpurrnAnurNrsrRAToR - Grucnn Frrzsrrr,t.roNs o
Orucr, Asssretrs -JINNrrEn
Frrzsrrr,rraoNsG,A.ucan,
LuN, Marov MeHrn, Sur Mrllrn, ManroN Wlesrrn
Jrr
Holr Assocnres Boano or Drnrcrons: Dav FannNca, Parnrcx Feru,Nce (Conromrn PrusrorNr) Manv Mannn, Mer.ro; Penxr, SuseNNes SsnrpEn Aovrsons ro rHr Boano: Tou Mnnan, MenyVaN DonsN, NaNcyWat-r-a.cr
GWS Irr-usrnerroNs sy EMrr-y LINN Covrn Pnoro rs or An.nrN ArnNrr eNn Srr Focus, p. 16.
,
HER cRANDDAUonrrn
SseNe.
Growing Without Schooling #107, VoI. 18, No. 3. ISSN #047!5305. Published by Holr Associares, 2269 Mass. Are., Cambridge MA 02 14O. $25lyr. Date of issue: October l, 1995. Seconddass posage paid at Boston, MA and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to GWS, 2269 Mass. Ave, Cambridgc, MA 02140 ADVERTISERS: Space reservalon deadlines are the lst ofodd-numbered months. Copy deadlines are the l5th. Write for rates.
2
different
people asked me during the talks I gave at the Minnesota Homeschoolers Alliance conference in August. One phrased it the other way, as, "Is there anyone who can't or shouldn't a homeschool?" I said some things about it being important for the kids to want to do it and for the parents to be willing to stay attentive to their kids and to be resourceful if changes are needed. I said that there was no one to whom, if they strongly wanted to do it and were willing to put their energy toward figuring out how to make it work, I would say, "Sorry, it's not for you." Many people are surprised by this response, because many people assume that homeschooling is only possible for a tiny minority. For a long time, even when parents were coming up with their own creative solutions to meet this challenge, outsiders assumed that homeschooling was just impossible for parents who worked full time outside the home. I'm glad this perception is gradually changing. If kids aren't huppy in school, I want their families to be able to consider homeschooling even if it isn't immediately clear how they would do it, even if the family doesn't ht the media's image of the typical homeschooler. We know from years of hearing these stories that if the family members put their minds to the problem, they so often come up with a way for homeschooling to work. One interesting solution is to have someone other than the parent be the primary adult involved. In this issue of GWS, we interwiew a grandmother who is in this position and an uncle who tried it for a year. I think their stories are important both in an immediate sense and in fartherreaching ways. Of course the most immediate importance was to the children, who benefited from homeschooling and might not have had the opportunity if the families had thought strictly in terms of parents being available during the day. Beyond this, these stories have implications for other families and indeed for our entire notion of what it means to say that the community is involved in education. Usually, that phrase connotes helping the schools, but what if it is conceived more broadly to mean helping children in all sorts of ways? If not only parents but also many other adults think about how to help children, this makes it increasingly possible for children to learn outside of school, even when they don't fit the typical homeschooler's profile. Both the kids in this issue were fairly young, so it was necessary to think in terms of an adult who could take on primary responsibility for that child. When homeschoolers are older, several adults can share the job of helping out. The teenage homeschoolers I know whose parents work outside the home don't need to find an adult who can be involved in the full-time way described here; rather, they look for several people to be involved in a variety of ways. In both cases, though, the idea is to think broadly and creatively about how a child can be out of school and who will help make that possible. Susannah Sheffer
vtttte
5-8
The discussion continues!
Hard Times at
was the question that two
-
Growing Without Schooling #107
. Oct./Nov. 1995
e/retot
E,frqora
or to transform a culture into a democracy, as the case may be. The only way this can happen, the only way children can acquire both the skills of de-
-
cision-making and the inclination to
The Value of Letting Students Decide [SS:] It's always encouraging when publications outside of the homeschooling community run articles that confirm much of what many of us believe about children and learning. We like to let you know about these stories just because they're interesting and also so that you can use them to support your own arguments, if need be. A story in the August 1995 Atlantic MonthQ by Nicholas Lemann gives an inside look at the Educational Testing Service, which creates the SAT and other such tests. The piece is a lengthy exploration of the history of testing, especially the way in which our society has used tests to sort people into winners and losers. It's interesting in many ways, and worth looking up. I only recently discovered a wonderful essay by Alfie Kohn in the September 1993 issue of the educational journal the Phi Delta Kappan.The piece is called "Choices for Children" and it's a detailed argument, supported by much research, in favor of letting students make more decisions about their learning than schools now let them make. I'll quote some of it here, but it's worth looking up the whole thing in a library. Or, you can order the issue from Phi Delta Kappan, PO Box 789, Bloomington IN 47402, for $4.50 plus a $3 processing
might signal that a student was burning out. In both cases, he or she would presumablyjust go through the motions of learning, handing in uninspired work and counting the minutes or days until freedom. Of course, no sooner is this sketch of a hypothetical student begun than we recognize it as a depiction of real life. The fact is that students acr this way every day. But now let us ask what we know from research and experience in the workplace about the cause of burnout. The best predictor, it
turns out, is not too much work, too little time, or too little compensation. Rather, it is powerlessness - a lack of control over what one is doing. ... One is repeatedly struck by the absurd spectacle of adults insisting that children need to become selfdisciplined or lamenting that kids 'ijust don't take responsibility for their own behavior" - while spending their days
ordering children around. The truth is that, if we want children to tahe responsibility for their own behavior, we must frst giae them responsibility, and plenty of it. The way a child learns how to make decisions is by making decisions, not by following directions. As Constance
*We
lkmii
has writ-ten:
cannot expect children to accept ready-made values and truths all through school, and then suddenly make choices in adulthood. Likewise, we cannot expect them to be manipu-
fee:
lated with reward and punishment in school, and to have the courage ofa
Educators are painfully well acquainted with the phenomenon known as "burnout." Some days it seems that the bulbs have gone out in most faculty lounges and administration buildings. But what if, hlpothetically speaking, this syndrome also affected students? How would thel talk and act? Teachers around the country to whom I have put this question immediately suggest such symptoms as disengagement and apathy - or, conversely, thoughtlessness and aggression. Either tuning out or acting out
Martin Luther King in adulthood." ... To talk about the importance of
Growing Without Schooling #107
choice is also to talk about democracy. as Shelley Berman of Educators for Social Responsibility has drily noted, "We teach reading, writing, and math by fhaving students dol them, but we teach democracy by lecture." I belive it is time to call the bluff of every educator who claims to prize democratic principles. Anyone who truly values democracy ought to be thinking about preparing students to participate in a democratic culture
At present,
. Oct./Nov.
1995
use them, is if we maximize their experiences with choice and negotiation. ... Every teacher who is told what material to cover, when to cover it, and how to evaluate children's performance is a teacher who knows that enthusiasm for one's work quickly evaporates in the face of being controlled. Not every teacher, however, realizes
that exactly the same thing holds true for students: deprive them of selfdetermination and you have very likely deprived them of motivation. If learning is a matter of following orders, students simply will not take to it in the way they would if they had some say about what they were doing. Not long ago, in a l0th-grade geometry class whose teacher collaborates with students to decide about curriculum and grades, a student explained to me that being able to make such choices "leads to learning rather than just remember-
irg."...
Homeschooling in the
Military Valmie Bonham Moon unites:
Due to the drawdown of the U.S. military forces in Europe, the number of families homeschooling their children here has declined. While there used to be sporadic articles in newspapers and magazines about the misin-
formation concerning overseas homeschooling, they have declined as well. We are still here, though, and the misinformation is still around. Homeschooling is one of the alternatives for educating children here and any military personnel can consult DoD Manual1342.GM. which is the implementing instruction for Department of Defense schools overseas. Army personnel can read UR l0-12, the USAREUR BASOPS regulation, as well. For various reasons, I researched these regulations, but only those concerning the army in Germany, since that is for whom my husband works and where I live. I am interested in
* using the research combined with information about the Air Force in Europe and the Navy in Europe, but I don't have access to either of their regulation libraries. If any GWS readers have access to them, I would appreciate photocopies of the relevant pages of USAFE and USNAVEUR regulations concerning base oPerations (unclassified, of course), Status of Forces agreements with host nations other than Germany, and local policy letters. I will gladly share information with others and I hope to publish a small directory available to anyone concerned. Please send information or inquiries to Valerie Bonham Moon, Det.4.. Co. A,527th M.I. Bn, Unit 29058, APO AE 09081.
PBS Show on A.D.D. PBS stations around the country will run a show on Attention Deficit Disorder on Friday, October 20th, at 10 p.m. The show is called 'Attention Deficit Disorder: A Dubious Diagnosis?" and it's going to look critically at the A.D.D. "epidemic." An announcement about the show says, 'A.D.D. is found almost exclusively in white, middle class boys. Most children and youth diagnosed with A.D.D. are medicated with Ritalin or generic methylphenidate - but only during school! Currently the U.S. consumes 857a of the world's methylphenidate; our usage has increased from 2,000 kg in 1991 to the current 9,000 kg - again, mostly children." Pat Farenga is the one who suggested this toPic to the Merrow Report, the show's producers. If you know people who are struggling with this problem, you might recommend that they watch this program.
Office News [SS:] Both Pat and I have just returned from homeschooling conferences. I gave a talk on the topic "Does Homeschooling Prepare Kids for Real
Life?" at the Minnesota Homeschoolers Alliance conference, where I met several long-time GWS readers and many new homeschoolers (so new that when I asked them how long theY'd been homeschooling, they said, "Help! We're just starting next week! ") . Pat gave a talk called "Let's Learn To4
Nuws & Rnponrs'l
gether" at the California Home= Education conference, and he was also the MC for events there. He enjoYed the chance to meet many homeschoolers, including the well-known Colfax
family and their now grown-up sons when they all spoke on a panel together. (He reports that Reed Colfax is in his last year at Yale Law School and Grant is in his last year of medical residency in California.) Pat then spoke at several events organized by homeschoolers in Hawaii, including a panel with the superintendent of schools. We extend a big thanks to all the volunteers who staffed our book tables and those who did all the hard work to make these events go smoothly
for
us.
We're offering several new services this fall, as you'll see in our latest catalog. We're now able to offer indepth 45-minute phone consultations
with me or Pat Farenga, for a fee. Of course, you can still call us for information or general advice about homeschooling, but when you want to discuss your specific issues or questions in greater depth, a consultation might be appropriate. Call or write to receive our rates and a pre-consultation questionnaire which allows us to learn about what concerns you and to prepare to make the most of the consultation time. We now have our own section on CompuSerr're. You'll fi nd information
about all the books and materials in our catalog, libraries of selected book reviews, GWS stories, and speeches, and a chance to chat on-line with GWS staff and with other homeschoolers. Don't worry; this is not a replacement for the printed GWS. Rather, it's a way for us to extend our outreach to the many homeschoolers who communicate electronically. To log on, enter Go EDLINE at any CompuServe ! prompt to access the GWS section of Edline's Educational Products Vendor Forum (select Forum B). If you aren't on CompuServe and want information about it, call them at 1-800-5243388. Their rates are now quite competitive
with other on-line services. We've found repeatedlY that when support group leaders or people presenting a small event or workshbp request a few ofour catalogs (say,20 or 30) to distribute to participants, we
get a much better response than if we simply leave the catalogs on a table at a large conferences. The fact that you
personally are recommending the material makes a big difference to new homeschoolers, as of course it should. So do ask us for catalogs ifyou feel you can use them in this way. We're also offering groups the chance to hold John Holt Book Fairs. Your group places a single bulk order with us and keeps a portion of the sales for itself (discounts vary depending on the size of the order). This is a great way to raise money for your homeschooling group or favorite charity, while supporting our work and making great books available to others at the same time. Ask for our information packet about book fairs. There's still time to send in a new Directory entry or to change a listing, if you do it as soon as you receive this issue. Deadline for all entries and changes for the 1996 Directory is October 31, 1995. The complete Directory will appear in GWS #108. In issue #109, we'll print our complete lists of helpful teachers, lawyers, professors, psychologists, school districts,
grown-up homeschoolers, and people
with experience in certain areas (such as adoption, autism, physical handicaps). These lists are our way of helping readers get more specific information than we can provide ourselves. Look at last year's lists in GWS #103 and let us know if you see an appropriate place to add your own listing.
Calendar
Ocl 21: "Diversity in Education" conference in Thornhill, Ont.John Taylor Gatto, Pat Farenga speaking. For info: Canadian Alliance of Homeschoolers, 519-448-4001. Nov. 2425: Wondertree Homelearners Resource Fair and talk byJohn Taylor Gatto in Vancouver, British Columbia. For info: 60+7395943, email maureen-cameron@ wondertree.wimsey.com We are happy to print announcements of major homeschooling events, but we need plenty of notice. Deadline for GWS #108 (events inJanuary or later) is November 10. Deadline for GWS #109 (events in March or later) is
January 10.
t
Growing Without Schooling #107
'Oct./Nov.
1995
Tb Co*ply
or Not?
The discussion cnntinues Garaq andJim Bergin's lctter in GWS #105 and to thefirst set of responses in GWS #105. These uriters are responding toJudy
homeschool contact person ln our
district. We communicated back and forth (by mail and phone). I requested a waiver to the testing portion of the law. We had the support of our evaluator (an outside evaluator also required by law) who was willing to speak with officials on our behalf.
From Nicole Tergeoglou (HI):
Although I would question some of their assumptions (e.g. "homeschooling has proven to be the surest way to a productive and happy life"), I basically agree withJudy Garvey and
Jim Bergin with regard to school regulations. I've never really understood why we need to assess our children on school's terms. We're not emulating school; our children are doing something quite different, so why should schools be ourjudges? They are certainly not asking for our opinions on how thq're doing. In fact, as educators, they seem remarkably
uninterested in this last growing educational movement happening
right in front of their eyes. Regulations, in reality, have no effect on our family. According to the law in our state, parents of registered homeschoolers are supposed to contact their local schools for testing in specific grades and hand in a report at the end of each year. Although we are registered, we have never (with one exception) been asked to do any of the above in the two school districts we've been in. The enforcement of these regulations seems to vary from school to school and principal to principal. We have also never gone to the schools and requested testing or handed in reports. I know that if asked, I would translate how my children spend their lives into the right terms for the school. But increasingly I ask myself, why should I? My experience as an occasional substitute teacher only reinforces this thinking. I am appalled by how little goes on in school (academically, socially, or otherwise), especially at the high school level. There are many good people involved, a lot of time and energy spent, and the teachers and staff act like something very important is going on. To my eyes,
used to unschoolers and how they spend their days, and because I'm not
in the school system, it seems very strange and empty. The kids seem bored and by high school a believer
are definitelyjust passing the time. I always come home saddened because I like the kids and am frustrated that this is what our sociery has to offer
children. Also, although we and another family have tried hard for increased cooperation between the school and homeschoolers here. we have had no success at all. The present principal is adamant about not allowing homeschoolers to participate in any school activities or classes. At this point we have not taken it to higher authorities since the law regarding school participation is unclear and our children are not too interested in being involved with the school anry\ay. Perhaps if we had a good relationship with the school (as Andy Migner in GWS #106 said she has), I would feel differently about complying with regulations. From Norma Young (PA):
Judy Garvey andJim Bergin's letter hit close to my heart. This year, under Pennsylvania's homeschool law, I was forced to administer a standardized test to my 10-year-old daughter, Jacky. In PA it is mandatory to do this when a child is in third, fifth, and
eighth grade. Our family is opposed to testing, especially to standardized tests. We do not use a graded program andJacky had never taken any sort oftest before this. When we registered her as a homeschooler at age 8 under the compulsory attendance law, we declared her at the lowest possible grade level in order to buy time. I gathered articles and publications dealing with the testing issued and compiled an information packet, which I sent to the
Growing Without Schooling #107 o Oct./Nov. 1995
I
explained that sinceJacky had never taken a test, a standardized test would be unable to ascertain her academic progress and therefore provide an inaccurate evaluation of her education. Although officials were friendly and polite, the ultimate decision was, since it was written into the PA Homeschool Law, we would have to comply; their hands were tied. So there we were. After going through the "channels of command" and presenting all the facts and arguments supporting our beliefs, our request was denied. We find PA's law to be burdensome in the first place, but I have always been able to work
around it
as
long
as
it didn't directly
compromise our educational philosophy. This time it did. We had to make a decision. Should we make a stand, not comply, and risk the status of our homeschooling? If we had to expend time, money, and energy on a fight, what would we have left over to put into family life and homeschooling? How secure wouldJacky feel, thinking that at any time she would be forced into school? The law stated that we could choose from a list of approved tests and that the test could be administered by anyone other than the parents. After a lot of soul searching, we decided to comply, and we chose the California Achievement Test. I spoke with an official who assured me that the test would not be used to determine the quality of our program and that these tests were never used to track the children. I purchased a Scoring High practice book and we spent a miserable week practicing. Jacky had trouble understanding why she had to take this test when her father and I did not want her to. She became frustrated with the time spent practicing the test at the expense of time doing what we usually did. We finally decided to throw out the practice booklet. We would comply with 5
* California) suggesring that compliance is the way to go. It may be in those states, but
it isn't in mine.
In New Hampshire, compliance involves curriculum approval and evaluation, conditions with which I cannot in go<ld conscience comply. To date, our state has been unwilling to come after parents who object outright, preferring instead to hassle those who do comply. In 1992 I sat down with the governor, presented him with a list of objections to the law based on our state constitution, and explained that I cannot in conscience comply with such a law. In lg94 I went to juvenile court to help a homeschooling mom whose curriculum didn't meet state approval. I've seen this same pattern in other states. Those who comply are often more at risk than those who, on state constitutional grounds, refuse outright. When talking to new homeschoolers, I generally explain what our state regulations require and why some parents, myself included, refuse to comply. Other support groups in the state will only tell parents how to comply and will insinuate that noncompliance is bad and harmful to the homeschooling community at large. They use scare tactics and intimidation to encourage conformity. I believe they are doing themselves and their fellow homeschoolers a disseruice by limitins debate in this manner. The debate in our state has been between those who want to be accountable to the state and those who don't. The battle had gotten so heated in recent years that only an extended public internet debate was able to restore
rational discourse. Regarding group civil disobedi-
Pinewood School Brinos Home Educotion to Yo-u (303) 670-Et80
Olivio C,
Lorio
Director
SCHOOL I
l2 Rood D Pine Colorodo 80470 Seruing Home Educotors Since l98l
To Covplyon Nor?
*
ence, complying with state home
education regulations is a matter of individual conscience. How convincing is the sincerity of a parent's conscientious objection if he is only willing to object en masse? People live as freely as they want to live. Those who seriously object to regulatory control will find a way out, whether that means conscientious objection or moving to a more friendly
district or state. F-rom
a Califomia reader:
V\4:rat people do, and what we Americans have done repeatedly throughout our recent history, is trade our freedoms for the illusion of security. These bargains we have struck have allowed the messianic state to expand its control to virtually every area of our lives. Most often the result has been that money is stolen from us - taxation - and used to force compliance with the government bureaucracy. However, in two situations I can think of, conscription and compulsory government schooling, this bargain takes on a grossly more heinous dimension in that we commit our children to brainwashing and servitude. Judy andJim believe that we should flout the homeschool reporting regulations and the bureaucrats will quietly go away. They think the state cannot forcibly apply the regr.rlations on 3,000 recalcitrant families. Try the following scenario. A miffed education bureaucrat or a politician who gets money from the NEA decides that there is a brewing crisis with this homeschooling thing. "You know, those people are different. Most of them are fanatics, you know, fundamentalists. And they keep their kids at home all the time. You got to wonder what's going on behind closed doors. I mean, what are they afraid of, what are they hiding? Kids need to be with kids their own age to grow up normal. And how would we know if some kid were in trouble? These kids could grow up to be a problem in the community, cause crime. We have not only the right but the obligation to see to it that....". We all know the paranoia this can create. Then the officials wait for some headline-grabbing homeschool abuse case, having al-
ready written the appropriate legisla-
tion. Let's hope that all they do is put up a few more hoops for us to jump through. Let's pray they don't pass laws to apply asset seizures to families who violate state education laws. Pray they don't start offering rewards to people who turn in their scofflaw neighbors. Pray they don't enlist some
law enforcement department to "dyna-
mically enter" your home to serve you a warrant. They need not persecute all 3,000 families in Maine, asJudy and Jim suggest: only a few prominent ones and everyone else will fall in line. To the state, conrrolling schooling is tantamount to controlling the population. The regulations thatJudy and Jim want to flout are not minor indignities; they are the stare's way of keeping us in the bureaucracy. Once in, no one is officially allowed to escape, for if escape were possible, the whole system might collapse. I believe that Pat Farenga is correct (GWS #103) that taking a hard line against regulation is not the answer. We are flies caught in a web. Struggling will only bring the spider. So what's the answer? Anyone who wants freedom for themselves and especially fbr their children cannor give in to the state. But we must balance our defiance with the possible and very real risks. In my view, it is best to be as still as possible while caught in the web. Be inconspicuous in all aspects of your life so that the state spider doesn't notice you. Don't let the state education department know you have children. Don'tjoin an organized group to openly challenge anything the state does, at least not in your true identiry. Don't let your neighbors know you are a scofflaw. In fact, we should all be hiding as much infbrmation about ourselves as possible. Don't subscribe to magazines. Use cash. Encrypt your mail. Don't put your return address on your envelopes. Burn all documentation about your financial transactions rather than throw it out. Let the spider go after the flailing moth in another part of the web and hope that her apperire is satiated. But don't give in. I've never seen a trapped fly successfully negotiate its release. have vou?
Growing Without Schooling #707
|
. Oct./Nov.
1995
Explorins
Mathematicel Thinking Too many homeschoolers dislike math. And - no coincidence rnany families aren't sure how to study math except by using textbooks and workbooks. But we wouldn't want to study history only by memorizing dates, and we wouldn't want to studywriting only by making spelling lists. These activities may have their place, but they don't convey what's really exciting or worthwhile about history or writing. The same is true for math. Ilere are two stories that give other ideas.
TheM&MStudy Sue Smith-Heauenrich
(NY) writes:
our children the luxury of learning to think and reason in their own time. As for myself, without the fear and pressure to get the right answer, I am
I am not a numbers wizard. In fact, I still count on my fingers - when my children aren't looking. This probably has more to do with my attitude toward math than any real lack of ability. You see, I feared math when I was in school. So homeschooling math is rather an existential leap of faith for me. The trick is not to look down, but to keep my sights on the distant edge of this murky chasm otherwise known as mathematics. I carry a life preserverjust in case: a thick workbook for our current grade levels. And we do actually use it.
Sometimes. When rve remember.Just
often, it sits on the shelf collecting dust, along with those flash cards I thought I couldn't do without. For me, math makes more sense when it's connected to other things we're stlldying, like science or music or real life. Though we end up doing the same sorts of problems that are found in Coulter's workbooks (at least at the primary levels), our problems are more complex, more real, and thus more interesting. But I haven't abandoned the idea of a math curriculum completely. I do think that there are things that need to be learned, mathematical tools and ways of viewing problems, that will come in handy later in life. I am learning, though, that as with reading, we need to allow as
Growing Without Schooling #107
finally learning to feel comfortable around numbers and equations. Often, if I don't interfere, my children will discover concepts on their own. We have a simple pan balance on a desk where the children can use it. One day Coulter was putting the plastic 5 and 10 gram masses in and taking them out. Not much seemed to be going on, so I ignored it, until he said, "Hey, look! 10 + 10 + 5 = 5 + 5 + 5 + 10." He continued to play, comparing the plastic masses to other things, like pennies and jar lids. What evolved from seemingly directionless play was really a study of equality and equivalences.
Around our house, we try to use the language of math in our daily lives. We divide things into fourths or halves; we use percent to calculate sales tax (7.\Vo) and tips (15%). Tape measures, yardsticks, scales, and stopwatches are within easy reach and are used to measure off the length of a whale, the depth of mud puddles, or the speed at which monarch caterpillars travel, Weekly allowances provide all the necessary motivation for Iearning to calculate using decimals. Our math often dovetails with science. We will sometimes ask questions that can best be answered by collecting data which then can be put onto a chart or graph. We ask things
. Oct./Nov.
1995
like: how long do chickadees spend at a birdfeeder? or How many different types of ladybugs are there in our garden? But our favorite has been a study of the Color Distribution in Populations of M&M's. People who know of my chocolate addiction are quick to respond, "Sure - the kids do the math and then you eat the M&M's." Our M&M study began with an argument: "You always get the green onesl" "No, there aren't anymore." "Yes there are! You just ate them all," and so on until I said one day, "Why don't we count them and see how many really come in a package?" So we each got a package and counted. Then we made bar graphs to show our population distribution, and discovered that not all M&M packages are equal. "Can we eat them now?" one
of
the kids asked. "Not yet. I have another question." For example: given any particular package, what is the likelihood that you'll get a green one? or an orange one? What colors will you probably get if you reach in and take the first 5 you touch? (Yes, you can eat them now.) Not a rigid statistical study - but that comes this year. We plan to continue
our study, seeking answers to these questions: How many M&M's are in
a
pack (what's the range, mean, standard deviation? What does this say about quality control at the Mars company?) Is color distribution pretty constant between populations? How will color distribution change as blue M&M's move into the population? As we analyze our M&M populations, we'll be using them to explore mrrltiplicati<ln and division, to count. sort, add, subtract. Perhaps we'll weigh them or time how long it takes one to melt in your mouth. The possibilities are limited only by the number of bags I buy (so this could go on for yearsl) and it's a lot more fun than plowing through page after page ofworkbook problems. Although, as math manipulatives,
I'm not sure M&M's are any
cheaper than Cuisenaire rods! Anyone is welcome to participate in the M&M population study. Send a copy of your population data (total number in a bag and how many of each color) to me at I 15 Hubbard Hill Rd, Candor NY 13743. We'll present
our findings in
a
future GWS issue.